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Jeffery Straker
Pop / Indie / Alternative

"NEW!! a few tunes from the new album"

Toronto / Regina,
Canada

Profile Views:  10193




Last Login:  7/6/2008
View My: Pics | Videos

   Contacting Jeffery Straker

 MySpace URL: 
  http://www.myspace.com/jefferystraker  

   Jeffery Straker: General Info
Member Since1/2/2007
Band Websitejeffstraker.com
Band Members

Me and 88 little chromatic keys who keep me very very very very busy.

GET TICKETS FOR SASKATOON CD RELEASE CONCERT - WED AUG 20

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO JEFFERY'S MAILING LIST!!! - this will take you out of myspace to a subscription page - don't fret! it's all cool


BAND MEMBERS IN LIVE SHOWS

Often, I'm joined by Rob D - bass, Jill Straker - backing vocals, Kory Gibbs - drums, Amy Borton - cello and Sam Minevich - guitar


BAND ON THE NEW ALBUM

Drums were played by Randy Cook (Five for Fighting, Chantal Kreviazuk, Kelly Clarkson), Guitars were played by Justin Abedin (Jacksoul, Amanda Marshall), Bass was played by producer Justin Gray.


SONGS

All words and music written by Jeffery Straker and arranged by Justin Gray


PRODUCER

Justin Gray produced the album Step Right Up at ZEN in Los Angeles


BRING JEFFERY TO YOUR TOWN BY CLICKING BELOW






Events by Eventful

InfluencesElton John
Beethoven
Ben Folds
JS Bach
Rufus Wainwright
Grieg
Freddy Mercury
Debussy
Ray Charles
Joni Mitchell
Mika
Gordon Lightfoot
Scissor Sisters
My mom (she plays a mean piano)
Norah Jones
and possibly a bit of Billy Joel

Free Myspace Layouts
Layout Stealer by MyspaceLayoutSpy.com. ..

Sounds LikeElton John and Rufus Wainwright meeting Mika and Ben Folds at a late night cabaret OR....

A guy from Canada, playing the piano, singing, writing pop songs and really really really enjoying it. After live shows people usually say they hear bits of Elton John, Mika, Freddy Mercury, & sometimes George Michael in the vocals and music. I honestly think it all depends on how much they've had to drink.
Record Labelunsigned
Type of LabelNone





   Upcoming Shows ( view all )
Jul 9 2008 9:00P
Cameron House Toronto - 3 Guys from the Prairies Toronto, Ontario
Jul 10 2008 7:45P
102.7FM Vancouver - Interview Vancouver, British Columbia
Jul 17 2008 8:00P
UnCORKed - songwriters in the round: Bread and Circus Toronto Toronto, Ontario
Jul 30 2008 5:00P
Urban Rush TV Vancouver Vancouver, British Columbia
Jul 30 2008 8:00P
The Cellar Jazz Club - Vancouver Vancouver, British Columbia
Jul 31 2008 9:30P
Chapel Arts - Vancouver Vancouver, British Columbia
Aug 1 2008 9:00A
Outlooks Magazine coast to coast, Ontario
Aug 3 2008 8:00P
Rendez-Vous Spring Valley Guest Ranch Eastend, Saskatchewan
Aug 8 2008 6:00P
CJTR 91.3 FM Regina Regina, Saskatchewan
Aug 8 2008 10:00P
Casino Regina Regina, Saskatchewan
Aug 9 2008 10:00P
Casino Regina Regina, Saskatchewan
Aug 15 2008 8:00P
Outside Night Club Regina, Saskatchewan
Aug 16 2008 3:00P
Prairie Arts Festival Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Aug 16 2008 8:00P
King’s New Castle Regina, Saskatchewan
Aug 20 2008 8:00P
SASKATOON CD RELEASE/Roxy Theatre Saskatoon
Aug 23 2008 5:30P
Private Regina, Saskatchewan
Aug 24 2008 4:00P
Regina Symphony Orchestra Regina, Saskatchewan
Sep 27 2008 8:00P
Ananda Arthouse Forget SK, Saskatchewan
Oct 26 2008 2:00P
Meldel Art Gallery, Saskatoon Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Oct 30 2008 8:00P
OSAC Showcase Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Jeffery Straker's Latest Blog Entry  [Subscribe to this Blog]

18 shows , 2 TV performances, 3 radio shows, & 1 workshop  (view more)

It was a sporty spice weekend in Toronto  (view more)

RADIO and my songs being on it: Z99/CBC/PROUD  (view more)

Meet the band - The Handsome Strangers!  (view more)

JUST ANNOUNCED: Jeffery will open for MEL C (spice girls) in Toronto June 28th  (view more)

[View All Blog Entries]

   About Jeffery Straker
THE STORY BEHIND THE NEW ALBUM
Hear Jeffery speak to journalist Val Williams about how the songs for the new album came to be - a back alley, an outdoor cabaret at dusk, being jumped from behind by a herd of side-show freaks...it's all here!


