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JIM
WOLF |
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MUSIC
WEB EXPRESS 3000 presents JIM WOLF
The new
record (we'll call it a record for the moment)... I was always corrected
in the city studios when I referred to it as album or CD. The release
is called Sleeping With Strangers. It was recorded at seven
studios across New England and took about 4 years. A majority was
recorded in the Cutting Room studio in NYC and Carriage House recording
studio in Stamford. Also a good portion was recorded in my bedroom.
I seemed to have the most un-rushed comfort in my own space. My old
bandmates from Connecticut had really pulled through on scoring and
performing a horn section to certain songs I had written, for this
I owe them my heart and my time. Any minute I come back home I spend
with them if not home for business or to see my mother. I miss my
old friends dearly, they are all really talented bunch. I credit Rob
Maresca and Brian Borrelli for their involvement, they mean the world
to me. When it comes to my performance on or off the album I perform
mostly with acoustic guitar and sing. I focus mostly on lyrics and
rhythm based parts, but I love strong melodies the most. A good melody
is the hardest thing to write. I wrote the lyrics, melodies, and put
together the chord structure or better known to me as the skin and
bone structures of each song. Then I bring it to the band. They helped
me put an outfit, or a skin on it. We approach each song with different
orchestration similar to the elements I had in my head. No two songs
sound the same on this album and that is what I love the most. Cutting
Room producer Anthony "Rocky" Gallo also helped me execute
these instrumental sections properly. He really pushed the performers
for the right takes.
Well
we are going to release this record and jump on already forming tours
through out the Northeast, Mid-West and South, mostly colleges and
clubs... some theaters depending on demand. Although I am always recording
I need to focus on getting this one out there and get as many shows
as possible.
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Brooklyn-based
singer-songwriter Jim Wolf strikes a blow for high quality
pop-rock sounds in the 21st century with the 2010 CD release of his
debut CD, Sleeping With Strangers. With Wolf singing his own
tracks and playing guitar and synth, he gets further backing from
a fine band of players including Rob Maresca on electric lead
guitars. There’s a fine sonic sheen to Wolf’s tracks which
includes his myriad of influences—from mid ‘70s Fleetwood
Mac and ELO to Chicago and John Mayer—even though the whole is
often more rewarding than just the sum of his parts. Commenting on
bringing his big pop sound into the groove of the urban jungle of
New York, Wolf adds, ‘Living in Brooklyn has been so incredibly
amazing. I live in an artist community and everyone here is an artist.
The people in this community have taught me how to be more of a risk
taker and that’s really helped me grow as a musician.’ His
label people say that Sleeping With Strangers is now set for
release on August 17, 2010 so try to track it down as soon as you
can. 
I
started out with piano in 3rd grade, and had a friend who had taught
me chords and a few songs. I was hooked. I took viola in 4th Grade,
as any elementary child. I never stuck with it. I switched back to
the piano immediately. I was big into Jerry Lee Lewis, this is back
when Great Balls Of Fire came out I had been obsessed with
it, not as obsessed as I was with The Goonies or Back To
The Future but when my friend gave me a tape and I learned every
song and saw the movie 20 or so times I wore my hair like Dennis Quaid.
Guns N' Roses "November Rain" was beautiful to me. I would
play the piano intro to the epic song for hours at a time on a piano
my parents had gotten for a a hundred dollars from a tag sale. My
attempt of singing Axl's falsetto voice in the verse had become more
of a novelty act for me. I would perform it at youth groups and before
the teacher would come into class in school. I dabbled throughout
early high school until I saw my brothers band, they were kick ass.
They were a blues rock/pop band consisting of all Feder Stratocasters
and great lyrics. I was 14 they were 17. I was so impressed. They
were called Villanova Junction" named after an unreleased Hendrix
song, and played Spring Jam Festivals at my high school Fairfield
High and other shows. They had the most determination of any band
I have seen to this day. They stayed in and wrote together every night,
even weekends while I'd be going out to keg parties. For my 16th birthday,
the band had taken me to Sam Ash Music in New Haven to pick out a
Fender Strat Tex-Mex. It was Sunburst, it's sad to look back and know
I don't have that guitar anymore because in later years I had lent
it to a friend whom, I was unaware of his heroin addiction, in which
the guitar was pawned for money or drugs. I'm still torn up inside
about it. When I had gotten into college the fall of my freshman year
of college I had a major realization, I wanted to be a singer/songwriter.
All I knew after one nightmare of an evening being stuck in the city
is that every lyric I'd ever heard had made total sense to me and
I had to get home to start writing as soon as possible. That's all
I wanted to do, to fill every free second of time writing music that
sounded good and meant something. I would stay in and drink wine from
big jugs of Carlo Rossi Blush and write the first sincere words on
paper. I targeted my first messages at the world and lost loves of
course.
Let's
talk influential albums first and they should show the influences.
Two albums had been substantial influences to me: Radiohead’s
The Bends album is some of the best writing I had ever heard.
To hear rock that is meaningful and not too abrasive about heartbreak
was tear jerking to me, Thom York is all heart. I mean this album
has effected so many bands that we hear today it is unreal. From the
emotion in "Fake Plastic Trees" or "Nice Dream"...even
the single released "High and Dry" was a demo they ended
up releasing and being a huge hit. Besides The Bends there
is another heavy orchestrated album that seeing a talented band live
had changed me. If there is one album I said, ‘shit, I need to
be on stage doing this’ is Crash by Dave Matthews Band.
I know it is every frat boys dream to be the front man in the center
stage performing to hundreds of screaming young women, but even if
Dave's rustic voice has its quirks, the songs have their dynamics.
I had never seen band and orchestra instruments used in a cool pop/rock
manner. I know I'm living in Brooklyn and I could never mention Dave
as an influence. He's just not accepted here like he is in more folk
based or college markets, but he had a great impact on me, and won't
be forgotten as an era of my youth. Favorite guitarist... of course
I share with many here, I'm a fan of the blues. Hendrix, SRV and John
Mayer. Villanova Junction exposed me to the blues I would have not
known it existed if it weren't for them. Thank you to my brother for
that.