Jordan White
Harleysville, Pennsylvania, United States
Music
Press
"This weekend's Rock The Fall festival at Blue Mountain Ski Area near Palmerton won't feature top national touring musical acts for its third annual run. But there's a lot that's new — a Rock 'n' Rib Fest, with four cooking contests, public chili judging and more. And it's all free this time. Regional music will perform on two stages. Among Saturday's acts are Meadowland, a New Jersey 'tween pop band that played at New Jersey's Bamboozle East festival, has been on the same bill as Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, and opened for the Jonas Brothers; Lansdowne, a Boston-based hard rock band that's been on a USO tour to Afghanistan. And regional rock bands UUU and The Job. Sunday will feature KineticBlu, Jesse Wade Gang, Becky and the Beasts and Under the Wire." - John J. Moser, The Morning Call (Oct 06, 0010)
"“I wrote the song about September because that’s when summer comes to an end,” band member Jordan White, 28, recalls. “And even though chances are we’ll get to see another summer, there’s the possibility that we won’t. We need to cherish everything in all moments.”" - Tine Roycroft, The Pulse
"I want it to be something which people can relate to and that listeners connect with it. I've had fans tell me how much they've been able to relate to the lyrics and that really makes it worthwhile. That's what I'm trying to accomplish, to transform an idea into music." I asked White if songs with more specific lyrics are more difficult for his audience to relate to. "Actually it seems that the more specific they are the stronger responses I get back from people." He looked away for a moment to think then returned to the conversation with a smile, "You know, sitting there writing some words that someone could be going over in the future. A relationship with someone I may have never met through the music."" - Joshua Kreger, White Unrestricted (May 01, 0008)
"He's opened for big name artists like Third Eye Blind, Vertical Horizon, Katherine McPhee and, most recently, he helped us kick off another "Music Monday!" Singer/songwriter Jordan White, from Nazareth, stopped by 69 News at Sunrise to tell us how he's gained so many fans and so much recognition in just six years of performing in and around the Lehigh Valley. - WFMZ-TV 69 (Apr 12, 0010)
"White said he always wanted to be a musician ever since his parents bought him a Casio keyboard when he was in second grade. Eventually, he learned how to play guitar and piano and began writing songs about six or seven years ago. “September" was included on a digital-only album from Sony Music (and still available from iTunes, Amazon and other MP3 retailers), after receiving more than 2 million plays on MySpace." - Brad Patton, The Times Leader (Jan 14, 2011)
"White and KineticBlu have opened for acts such as Third Eye Blind and Vertical Horizon and White recently performed at the Millenium Music Conference, a music showcase that drew more than 300 national bands in Harrisburg, PA." - Chris Cameron, The Pottstown Mercury (May 05, 2011)
"He’s so obsessed with writing lyrics that he’ll sometimes pull over while driving to scribble down lines that enter his head. That results in fragments that he’ll put together. “I have pages and pages of these, basically they’re like orphan lyrics that need the music, which eventually comes but can take a while,” he says. Some orphan lyrics turn into songs with titles like “September,” “Where to Begin” and “Quarter Life Crisis,” which he says is a play on midlife crises for younger people." - Anthony Stoeckert, Princeton Patch (May 27, 2011)
"Best moment: Proving people wrong who doubted me simply by never giving up and succeeding because of that determination. Do you know how many people, this includes other so-called musicians, ex-girlfriends, told me I should just give up? Not to mention some of the other bands that I've worked with. They want the fame and glory without any of the hard work and sacrifice. And if success doesn't come pounding on their doors within a few weeks they move onto something else. But I realized you need to work very hard to be successful at this. And I never gave up, and great things are starting to happen. How many other musicians have a song that was released nationally in this area, let alone on a major label? That's because I believed, and I scoffed at their criticisms." - Denise Sanchez, The Morning Call (Jun 11, 2011)
"Petersen: That’s really cool that you write your own songs…where do the ideas for your song lyrics come from? White: The songs are really inspired from the life that I lead and the lives that I see around me. They are about wounded people. People who are flawed and the flaws I find in myself. The way it feels to drive down the highway late on a summer night with the top down. The burning we feel when we pass someone who was once very important to us, but now neither person even acknowledges it. Being caught in that terrible grey area between what you want and what you can’t have. That’s not to say I can’t write about positive things. There’s an enormous element of faith and hope in the songs I write. I see both beauty and heartache in people. That inspires me." - Danielle Petersen, The Philadelphia News (Jun 27, 0011)
"Right now, he does about 100 shows a year. That’s great for an artist building a career, but not so hot for White’s social life, since most of those performances are on Friday and Saturday nights. “I get invitations to parties, but I can’t go because I have a show. It’s rare to have a Friday or Saturday night off,” he said. “I feel my friends think I’m ditching them.” So, for White, performing is not just his livelihood, it’s his lifestyle." - John Loftus, The North-East Times (Jun 29, 0011)
"Inspired by 1970s artists like Jackson Browne, Van Morrison and Billy Joel, White also credits 1990s bands Counting Crows, The Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana for helping him find himself as a musician." - A.M. Wertz, The Sun-Gazette (Jul 21, 2011)
"In September, White will perform at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem as part of the Rev It Up concert headlined by "American Idol" runner-up Crystal Bowersox and Hawthorne Heights to raise money for juvenile diabetes." - Jamie McCune, Flipside (Jul 20, 2011)
"Not only is Jordan a talented writer of emotionally driven lyrics, he also has a BA and MS in psychology. When asked why not pursue a career in that field, he answered at the time he just wasn’t playing out much. “[Music] wasn’t happening for me at the time.” But through that education White learned more about human emotion and interaction allowing his songs to develop and challenge himself more. “It wasn’t easy, but I love the field,” he says, “how you interpret the world and relationships, that is what a lot of my music is all about.”" - Dana Ragonese, The Cranford Chronicle (Aug 04, 2011)
"Songs from the forthcoming indie CD you might hear at the concert include "Bloodshot;" "Maybe Amy," a longing tune about a relationship that didn't quite pan out; and a new composition titled "Before I Go Out." That last song, White said, is about people who "felt like they were on the borderline and never fit in - Brian Bingaman, The Lansdale Reporter (Sep 09, 2011)
"His greatest songwriting inspiration is drawn from the confessional singer-songwriters of the 1970s such as Jackson Browne, Van Morrison, Billy Joel and James Taylor." - Kate Faherty, LV Magazine (Sep 06, 2011)
Discography
Produced by Scott Tice of Dancing Pepper Productions, this diverse grouping of songs delve into introspective lyrical material focusing on one's relationship with the self paying homage to the eloquent confessional singer-songwriter movement of the 1970's blended with a vibe from alternative rock explosion brought on by likes of bands such as Nirvana and Counting Crows. The songs contain moments of pop and the flavor of southern rock paired with plenty of clean guitar licks and riffs which unravel among piano and Jordan White's clear and distinctive vocals.