WATCH A RECENT PERFORMANCE ON TORONTO BREAKFAST TELEVISION

CLICK HERE TO LINK TO THE CITY TV SITE TO VIEW PERFORMANCE FOOTAGE
Load in time was 5:30 AM, sound check was 6:30 and we performed this first song at 7:45. that meant we were up at 4:30 AM! ewwwwww

AND NOW FOR SOME LIGHT BIO READING MATERIAL...

A guy from the sweeping prairies of Canada, who was born under a piano, and hasn't crawled away from one since. He spends a lot of his time between Toronto and Regina but mostly under pianos there as well. A recent listener did a great job of capturing Jeffery's sound with this phrase:

"it's like the offspring of Elton John and Rufus Wainwright meeting the offspring of Ben Folds and Mika in a cabaret”

There you have it - if you put all of them in a blender and hit puree you'd hear what we're talking about. His piano playing draws from many styles including rock, pop & cabaret and blends in his distinct tenor voice. His range runs from the highest falsettos to deep bass notes and is delivered with lively stage flair.

"After only 4 bars it’s a given that there’s something wonderful going on” -Steve Mcdonnell-Cathedral Arts Festival - Regina, SK

Musically, Jeffery is an actual descendant of both Beethoven and Chopin (see his website for the full true story!) and the piano-man recently signed a production deal to record his upcoming 2008 release with producer Justin Gray (LA/Toronto). This will help him do more of what he loves - creating something different with piano/vocal music. People are taking note of his tunes and as one New York City reviewer recently put it:

“If Jeffery’s songs have elements of whackiness, it’s always inspired whackiness!” - Jed Ryan-Outmusic, NYC

He spent 2006 & 2007 touring his last album “Songs from Highway 15”- a collection of folk-pop songs inspired by growing up on the Canadian prairies in a town of 250 people - which might explain why he spent so much time under a piano...... but we digress. FACTOR (a national music funding organization) supported the album with generous marketing funding, while CBC radio airplay as well as video airplay at home and in Australia helped grow his fanbase. Having performed over 200 shows, listeners enjoyed what he had to offer whether they attended solo concerts or heard him backed by his full band. He sold almost 2000 CDs - quite a feat for an indie artist in Canada- and reviews said things like:

“One of the hottest entertainers on the Canadian prairie music scene” -Northeast Sun, Ryan Land.

Jeffery is currently putting the finishing touches on his upcoming album, produced by the talented Justin Gray (Joss Stone, Emma Bunton, Ashley MacIsaac, Snow, Jacksoul) in Toronto & Los Angeles. The 2 met at a songwriting workshop in Regina (Canada) in 2007. Liking what he heard, Gray promptly signed Jeffery to a production deal to make an album - with release set for 2008. With this pairing Straker’s artful songs met Gray’s incomparable pop-touch that has helped him sell more than 20 million albums worldwide. Now with the help of Steven Rosen Music Corporation (Los Angeles) the album is being shared within the industry and Jeffery is looking forward to taking this release on the road.

“You’re a superb performer! . . . your music has great energy ” Sandra Butel-Artistic Director Regina Folk Festival

For this new album Straker and Gray wanted to evolve his sound and have taken his piano-driven compositions into fresh new ‘alt-pop’ territory. Drums are superbly played by Randy Cook (Five for Fighting, Chantal Kreviazuk, Kelly Clarkson), with magic guitar touches by Justin Abedin (Amanda Marshall, Jacksoul). When Straker speaks of the upcoming recording he says: “When I perform live I like to create a little world that people can enter into and just be there with me for awhile - and I really wanted to do that with this album”.

“You blew me away with that song” - (May ’07) - Jason Blume (US hit songwriter)

His newest songs were debuted in early 2007 on tour in the Eastern USA and subsequently some interesting things happened. The song ‘FLAT LINES’ was chosen (out of hundreds of submissions) to feature on the Saskatchewan JUNO Compilation CD representing the best in new music in the province - HOORAY! He landed performances at both JUNOfest ‘07 and Ness Creek Fest ’07 and he licensed 2 new works to operatic tenor Derrick Miller (Canadian Opera Company) for the singers’ pop release (2007). Co-writes with artists in Sweden, the UK and Los Angeles were released and of course he signed his production deal with Gray to make his upcoming record. Praise for Jeffery’s writing has recently included both the UNISONG and International Songwriting Competitions placing him in final rounds with comments like:

“A smash hit...fresh…killer chorus… poetic and clever" - Unisong

Straker has also had the chance to share his songs abroad with his active touring schedule taking him to places like China (2005), Ireland (2004), and Panama (2006- touring there with the Canadian Embassy). While there, he got a wicked sun tan and lied on several beaches to hold them in place for awhile so they wouldn't blow away. Don't tell the Canadian tax-payers - they still don't know. June ’06 took him to his debut in New York City where his album was nominated for ‘Recording of the Year’ at the Outmusic awards. In 2006 Jeff was invited to do his own "Live at the CBC" recording (think BBC or NPR with maple leaves!!), in their studios to launch his last CD in a big splashy way, broadcasting the show on radio.

