Music:
Member Since: 03/12/2007
Band Website: http://www.myspace.com/jaykiernan
Band Members: My dear friend, Liz Hollister and I are playing out together as a duo, Singing Monkeyz.Liz plays guitar, and sings like an angel. Think Bonnie Raitt and Joni Mitchell for starters. Liz's voice is extremely versatile, and she has an amazing range. Whether singing lead or harmony, Liz is one of those rare singers who can glide from one style to the next, and the next, and the next until you are completely dazzled. And delighted.I play percussion & sing. And I like to think that I bring a bit of versatility to the table, as well. Liz & I both enjoy singing harmony as much as we enjoy singing lead, and we have a great time playing off each other. I swear that our voices must have known each other in a previous life. The interaction, the give and take, the way the harmonies seem to take on a life of their own...it's as if two voices could dance.We've been working mostly on songs that Liz has been performing in her solo endeavors. But lately, we've been selecting & working very diligently on some very cool duets. We perform some of Liz's originals, and plan to collaborate on creating some new songs. We do have fun singing & playing some familiar & well-loved covers. And we also really enjoy finding lesser known, eclectic & esoteric songs from other performers that you may or may not have heard before. Traditional blues meets country meets pop meets folk meets whatever's next. A variety of genres that just blend and sound really good together. Sometimes, the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. I think you'll find that our voices compliment each other rather nicely.If you have a moment, please visit our page at MySpace.com/SingingMonkeyz.
Influences: The Beatles, Lyle Lovette, Dan Fogelberg, Gove Scrivenor, James Taylor, Paul Thorn, Tom Waits, Kenny Loggins, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Warren Zevon, The Byrds, Dylan, Tom Petty, NRBQ, Neil Young, The Jayhawks, Jim Croce, The Stones, The Eagles, Pure Prairie League, Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Leonard Cohen, Simon & Garfunkel, Donna the Buffalo, The Wallflowers, Kim Richey, Patty Larkin, The Who, Cowboy Junkies, Lucinda Williams, Ben Harper, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt, 10,000 Maniacs, Nick Lowe, Crowded House, Indigo Girls, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, Gin Blossoms, The Kinks, Neil Diamond, Bonnie Raitt, The Dead, Arlo Guthrie, Matchbox 20, Todd Snider, CSN, John Prine, The Inmates, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Little Feat, Jackson Browne, Jonathan Edwards, John Hiatt, Lowell George, R.E.M., The Band, Mary Black, Goats Don't Shave, Gram Parsons, Ben Harper, Travis, Joe South, Aimee Mann, Gillian Welch, The Hollies, Rod Stewart, The Rascals, