Jay Kipps Band
Orangeville, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2016 | INDIE | AFTRA
Music
Press
The Jay Kipps Band go for a tried and true gritty style on the swagger of “Rotten Apple Blues”. With a raw visceral approach the Jay Kipps Band goes for a nearly physical style. From the passionately played harmonica to the jagged guitar riffs, everything feels truly lived in giving the track an honest spirit. Stylistically they draw from a wide variety of genres, from classic rock to Americana with the blues helping to anchor all of it. Featuring a toe-tapping rhythm courtesy of the light percussion the piece feels so intimate in a way. By far the true soul comes from the simultaneously humorous and downcast lyricism that adorns the entirety of the song. Easily the highlight, the way the vocals deliver their story feels vital.
Jumping right into it, the groove takes hold very quickly. Setting the tone for the rest of the piece the song has a spacious quality to it. By the time the vocals enter into the mix everything truly begins as the jagged guitar serves almost as punctuation to the tragic narrative that begins to unfold. Gradually the guitar starts to truly pick up, becoming ever more incensed as the whole realization of all the failings a city can bring. For city life is a brutal one, and can be for the people who live there. Thankfully the Jay Kipps Band injects this message with a bit of playfulness, leading to a quite addictive take.
With “Rotten Apple Blues” the Jay Kipps Band sculpts a catchy world, one that lingers in the mind.
By Vince Schmidt - Vince Schmidt
The Jay Kipps Band go for a tried and true gritty style on the swagger of “Rotten Apple Blues”. With a raw visceral approach the Jay Kipps Band goes for a nearly physical style. From the passionately played harmonica to the jagged guitar riffs, everything feels truly lived in giving the track an honest spirit. Stylistically they draw from a wide variety of genres, from classic rock to Americana with the blues helping to anchor all of it. Featuring a toe-tapping rhythm courtesy of the light percussion the piece feels so intimate in a way. By far the true soul comes from the simultaneously humorous and downcast lyricism that adorns the entirety of the song. Easily the highlight, the way the vocals deliver their story feels vital.
Jumping right into it, the groove takes hold very quickly. Setting the tone for the rest of the piece the song has a spacious quality to it. By the time the vocals enter into the mix everything truly begins as the jagged guitar serves almost as punctuation to the tragic narrative that begins to unfold. Gradually the guitar starts to truly pick up, becoming ever more incensed as the whole realization of all the failings a city can bring. For city life is a brutal one, and can be for the people who live there. Thankfully the Jay Kipps Band injects this message with a bit of playfulness, leading to a quite addictive take.
With “Rotten Apple Blues” the Jay Kipps Band sculpts a catchy world, one that lingers in the mind. - Staff Writer
THE JAY KIPPS BAND: ROOTS ROCK SPICED WITH BLUES & HARMONICA!
If you like your roots rock crooned by a velvety voice, kissed by occasional harmonica and spiced with blues flavor, then the latest The Jay Kipps Band singles are...
If you like your roots rock crooned by a velvety voice, kissed by occasional harmonica and spiced with blues flavor, then the latest The Jay Kipps Band singles are just your style. The genre-defying Canadian-based band delights us with these tracks before the release of their upcoming album “How To Polish Your Long Horns” produced by Stewart Gunn and recently recorded at Wildlife Sanctuary Sound. The Jay Kipps Band is made up of Jay Kipps (Vocals, Harmonica, Guitar), Chad Burford (Lead Guitars), Chris Lubker (Bass, Backup Vocals) and Cory Bruyea (Drums).
The singles, “Rotten Apple Blues” and “Everyone But Me”, forge stunning melodies, heartfelt lyrics, beautiful arrangements and sweet harmonies. In a world where many bands chase commercial and mainstream success and attention, The Jay Kipps Band march to their own drum as they go about blending various Americana roots sounds. “Rotten Apple Blues” and “Everyone But Me”, feel like the perfect pairing of songs from a bygone era with some harmonica reminiscent of the roaring 60s.
Always in pristine voice, chief songwriter and lead vocalist Jay Kipps is without a doubt the focal point of this project, and he showcases it on “Rotten Apple Blues”, a song which feels both melancholic and hopeful, harmonic and just blissful.
The rest of band however, shows off its personality within each song here, a personality that is genre-bending and both looking at the past and future at the same time. The Jay Kipps Band distance themselves from the pack as a singular entity on the modern musical landscape. It is the band’s ability to blend sounds of multiple genres into a cohesive recording that makes these such enticing singles.
“Everyone But Me” has a hard-nosed blues-rock attitude that consistently comes through in the bands performances, channeling an energy and a gleeful disregard for musical boundaries that is the hallmark of the The Jay Kipps Band’s music.