Check back - this will get updated from time to time! Thanks for reading it. Also see: www.jeffstraker.com


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GET ADVANCE TICKETS FOR SASKATOON CD RELEASE - AUG 20, 2008


   Jeffery Straker's Friend Space (Top 16)
Jeffery Straker has 743 friends.
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 Elton John 





Jeffery Straker's Friends Comments
Displaying 50 of 76 comments  ( View All | Add Comment )
The Big Schmooze





Jul 2 2008 11:42 AM

Hey Jeff,
I caught your show at Pride on Saturday - Absolutely loved it!!
See you soon,
Ellen.
Rehyn





Jun 17 2008 4:55 PM

Thanks for taking the time to check out my little myspace!! I hope you liked the music. I'm trying to put together a little tour so keep in touch.

Cheers & Love,
~Rehyn
the.girl





Jun 16 2008 7:09 PM

If I were MM and you were JFK, I would be breathily singing to you...but our love is purer or is that dirtier. No matter. Happy Birthday peaches&cream.
Zachari





Jun 16 2008 1:37 PM

Thanks man....
It was awesome to see you too, and to hear you live.
You are such an excellent performer!
Wayne Gibson





Jun 5 2008 11:31 PM

Hey there! Great songs. Thanks for finding my page.
the.girl





Jun 5 2008 5:12 PM

We're going to be bad little girls! I can't wait!!! Smooches.
Honest Touch





Jun 4 2008 8:07 AM

Hi there,
Glad to have you among our friends. All the very best to your musical endeavors.
Many blessings,

Fofi & Samy
Honest Touch
Music that offers a unique sensation...
Mary Ann Blinkhorn





May 20 2008 9:31 PM

Congratulations regarding June 28th
M.A.
Alexander von Mehren





May 20 2008 11:45 AM

Hi there, Jeffery!
And thanks so much for finding me and my music and for the friend request - really much appreciated! Happy songs! :0)

Have a great week in Canada!

All the best from Bergen, Norway,
Alexander von Mehren
Gérard B





May 17 2008 4:49 AM

HI Jeffrey

I love your music. sounds funy.

thanks for the request

do you plan to sing in France ?

take care
Stacy Rock





May 16 2008 2:10 PM

Hi Jeffrey,
Great energy and range! Thanks for finding me. It's always great to listen to other piano players.
cheers!
Stacy
Army of Jennys





May 12 2008 11:09 PM

Hey Jeffery - Great page. You have awesome style!!

Thanks for visiting my page! If you would like join my mailing list, here's the form.
Cheers! Jenny G



Army%20of%20Jenny%27s
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**Ricky Cano got a new canto** Gather around!!





May 9 2008 1:23 PM

hey JEFF.. how's it goin?? just wanted to say thanx 4 the support, and go on in to peep my latest cutz when u can!!
-ricky cano
Amanda Walker





May 8 2008 5:51 PM

Hey there! Thanks so much for finding my page!! Glad to be friends :)
Pascal Labillois





May 5 2008 3:00 PM

Boo! When r u back in TO?
Heidi





May 4 2008 5:14 PM

Hey there! You were awesome @ Jenni's Saturday night! Love ALL your songs...and your piano playing is amazing!! I had a great time!
Simon Hoirup Band





May 4 2008 12:43 PM

Hi Jeffery, thanks for coming by. Sad Song is a very good tune, I like it.
the best to you
Simon
Mostroff





May 2 2008 4:53 PM

Thanks for the add. Wonderful songs and style!! Good job.
Ian Cooke





May 2 2008 12:50 PM

Dude. You are totally bitchin! We're gonna rule the school in Toronto.
I can't wait!
Mark Nanni/The Intention





May 2 2008 9:58 AM

Hey Jeffery --

Thanks for the add. Nice tunes -- groovy!

Cheers,
-MN
Alexa Benoit





May 2 2008 9:41 AM

I love your sound.
Alyssa





May 1 2008 2:07 AM

Hey Jeffery,
Greetings from one pianist to the other!! I like your music.
Thanks for being a friend,
Alyssa
AMAZING FLOWERS