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Jake Oken-Berg was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He's been playing piano, singing, and writing songs since age five and has performed in over 50 cities around the world. Jake’s music has been noted by The Oregonian, West Coast Performer Magazine, The Portland Mercury, Willamette Week and the Statesman Journal and critics have compared his songs to Ben Folds, The Fray and Coldplay.
In addition to his solo band, Jake is lead singer and pianist for the Portland, OR based band The Retrofits.
THE DEBUT ALBUM: FIND LOVE EP
Combining Jake’s powerful vocals and signature piano licks with an expansive use of slide and rhythm guitars, strings, and driving drums, the debut Find Love EP will please music fans looking for a new pop album to add to their collection.
A product of four years of songwriting, the EP was recorded at Portland’s 8 Ball Studio by a full cast of top west coast musicians including jazz drummer Jeff Anthony (Sheryl Crow) and violinist Jason Barlow (Joni Harms).
Just released at the beginning of 2009, Jake’s first album is already receiving praise from critics:
“Oken-Berg co-fronts lush popsters the Retrofits, and his solo EP, Find Love, expands on the Retrofits' vintage tunesmithing with an ear toward the future... Despite the sensitive-guy sheen of many of the songs, Find Love never becomes overwrought, and Oken-Berg never fails to sound unpresumptuous and heartfelt. It's emotional music, without a trace of irony.” -The Portland Mercury
Willamette Week adds that "Oken-Berg definitely knows how to play--anything from the five-song EP would sit well next to the Fray in an ABC promo."
The album was co-produced by critically acclaimed recording artist Scott Fisher and the first single, Far From Home, was mixed by Grammy winning engineer Jesus “Chuy” Flores.
The Find Love EP is available at CD Baby (mp3 and CD) and iTunes.
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