Jon Hugo

Hugo's been known to attack his piano from a horizontal position; he also likes balancing sarcasm and satire. - The Boston Globe

There's something charmingly old-fashioned about Jon Hugo Ungar's piano-driven pop songwriting on his latest self-released EP, Low on Blood Sugar. Billy Joel, Todd Rundgren and Joe Jackson might all recognize a kindred spirit in Ungar's breezy feel, clever wordplay and intricately crafted retro production. Fans of Ben Folds, Fountains of Wayne and Maroon 5 would do well to lend an ear. - Time Out NY

Hugo is Jonathan Hugo Ungar who has been, and it is evident in his capabilities, playing since he was five years old. With his style of playing and extreme knowledge of the instrument, he gives [the music] its heart and soul. Hugo's lyrics are fun and clever and show that the piano isn't his only talent. - Southofmainstream.com

Hugo decided he needed to kill the traditional idea of a rock band. Sturdy piano rock tunes that sound like stream-of-consciousness Joe Jackson with the lyrical tone of a twenty-something Woody Allen. In the wake of other piano-oriented rock, like David Grey and Cold Play, Hugo offers us something different, and skillfully raw. - Miami Herald

This is refreshing. After years of guitar-based rock, bands are finally starting to experiment with new instrumentation on a mainstream level. The problem is, most people radically diverge and lose their pop sensibilities in the process. Hugo has found the middle ground, forgoing the guitars and distortion for tricky time signatures and piano, yet somehow still incorporating catchy choruses and sing along melodies.
"Educational Facility" is a light and bouncy affair that picks up into a driving, head-bobbing melody. "Without Words" has all the snap and pop of a Billy Joel song, and the cutesy woo-hoo's and yeah-yeah's to match. "A Little Humiliation" builds and boils to tumultuous anti-climax with surgical syncopation and a climbing, tense chorus. There's this great Gibbard sensibility to "So Distant", with a spacey piano on top of sizzling cymbals, and the muted refrain "don't be so distant" seems to deflate out of his mouth. The last track, "Cockroach" is a departure, but oddly compelling, with its bizarre, post-apocalyptic musings and tolerable but still cheesy vocoder.

Impeccable songwriting chops are all over this record, in the style of obvious Ben Folds Five and Elvis Costello influences. This is where pop music needs to head - ebullient piano, clockwork drums, fluid, gliding bass lines, and clever structuring with challenging, diverse rhythms. Hugo excites with bubbling energy and an incredibly tight sound that fills up the space of a band twice its size. These are three exceptional musicians, who understand how to dazzle without losing the hooks - impressive, to say the least. Hugo is one to keep listening to, and I expect great things to come real soon. - Adequacy.net

Calling his style "Indie Pop Piano Rock" this singer/songwriter (and yes, pianist) shares qualities with the masters of melodic, piano-driven Pop songwriting like Billy Joel, Elton John, Ben Folds and Joe Jackson. With clever, witty lyrics (Which have an almost cabaret-like playfulness) and a cheery, infectious bounce, Hugo's music could probably be used as therapy - listening to it makes it really hard to stay in a bad mood.
Dig: Todd Rundgren, Ben Folds, Power Pop night at the piano bar. - Citybeat.com