About the Artist
Continuing the tradition of great music coming out of the San Francisco Bay Area, Even Elroy came together in the summer of 2003 when singer/songwriter piano guy Jeff Michaels began recruiting band members in support of his solo recording. Michaels is a multiple-award winning member of the West Coast Songwriters Association, and the original keyboardist for the acclaimed San Francisco band Luce, who?s song Good Day graced the national airwaves and has appeared in shows on NBC, the WB, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey), and 13 Going on 30 (Jennifer Garner). With his signature black glasses and tight T-shirts, Michaels looks more like the Verizon Wireless guy than a future rock star. But any doubt of his ability to rock vanishes as soon as his fingers rain down upon the piano keys, where he moves across the keyboard with an amazing quickness and intensity ? skills undeniably gained from years pounding the ivory in dueling piano bars. “Unfortunately, we don?t have the luxury of playing with a grand piano just yet,” says Michaels, “so I?m doing quite a number on the portable keyboards I own. One?s in the shop right now with an octave?s worth of smashed keys? they thought I dropped it off a truck.” Michaels? hard hitting piano is complimented by the Carter Beauford drumming style of Matt Ward, the Claptonesque electric guitar work of Alan Amerault, and the rock solid bass of Gautam Baksi.
Product Description
With a voice similar to Ben Folds and a flowing piano style comparable to Elton John, you might expect the debut album from San Francisco singer/songwriter Jeff Michaels to be just another album full of sappy piano ballads, or a Coldplay rip off. But the unique sound of RED JACKET hits you right from the opening, pounding piano chords, and you quickly realize this is not the case. Featuring some of Northern California?s finest musicians, including Steve Bowman (Counting Crows, Third Eye Blind), Matt Blackett (Guitar Player Magazine), and members of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Red Jacket is a sound unlike any band currently on the radio. It?s an amazing array of texture, from mandolin, to accordion, to layered electric guitar, with a lyrical depth uncommon in today?s popular music. Highlight tracks include the catchy Going Back to Bed, This Life, and the beautiful blend of piano and lyric, Ciarda. “I?m a big fan of story songs,” says Michaels, citing Adam Duritz from the Counting Crows and Bruce Springsteen as two of his mentors. “I think if you can somehow immortalize someone in a song, and make a listener step into their shoes for just a moment and really feel what their life is like, if only just for a moment? well, then you?ve done your job as a songwriter.”
It’s about time a piano rock band came back around to leave off where Ben Folds Five left off. I saw Even Elroy play at San Francisco’s Last Day Saloon and the rocked the place til the late hours. When I got home, I had to check out this disc. Though this CD isn’t much like a Ben Folds release, the songs on it scream of Billy Joel licks and even a few Elton John melodies. It’s great to hear another piano/guitar blended band live again. The CD is a great addition to your collection and seeing the band is a MUST!
February 5th, 2010