Jake Paul Band

How much do you want to bet from the red, yellow and green motif emblazoning the front of The Providence EP’s cover that Milwaukee’s Jake Paul Band have some kind of reggae fixation going on? Consider yourself a winner if you placed that wager. And if you guessed the band distills Jamaica’s most popular musical export into a form that conjectures how the Zac Brown Band and the Grateful Dead would approach the genre, the prize is even greater. The Jake Paul Band exude the kind of earnest, blissed-out vibe expected from a Midwest guitar band enamored with a mellow tropical R&B derivative. And one can easily imagine these numbers as launch pads for further jamming.
- Shepherd Express

A jammy Milwaukee singer-songwriter in the Jack Johnson/G. Love mold, Jake Paul sings acoustic shuffles about positivity and rising above in a breathy voice that recalls Sublime's Bradley Nowell (like Nowell, he also breaks into occasional raps). His band's debut full-length album, The Jailbreak, features the laid-back tunes you'd expect, but also tosses in some left-field material like "Dreamland," a song about the deceit and corruption of politics. In concert, Paul embraces his influences, covering songs by muses like Johnson, Sublime, David Gray and Pink Floyd. - Milwaukee Journal/Sentinal

Picture a band with mixed characteristics; one with a sound that is not entirely rock, nor entirely reggae. A band with a sound that instead falls into the category of surf rock, or if you will, "American Reggae," with similar artists such as Sublime, Citizen Cope, Jack Johnson, and Donovan Frankenreiter. That band you're picturing is Jake Paul Band and the album is The Jailbreak. The band's reggae sounds bring a sunny warmth to the overall album, even though oftentimes heavy, less than cheery subjects are addressed. Front man and band kick-starter Jake Paul's vocals fall somewhere between singing, spoken word, and rapping, which accentuates the music perfectly. He also brings his harmonica out from time to time, lending a further accent to the music.

Paul has a unique reason for forming the band and beginning his music career. In the 1990's his mother was killed; unfortunately, the case has still not been solved. In honor of his mother, he set out to spread his story through the form of music. His first venture was with the track "Hollow," which is included twice on the album - once as the original and the other as a home studio remix. Regardless of which track you listen to you will be blown away by the brutal honesty of the lyrics. The story is told in third person, describing his mother's death and how he was affected by it, reminding listeners to "Remember to say goodbye, 'cause you're never too young to die." The sincerity of the lyrics, especially when Paul describes the moment he was given the news, further outlines how genuine the track really is. This sense of honesty follows the band through the entirety of their album, whether he is tackling everyday troubles or covering how to overcome those difficulties.

"Scarecrow" comes next on The Jailbreak. The cleverness of the track is what makes it stand out. Paul sings, "You know, a wildflower cannot grow stuck in the shadows of a wounded soul," cleverly explaining how he'll stick around acting as this person's scarecrow until every last demon has been chased away. It takes a drastic turn in tempo at the very end, transforming into something you would assume to hear on a punk record and not this one. This facet seems to be a onetime deal, though, since it pops up nowhere else on the album. "Keep Your Demons," found a few tracks deeper into the album, covers the topic of demons once again, though this time Paul writes on a more personal level. Although it is the shortest track on the album he has no trouble with getting his words out and point across.

"My Side of the Street" is one of the few more lighthearted tracks, and its lightheartedness is reflected in its upbeat melody. Paul sings about how sunny life can be when things begin to go your way and a new relationship blossoms. "In the End" is hands down the most uplifting song. They don't go overboard with lyrics; just enough are supplied, telling you that in the end, everything will eventually go as planned. An equal portion of the song is handed over to the instruments, letting them do the talking. A short solo to introduce the track and an impressive mid-song solo by lead guitarist Chad Layton are featured.

Everything about The Jailbreak has an organic nature to it, from the vocals to the instruments. Nothing is too overproduced, and you get the sense this mood was orchestrated on purpose in order to faultlessly portray the relaxed atmosphere they were intending. These are guys you would want to invite to a party of your own just so you could get to know them and be able to sit back and watch them play.

Artist: Jake Paul Band
Album: The Jailbreak
Review by Alec Cunningham
Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5) - Anamoly Records, reviewed by Alec Cunningham

Jake -

Thanks again for playing the gig last night @ Hard Rock. I received great reviews of your performance. I hope you had a good time and let me know if you have any issues with Matthew (Sam was very sick, so he was a little inexperienced) or anyone over at Hard Rock. I will be in touch and we'll do it again soon.

Thanks,
Jeremy Cohen
CEO & Manager
On The Grind Management
www.otg-management.com
- Anamoly Records, LLC

If you have been waiting for a '90s revival, check out Milwaukee's Jake Paul Band. That decade never left their hearts, if The Jailbreak is any indication. The group's trick is that they don't take any one style from that time in wholesale form, but instead mix and match in such a way as to be revivalists with an original spin on their source material. Paul raps and sings while the rest of his quintet bridges the chasm between the pop-jam-band templates of Blues Traveler, Widespread Panic and Rusted Root and Sublime's stoner-ish punk reggae. If that combination seems jaunty and easygoing, Paul confounds it all (largely in a good way) by baring his soul with lyrics that sound like the efforts of a man stumbling from an abyss to find the sunshine that still makes him squint in pain. - Shepherd Express

The Jake Paul Band's acoustic croons may sound native to southern California, but we assure you they're straight from southeastern Wisconsin. Paul, who got his start freestyle rapping at fraternity parties, seamlessly leads his band through freestyle rhymes, ballads and long-form jams. Even as Wisconsin weather turns to fall, this is a non-stop party that's never far from the sunshine. - Intercontinental Milwaukee

THE JAKE PAUL BAND

8 p.m. Friday, Shank Hall, 1434 N. Farwell Ave. $7.

Laid-back local acoustic crooner Jake Paul and his band channel acts such as Jack Johnson and Sublime, the kind of beachy campfire jamming that owes more to southern California than southeastern Wisconsin.

But on the self-titled EP being released at the show, Paul touches on some weighty material, including his mother's still unsolved murder. But like Sublime, even the darker songs never stray too far from a ray of sunshine.

Paul, who got his start freestyle rapping at fraternity parties, shifts between his original acoustic ballads and long-form improvisational jamming in the live setting.

The Fat Andy and comedian-musician Tommy Gimler also are on the bill.

- Bob Purvis, Special to the Journal Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/musicandnightlife/101538228.html - Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel

Live at the Modjeska - Milwaukee, WI.
The booking agent who set this show up got into a car accident and was not at the theatre. So when Jake Paul showed up the "new guy" said that Jake was not on the list. After a bit of tension and compromise, he got to play in between the sets of other bands. So while they set up, he played! Several people, including a marketing agent from New York, approached Jake after his set and thanked him for "playing music we can enjoy." The marketer purchased a cd on the spot and said that she'd bring it with her back to New York.
Jake's folk-rock style is evolving into a sound that resembles Jack Johnson and G.Love. We look forward to watching this new artist develop.
Anamoly Publishing, Nov. 2009 - Anamoly Publishing, LLC