REVIEWS:
“Rufus Wainwright, as well as k.d. lang are among the Canadians making essential and beautiful music. Add the name Jeffery Straker to that list."
- Chicago Free Press - Gregg Shapiro (Jan 09)
"He’s evolved into a fine songwriter with great lyrical sensibilities. His music is a marvelous marriage of style and substance. Straker is very much an artist to watch."
- Canadian Musician Magazine (Jan/Feb 09)
“Musically delicious”
- Outlooks Magazine, National / Canada (Aug ‘08)
"...great energy... a superb performer"
- Sandra Butel – Artistic Director, Regina Folk Festival (May ’07)
“A stunning collection of cabaret-pop…one to watch”- Xtra & xtra.ca (on-line / Toronto)
“Loved the set…piano genius…Elton John of the prairies”-Breakout West/WCMA Producer, Johnny Marlow (2011)
“Great showman and piano wizard”- Wainwright Star (Alberta) (Feb 2011)
“Straker was simply spectacular…showmanship in every sense of the word…masterful piano playing, soaring vocals and catchy songwriting”- Regina Leader-Post Concert Review: Chris Tessmer (Oct 2011)
View the MUSIC VIDEOs + live performance videos on www.jeffstraker.com or Youtube
PURCHASE THE MUSIC ON I-TUNES:http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/under-the-soles-of-my-shoes/id436567337
Check out my FACEBOOK MUSIC PAGE!" CLICK:http://www.facebook.com/jeffery.straker.music
BIO:
Singer-songwriter-pianist Jeffery Straker performs over 100 shows per year across Canada. He recently recorded for CBC radio’s ‘Canada Live’, and had a music video rise to the top 10 (#6) on Canada’s Much More Music. His previous album ‘Step Right Up’ was the #5 selling album in his home-land of Saskatchewan in August 2010, ahead of both Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. He’s sure neither of them cared. But he is sure that he, in fact, did. He’s just launched a new album, ‘under the soles of my shoes’ (June 2011), and is touring Canada in support of it with shows ranging from intimate house concerts to a show with the full Regina Symphony Orchestra (Oct 2011). Canadian Musician Magazine has written of Straker’s folk-pop-cabaret music: “Very much an artist to watch” while the Chicago Free Press has written: “Rufus Wainwright as well as k.d. lang are among the Canadians making essential and beautiful music…add the name Jeffery Straker to that list”.
Originally from small town Saskatchewan, the classically trained pianist was raised by a church organist mother and an auctioneer father. He swears he was born under the piano on the family farm. All this might explain his ability to share songs with audiences. His recent touring has seen him share songs at: a debut performance at the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), a return to the Breakout West Festival (Whitehorse, Yukon), Regina Folk Festival, and Canadian Music Week (Toronto). He has also performed at JunoFest and NXNE and recently toured in Ghana (Africa).
His songwriting has seen him become a national top 10 finalist in the Canadian Radiostar Songwriting Competition and a top 20 finalist in the global Unisong Competition. In September 2010 he was honored to be short-listed for the Sask. Lieutenant Governor’s Arts Award. Not at all sure if he would actually win it, he was delighted to attend the gala as he was sure the cake would be amazing. It was.
Straker has already completed recording new songs for his next release. This time out he used Glenn Gould’s famed practice grand piano (at the CBC studios in Toronto) with Danny Michel as producer. The album will launch in 2012.
Jeffery is a musical descendant of Beethoven through teacher-student lineage (seriously… see his website for the full story). He was a student of the royal Conservatory of music and received his licentiate diploma in piano performance from Trinity College, London when he was 19.
Tour dates, music, video at:
www.jeffstraker.com
www.facebook.com/jeffery.straker.music
www.twitter.com/jefferystraker