Jesse Parent
Kitchener, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2012 | SELF
Music
Press
Is it really almost June? Summer always seems to disappear faster than a Heineken on a Friday
night at Ethel’s. However, soak up the sun and the goodness of live music by checking out
these three acts who’ve got a winning combination – throw down a new record, celebrate your
one–year anniversary or be a supporting act for stellar CD release party. No matter which way
you dice it, these artists know how to make it hotter inside than out. JESSE PARENT CD
RELEASE When Jesse Parent sets his mind to something, you know damn well it will be
accomplished. After years of playing around the Tri– Cities, Parent’s live gigs have seen him in
cover bands and finally stepping out as a true–blue songwriter. With a lengthy string of live
shows that have included him acoustic to full band, Parent is finally able to showcase an EP all
his own – laced with tracks soaked in honesty, integrity and of course good old fashioned rock.
And hey, it doesn’t hurt when he tosses in a harmonica and a pedal steel. Parent advises new
musicians to “play, play, play” – and he certainly practices what he preaches. With shows bi
weekly around the Tri Cities, his lighthearted, anti–serious approach to live music, Parent,
accompanied by his back up band comprising of Steve Wood, Matt Weaver, Euro and Todd
Donald, wants nothing more than for people to come out and enjoy a night of great music. With
fingers pointing him to a successful release and an even more successful future in the indie biz,
be sure to catch Jesse Parent performing the Jesse Parent EP live at Molly Bloom’s in
Kitchener on May 30. www.myspace.com/jesseparentmusic - Echo Weekly
JESSE PARENT Honest. Genuine. Lyrics that are saturated with doses of pure folk and rock
content, Jesse Parent has sought after sticking to his roots and believing in the idea that music
should be made for the person who writes it. Spinning yarns about life and love, real
experiences and peppering them with music that includes everything from steel pedal to a
resonating acoustic guitar and harmonica, Parent's timeless take on the music that matters is
one not to be missed. His release of the “Jesse Parent EP” featured local indie artists, Steve
Wood (Calliope's Radio) to Todd Donald. And with the assist of in-town favourites, Kicking
Trudy, Parent has been on the front line offering his music to the masses by providing free
down-loads of his tracks on his website jesseparentmusic.com. In conjunction with his
eagerness to see fans of the music community take to the net to dish up a dose of his music,
Parent has also released his first music video for Blood Red Skies. With Ryan Golding
directing the shots, Parent utilized the video tool to create a simple in studio video diary of his
recording. Visually clear-cut, the video encapsulates Parent's undying passion for the music,
and his drive to produce music that should be heard. Get inside Jesse Parent's world of smart,
homegrown music by visiting him at jesseparentmusic.com or myspace.com/jesseparent. Both
the video and mp3 are online and available for download. - Echo Weekly
Discography
About Time - 2015
Live at The Schoolhouse Theatre - 2016
Today (Single) - 2018
Quebec City in The Rain (Single) - 2018
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The first thing to strike you about Jesse Parent is the voice. Warm and resonant, it immediately draws you in with its emotional authenticity. It is a voice you can trust. Then there are his well-crafted songs, sporting strong melodies and perceptive lyrics that help illuminate the human condition. Together, these skills mark the Kitchener/Waterloo-based singer/songwriter as a major talent, one to be watched closely.
Jesse's compelling artistry has been showcased on two full-length albums to date, 2015's About Time and 2016's Live At The Schoolhouse Theatre. Recorded with an ace grouping of local musicians, the live album reprised some of the material from About Time plus new material and other songs from a now extensive catalogue.
Parent has drawn upon a wide array of musical elements in forging his own sound. He explains that "the music I release is a combination of folk, rock, country and blues, because I enjoy all sorts of genres and my influences have always been varied. After spending time in Nashville, people down there have termed me an Americana artist, and I'm comfortable with that label."
He has years of extensive gigging under his belt, regularly playing a circuit of venues in the Kitchener/Waterloo, Guelph and Stratford area. He has played such notable Toronto venues as the Horseshoe Tavern and Cameron House, toured the East Coast, and played shows in Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. Sharing a bill with noted songsmith Donovan Woods at the Bayfield Town Hall has been a career highlight.
Multiple trips to the songwriting hub of Nashville helped Jesse sharpen his compositional chops. "I joined the Nashville Songwriters Association a couple of years ago," he says. "It was in my head to just write songs for other people, but I soon realized that down there they want a certain formulaic song. I need music with conflict and pain, not just happy party songs."
"I went down there six times within 18 months and I did learn a lot. I made some friends and a couple of publishing connections there. That experience reignited my passion for writing and recording my own music for my own love of it."
Parent is currently excited about recently-written new material expected to find a home on a new album slated for the new year. "I have 10 tracks ready to record that will be the next step in finalizing my sound. I'm finally getting comfortable in my own skin as a singer-songwriter/storyteller type"
The beautifully moving "Today" is a song Parent wrote for his own wedding. "I'm so proud of that, and it's as close to the vest as anything I've written," he says of a tune that has the potential to become a classic wedding song, given lines like "I make this promise to you, today all our struggles fade away."
Jesse explains that much of his material features "my unique perspective on personal experiences. That is what every songwriter has, their individual experience. Everyone falls in love, has their heart broken, has money troubles etc. What is interesting is my unique take on it, and hopefully people connect with it."
Parent excels at writing narrative songs too, like the colourful storytelling of "Wanted In Chicago," a highlight track on both "About Time" and the live album. "Lonely Gunman," another evocative story song that premiered on Live at The Schoolhouse Theatre, was used in the soundtrack for a 2015 feature film, Man Vs.
Jesse is also skilled in using geographic locations to help set a song's mood, as on "Rainy Day in Moncton" and "Bon Echo," both featured on the live record. Based on his own experience camping at the park over the years, "Bon Echo" has had a real impact. Ontario Parks had the music video linked to their website for the entire summer of 2015, and Jesse performed the song at their 50th anniversary celebration that same summer.
To Parent, songwriting "is often a matter of putting two pieces together. On one end are lyric ideas that come into my head. Sometimes that's in traffic, and I'll write them down or leave myself a voice-mail. Then on guitar I'll come up with some melody and chord change ideas, and then it's a matter of connecting those things."
The life of a fully independent artist isn't an easy one, but Jesse Parent's passion for music still burns bright. "I can't just put it down, it's literally as much a part of me as my right leg," he stresses.
"As a human, I go for growth. I want to be improving, learning, growing in as many aspects of my life as possible, including music."
Following his artistic evolution promises to be a richly rewarding experience.
Links
