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Arts & Entertainment Archive 2005-06 NO. 03
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Acoustic songwriter sings from his heart
by Allie Michael
Slot Copy Editor
Michaeal@shu.edu |
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Rob Hoffmen • THE SETONIAN - Jake Laufer serenades audiences with original acoustic tunes. | Singer/songwriter Jake Laufer performed at the Pirates Cove Wednesday night in what he promised to be “the biggest and best thing to hit New Jersey since the Cherry Hill Mall.”
Laufer played an acoustic set to a small, intimate crowd. He played mostly original songs and also added some covers, including Prince’s “When Doves Cry.”
Philadelphia-born Laufer, who is currently based out of Washington, D.C., got his start performing at open-mic nights when he was a freshman in college.
He followed that by performing with a duo before going solo again his senior year.
Although Laufer was the front man of the band The Sherpa Underground, he now plays solo.
“I am actually in between bands right now,” he said. “So in terms of having a steady band, that is not happening right now. Being that I have done a lot of recording lately, having a band was kind of sacrificed in the process.”
According to Laufer, whose most current album was “A Viking Named Caliente!” in 2000, his style of music combines “upbeat eclectic singer/songwriter rock combined with a creeping Americana side,” which he attributes to the fact that he has lived in Virginia for four years.
He said he would compare himself to Ben Folds without a piano, Fountains of Wayne and The Barenaked Ladies.
“I have songs that rock but go in another direction that is a little offbeat with the lyrics,” he said. “It’s something people wouldn’t expect.”
Laufer’s musical inspirations growing up were an eclectic mix of artists that included Elvis Costello, whom he has often been compared to, Aimee Mann, The Who, Stevie Wonder and Sam Cooke. Currently, he likes the band The Arcade Fire.
Laufer said he draws inspiration for his songs from personal experiences he has had in the past.
“Fifty percent of my songs rise out of some sort of troubling experience that I have had,” he said. “The best songs come six months to a year after the experience has happened because it has given me time to reflect on the situation.”
Some of his favorite songs include “Walkabout” off of “A Viking Called Caliente!,” post-breakup song “I Wish You Well” and “Center City,” which Laufer said is about an outsider’s view of Philadelphia.
“(It’s) funny, a bit harsh, but anyone who’s from there understands,” Laufer said of “Center City.”
Laufer said, above everything else, he likes when people take special notice of his lyrics.
“The most rewarding thing, the greatest compliment I ever receive is when people tell me that one of my songs helped them deal with something or helped them make sense of it, think about it in a different way,” Laufer said.
Laufer is currently working on his yet-to-be-titled next album, which he hopes will come out in January or February of 2006. In addition to recording for albums, Laufer has also composed music for television and movies and recently opened up for ‘80s icon Rick Springfield.
To find out more about Laufer, check out his Web site at http://www.jakelaufer.com.
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