Lauren Diamond

Blake Appleby’s band has a unique sound of funk and electronic pop. All New York City musicians, the members include Blake Appleby on vocals, Jesse Lynch on keys and synth, Matt Smallcomb on drums and Ramon de Bruyn on bass. Don’t miss hearing this up and coming band play all new originals.

"See This Through EP" - yet another good example of new, accessible rock that hasn't been dumbed down to appeal to corporate radio or the bankruptcy-bound major labels" - Lucid Culture

There's something undeniably sincere about the way Jason Waters sings to you. Whether he's crooning a tenderhearted ballad or belting out a rock song, his goal always remains the same: make you feel the music. And not just feel in the way of wanting to get up and groove but to touch upon something deeper and more genuine in the heart of his listener.

Emerging as a promising songwriter on the NYC music scene in 2005, Waters has brought forth his debut release, "See This Through", evoking an electrifying contemporary americana-rock sound with influences ranging from Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and Ray LaMontagne. Heart-felt and emotionally drive, his music seeks to speak to the dreamers and lovers in all of us.

The initial driving force that led Waters to seriously pursue a path in music was British rock group, Coldplay. Captivated by the album A Rush of Blood to the Head and relating personally to some of their more emotional songs, Waters began dreaming of becoming a rock star himself. Waters first songs were heavily inspired by Coldplay's meditative, alternative-rock sound and the romantic lyrics of front man Chris Martin, of whom Waters modeled his animated onstage performance. And it was the song "Clocks" by Coldplay that compelled Waters to teach himself piano at the age of 13.

He started songwriting in 2005, which then prompted him to release his first solo demo The Jason Waters Experience (not publicly released). His songs were praised by Good Times (N.Y.) magazine as seeming "much deeper than the 'story song' style of modern songwriting." The publication described his songs as revealing "a genuinely romantic heart, a rarity to reveal in music these days."

Waters expanded his song themes to include hope and optimism after being inspired to learn acoustic guitar by his younger brother Jared, a talented musician in his own right. His songs "Strong" and "Hold On" speak of Waters's admiration for his brother's inner strength after having to endure chemotherapy at the age of nine due to a brain tumor related to Neurofibermitosis (NF).

The Present
Developing his songwriting even further, a new sound has emerged from Waters in the past several years stemming from a shift in musical influences from modern British rock to Americana rock becoming inspired by singer songwriters like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and contemporary Ray LaMontagne. This resulted in the release of his debut melodic Americana-rock EP, See This Through, which was heavily inspired by a trip Waters took after graduating college in 2010.

He set out for the West Coast for what he calls a "soul-searching journey" visiting the Pacific Northwest for the first time and revisiting his favorite places in California. Inspired to write more songs, Waters wrote the entire EP while out on the West Coast.

Upon returning to New York, Waters immediately hit the studio, teaming up with a foray of talented musicians including, his long-time producer Jim Sabella (Marcy's Playground, Nine Days) and Mike Mulieri, (The Upwelling) at Sabella Studios. Waters also had the opportunity to team up with renowned drummer Steve Holley, who has played with rock legends such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, Robert Plant, Ian Hunter.

The first three songs recorded,"Darkness of the Day," "Honeylips," and "When I See This Through" were a tribute to Waters's newly found American singer-songwriter inspirations and speak to the introspective mood he acquired from his time on the West Coast. While "Darkness of the Day" is reminiscent of a haunting Johnny Cash, songs like "Ready to Fly"and "Late Night Telephone" represent a more mature uplifting sound. He worked with Sabella and Mulieri to transform those two songs from acoustic, low-tempo to electrified, high-energy rock n' roll. Complete with rock n' roll power chords and grooving bass lines, topped with Waters's surprisingly raunchy, but still sentimental vocals, these sounds merge together taking the EP to new heights.

See This Through is more than a personal album about a young man chasing after his dreams and aspirations no matter how impossible they seem. It seeks to reach out to others who feel trapped by demanding social expectations and mundane convenience and makes a call to keep your dreams and passions alive. "I want to promote this idea of optimism and faith, that everything will be okay," says Waters.

Amanda Cross is from Oklahoma City and now resides in New York City. She has been performing with Chromeo as a backup singer i.e. “Chromette”; most recently playing the Montreal Jazz Festival as well as numerous television performances with the duo. She has been vigorously writing and recording her songs this past year and is excited to begin working with the Good Child Music (publishing) very soon. Shows will be posted very soon, but until then you can find her almost every Wednesday performing with the very talented musicians at the Old Soul Revival held at Bowery Electric upstairs- come out!

Hi Everyone! We are Sweethearts. We play guitars, bass and drums. It might be fun to come out to a show and find out what kind of music we play. xo