Below is a track list for our debut EP:
1. Before I Go Out (featuring James Supra)
2. Bloodshot
3. Maybe, Amy
4. No Promises
Photos
Bio
Born in Cranford, New Jersey, White was raised in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, part of the Lehigh Valley region of the state, where he learned to play guitar and classical piano. He graduated in 1998 from Nazareth Area High School and went on to graduate from Northampton Community College and then received a B.A. from East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; and a M.S. from Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, in the field of psychology. White credits several professors at Northampton Community College as having a profound effect on his motivation for continuing his education and for encouraging his song writing.
White explained that depression he experienced as a teenager was the motivation behind writing his own music, revealing that music "saved me from being another statistic."
White began playing keyboards in a class project led by his teacher in elementary school and was later inspired by his father's vinyl record collection. White says his musical influences "started with singer-songwriters out of the 1970s," referencing Van Morrison, Jackson Browne and Billy Joel. He also cites Guns N' Roses, Counting Crows, Tom Petty, The Beatles, Ritchie Valens and The Clash. His music is considered a mixture of alternative, acoustic-confessional pop-rock.
White spends much of the songwriting process fine-tuning lyrics and is known to occasionally alter verses in the middle of performing. Much of the lyrical material deals with personal relationships, the divorce of his parents, and "how people just stop talking and the second things gets difficult they'll walk away." He adds, “I really like lyrics that are personal but sometimes they become broader to apply to others; although there’s a fine line between doing that and making it obvious." White reportedly has gone a year or more between writing songs due to his commitment to the lyrics.
In a June 2011 article, White told The Philadelphia Daily News, "The songs are inspired from the life that I lead and the lives that I see. They are often about wounded people. People who are flawed and the flaws I find in myself; being caught in the grey area between what you want and what you can’t have. That’s not to say I can’t write about positive things, there’s an enormous element of faith and hope in what I write. I see both the beauty and heartache in people. Sometimes it's like saying, well, I really made a mess of things this time, but I can’t wait to see what happens. I’m extremely inspired and moved by the environment I’m in."
White's first break into the music industry occurred in 2005 when a demo he recorded was included on a compilation in Australia on Bamboo Bird Records.
White has performed as a solo artist and with several acts, popular east-coast cover band The Fuzzy Bunny Slippers, the acoustic trio Foreplay and alternative rock band, KineticBlu.
White has shared the stage and opened for national acts such as Third Eye Blind, Vertical Horizon, Bowling For Soup, Sharon Little, Ryan Star, Crystal Bowersox and Katharine McPhee and White advanced through the early rounds of American Idol during season 5 but has since publicly criticized the selection techniques used by producers of the show. After being dismissed, White was offered and signed a management contract with Media Five Entertainment.
White performed for a sold-out audience on December 31, 2008 for Musikfest's "First Night in Bethlehem" annual New Year's Eve concert in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In February 2010, White's original song "September" recorded with KineticBlu, was selected by Sony Music/Red Distribution for inclusion on a national release of hot new musical acts and is available on Amazon.com, iTunes, Rhapsody, and Napster. The song put the Pennsylvania-based band into the spotlight, and with over 1.5 million hits on Myspace it had clearly struck a chord. Says White: “I wrote the song about September because that’s when summer comes to an end, and even though chances are we’ll get to see another, it's possible we won’t.”
In April 2010, White performed his original song "Crazy Girl" live on WFMZ-TV Channel-69 News. White has performed at the Tunes at Twilight Festival in Bethlehem, PA and campaign fundraisers for U.S. Congressional Candidate Jake Towne for Pennsylvania's 15th District. During the campaign White criticized incumbent Charlie Dent for attempting to bar Towne from scheduled debates due to a controversial band that was scheduled to perform as well.
KineticBlu was named Alternative Addiction's "Next Big Thing" for October 2010 and performed at the fifth annual Bethlehem Harvest and third annual Blue Mountain "Rock The Fall" Festivals, events which drew several thousand people. In February 2011, White performed at the 15th annual Millennium Music Conference & Showcase in Harrisburg, PA, an event which draws nearly 300 musical acts from across the country.
In May 2011, White performed at the Paul Robeson Arts Center in
Links
