Austin's top emerging artist, Jade Day is a prolific singer-songwriter with passive-aggressive melodies, fierce falsetto, and power-house bellows behind landscapes of dark, beautiful, intelligent tunes.

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ROCK: Modern Rock, POP: Folky Pop



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JADE DAY BIOGRAPHY

Jade Day is simply emerging. His dark, soulful folk and alternative rock sound, with its passive-aggressive melodies, astounding vocals, intricate arrangements, and poignant lyricism, is giving those whoâve discovered it something theyâve been longing for: substance.

Jade (his given name) was raised in a small town on the high plains of Colorado. His family of working musicians nurtured his inborn love and propensity for the art. In college, Jade studied philosophy and theater while fronting an alternative rock band. This time of introspection and the discovery of esoteric artists like Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, and Elliot Smith spurred Jade to write. Post graduation, with two solid years of playing shows in the Denver area, he uprooted to Austin, Texas in 2003 to find what has become his unique sound while amassing an army of true believers.

After only one year in Austin, Jade generated public interest with the release of two intimate acoustic albums: In Absence or Abuse and The Taste. These recordings exposed a rich, singular sound that laid the foundation for a loyal local following (quite telling in such a competitive music scene). With this new support, Jade sought to form a group that would fully convey his artistic vision. He quickly found what he was looking for.

What resulted was Chimera (pronounced kie-MEER-ah), the new album which features Sister 7 guitarist Wayne Sutton, jazz/rock drummer Wayne Duncan, and Jadeâs brother Taylor Day on bass. The band developed the songs for the album during Jadeâs weekly residency at Momoâs, a downtown Austin nightclub. Thriving off the immediacy of live performance, Jadeâs captivating voice and the groupâs dynamic synergy easily set them apart from their Texas music counterparts. In hopes of capturing that energy, the band began laying down tracks for Chimera at Austinâs Music Lane Studios in the summer of 2004 with Andy Sharp (Kissinger) as engineer and co-producer (alongside Jade). A five song EP was released to coincide with Jadeâs South by Southwest (SxSW) showcase in March 2005. It was soon picked up by Redeye Distribution and is currently available for download at all of Redeyeâs partner digital retailers. The full-length version, which is comprised of all original material, was released in October 2005 and has been featured on Americaâs top Triple A radio station 107.1 KGSR, NPRâs 90.5 KUT and Rock station 93.7 KLBJ. Jade has also appeared on Austinâs ME-TV (Ch. 15) and Fox Morning News, and recently was honored by the City of Austin and Mayor Wynn, proclaiming February 9th as âJade Day â day.â

With national interest gaining, Jade began touring coast to coast in support of Chimera. Invitations to play the NY Singer-Songwriter Sessions (at CBGBâs), New Orleansâ Cutting Edge Conference, Vail Mountainâs summer series, Seattleâs Rendezvous, and L.A.âs The Mint and Genghis Cohen proved to be a great introduction of this new talent. The beginning of 2006 will kick off with showcases at the International Folk Alliance Conference (February) and again at SxSW (March). In between tours, Jade has also begun recording a concept album inspired by his two-year period as an orderly at a psychiatric hospital, collaborating with world-renowned composer/arranger Stephen Barber (David Byrne, Keith Richards, Chris Whitley, Shawn Colvin) and the Tosca String Quartet.

Though his writing and performances are certainly moving, what remains most striking is Jadeâs voice: a deep timbered tenor that moves effortlessly through an astonishing range, sometimes escalating to rock screams and resting in hauntingly delicate falsettos. Comparisons to such highly regarded artists as Jeff Buckley and Thom York have helped convey his talent and appeal (Austin Chronicle 9/04, Village Voice 8/05), yet somehow limit the significance of Jadeâs ever evolving sound. With such an impressive debut and a constant flow of creativity and vision, it is riveting to watch this artist rise. Jadeâs music is a graceful yet powerful force, and at only 25, he is poised for greatness.