Biography

Although his music is based upon American roots traditions, it cannot be considered merely Folk or Americana. What you will discover is a melting pot of styles that surface into a purely modern reincarnation of Folk music. For Jake Klar, this rebirth is a spiritual conjuring from the old American soul to the new American heart, speckled with the grit and energy of the Blues and poetic songwriting of Dylan and Springsteen. It’s part of the new Americana synergy that infuses Rock and Pop sensibilities with Folk traditions.

Klar’s latest offering, Crescent St. Blues, is a collection of songs inspired by a 4-year journey through the contemporary American landscape. It explores the inner workings of everyday characters trying to find their way in an ever-changing world. It speaks of humanity and hardships, love and happiness, and searching for the good within the bad. It’s a record about picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and getting right back in the fight.

"The title track was written in Northern Maine, while I was staying at an arts community on an island up there. I would go out every morning, onto the rocky coastline, with a cup of coffee and write. "Crescent St. Blues" was the first song that developed, as I stared out into the Atlantic, the fog lifting off the harbor, fishing boats headed in to the shore. It isn't really a love song, but more about memory, understanding our past experiences, departing from them and learning from them; it’s the only song on the record where the perspective is looking back in time."

Released on March 31, 2015, Crescent St. Blues was recorded over a five-day period at Great North Sound Society (Josh Ritter, Lake Street Dive, Langhorne Slim) and produced by Parsonsfield’s, Chris Freeman.