Jon Itkin (acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, vocals)
New York Band: John David Hahs: Drums, Ben Sparks: Bass. Special Guests: Jeff Lampert, Pedal Steel & Luke Cissell, Fiddle and Mandolin
Some Like-Minded Souls (Portland band): Paul Prato (electric and upright bass), Al Bay (drums), Pat Munson (electric and steel guitars), Rich Landar (keys, accordian)
Influences
Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, The Band, the Stones, Merle Haggard, Gram Parsons, Wilco, Nick Lowe, Tom Waits, Beck, Steve Earle, Willie Nelson. John Lennon, Geore Harrison, Howlin Wolf, Skip James, Lefty Frizzell, Ry Cooder, B.J. Shaver, Townes Van Zandt, Richard Thompson, Mark Knopfler, Bruce Springsteen, Doug Sahm, Otis Redding, Son Volt, Gillian Welch, Jimmie Rogers, Tom T Hall, Roger Miller, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Richmond Fontaine, Emmylou Harris, T Bone Burnett, Neil Young, William Faulkner, Charles Bukowski, Raymond Carver, Robert Johnson, Guy Clark, John Prine, Waylon Jennings, Michael Bloomfield, Kris Kristofferson, James Burton, Clarence White, Roy Nichols, Ray Buchanan, Al Green, Steve Cropper, Stax Soul, Norman Blake, Fred McDowell...
And too many more to list.
Sounds Like
Nebraska-era Springsteen, Beck and Johnny Cash having a guitar pull at Armadillo World Headquarters.
"Itkin deftly swings, trucks and soothes. He's far from the first singer-songwriter/roots-rocker whose songs pray to Neil Young, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle and Jay Farrar. Not all prayers are answered with such promise."
-Rick Cornell, No Depression
“…one of the finest alt.country discs to emerge in 2007. You'd swear Portland, Oregon wunderkind Jon Itkin is decades older than his twenty-four years…”
-www.cheezeball.net
“Cut from varying parts Guthrie, Cash and Marty Robbins…”
-The Spokane Inlander
“The warm baritone [Jon] showcases on his latest CD…has an unpolished quality that works wonders for his confessional lyrics, giving them an even richer sense of honesty.”
-The Oregonian
“…his songs arrive without an expiration date…his agility with language shines…”
-The Eugene Register-Guard
“Every rockin' track on Gold Guitar really is pure gold; soulfully executed, lyrically stunning and punctuated with just the right amount of instrumental flair.”
-The Eugene Weekly
“…as lonesome and big sky beautiful as a McMurtry novel.”
-City Paper –Rochester, NY
“Combining the working-class vocabulary of Bruce Springsteen and the troubadour’s twang of Townes Van Zandt.”
Jon Itkin is a 25-year old guitar playing songwriter currently based in New York City. He has two records out, Oregon and Big Gold Guitar in the Sky, both released while Jon lived in Oregon. A third album, currently untitled, is in the works.
Jon plays both solo and with a band, touching on sounds, styles and motifs established by classic American artists such as The Band, Townes Van Zandt, and Willie Nelson.
A student of books and writing, Jon brings a strong literary flavor to his music, leaning heavy on literal narrative to drive his lyric writing.
sorry i missed your call earlier, man. had ONE HELL of a time workin' on your record, and i'm looking forward to hearing what direction you go with the mixes. you did a great job in picking the right players for the songs, and i'm really psyched for you.
if there's ever anything i can do for you, i'm a phone call away.
hey jon, thanks for the add. hope all is well in NYC, i hope to get there again someday soon. i'd love to say "you sound great", but i'm at a library with no sound... sorry... i'll check back soon from home... best, jess clemons
hey.. just thought i'd send u a lil shout out hello and tell ya i thought about you and the rest of the boys (mikey, charlie) the other day... :-). hope to get a chance to see ya and or hear from you soon. looks like you are doing well for yourself... would love to hear more of your music! ya know i was always a fan from day 1. :-)
It was great to see you play again - I really enjoy your music! Hope the rest of your tour goes well and really hope to see you back at the Lodge soon. Lori
Woo Hoo, you'll be back at the Lodge in April! Just to warn you - I'll probably sing along to your songs again. But I'll try not to be so obvious this time. Hope things are going good! Lori
"devil in another's man's hell!" & Bismark rocks like Cash in his prime. Incredible stuff. Thanks for dropping by & giving me the opp to listen. Keep me posted.