Within a wall of bass, drums and harmonica, the slow-burning rocker serves to shine a spotlight on the voice of frontman Jay Kipps as well as lead guitarist Chad Burford, who keeps his bluesy six-string interludes fiery and soulful.
The singles, “Rotten Apple Blues” and “Everyone But Me”, has plenty to recommend, both for fans of The Jay Kipps Band and for newcomers who might wonder what all of the fuss is about.
It’s been kind of hard for me to write this review; I mean, what do you say when the songs represent such gorgeous perfection that you’re afraid that any amount of verbal bombast would be too much and too little at the same time, when all that truly needs to be said is “Download this!” - Staff Writer
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
"If you like your Blues with a roots-rock base, crooned by a velvety voice, kissed by a harmonica and spiced with burning guitar solos, then you need the debut album HOW TO POLISH YOUR LONGHORNS by Canadian-based Jay Kipps Band.
Hailing from Ontario, Canada, the Jay Kipps Band have crafted something new and different - their brand of insurgent country draws heavily on diverse inspirations ranging from classic Americana and surf music to murder ballads and spaghetti western soundtracks. On their debut album, How To Polish Your Longhorns, the Jay Kipps Band have absorbed these influences and blended it into something unique with their estimable instrumental skills, refusing to play it safe.
The band’s been making music together since 2015 and is comprised of Jay Kipps (lead vocals, harmonica, guitar), Chad Burford (lead guitar), Cory Bruyea (drums), and Chris Lubker (bass, backup vocals). Kipps himself comes from a storied artistic family; he is the son of Toronto based artist's Paul Kipps & Colette Whitten who's sculptures can be found at major intersections in almost every city in Canada.
Raised in a small, prospector gold rush town in the Yukon, as a young boy Kipps found himself lost in the sounds of his fathers record collection - Harry Nilsson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Duane Eddy, J.J. Cale, The Ventures, Neil Young, The Band and The Dead.
“My dad’s best friend was Stan Rogers,” recalls Kipps. “When I was a kid, in the summertime we would go to Ronnie Hawkins place and be in this circle of incredible musicians. That vibe definitely had an influence on me.”
How To Polish Your Longhorns is grounded in authenticity and the songs speak of home, loss, love, and life. Layers of organic music and vocals develop an experience that never feels rushed or overdone.
“I never got turned onto music of my own time - I’m heavily influenced by the sound of the ‘60s and the ‘70s,” says Kipps. “Those are the sounds that appeal to me. Really pared down. We captured that on our album - limited use of pedals, vintage amps, getting honest live off the floor sounds. Limited layering. The whole album was recorded in only three days.”
In the song “Everyone But Me”, you’ll hear the melancholy aching of a man without someone to turn to. “I tried to dig deeper on that song,” mused Kipps. “I was motivated by the relationship between me and my dad. He was incredibly generous with his students, he was a father figure at his university but he was never that father to me. This song, I feel, is a conversation I was having with his ghost. I think anyone who has ever been forgotten, left behind or picked last can relate to it."
The heartfelt acoustic strum and cello on “The Only Reason” is instantly affecting. “I wrote it for my wife, it was a gift to her as an apology for not pulling my weight in our relationship. I put it on the record without asking her which was an oversight and then I needed to ask for her forgiveness again,” says Kipps. “The whole thing has been a really contentious moment in my relationship with her for sure. She sings it with me now so it has become a real highlight of the show. An audience favourite. A true Johnny Cash and June Carter moment.”
A singer, songwriter and powerful harmonica player, Jay Kipps has had the opportunity to share stages and campfires with the likes of Bill Poss, Jeff Healey, The Northern Pikes, Ginger St. James, CATL, The Vaudevillian, Charlie Roth, Gordie Tentrees, Carolyn Mark, Paul Reddick, Jerome Godboo, Alfie Smith, Sean Pinchin, Connor Gains, Bad Luck Women & Her Misfortunes and many more.
“Their debut is impressively crafted for a band that’s only been in the game since 2015; blending the soulfulness of the blues and the technique of Roots and Americana...a breath of fresh air in modern music.” - Canadian Beats
“A roots Americana record which has the energetic atmosphere of a saloon bar at times, and a starlit front porch setting at others. Harmonicas and blues-style guitars twang, decorating the fabric of this record matched with the soothing vocal tones of leading member Jay Kipps.” - Jamsphere
“From the passionately played harmonica to the jagged guitar riffs, everything feels truly lived in. The Jay Kipps Band sculpts a catchy world, one that lingers in the mind.” - Skope Mag
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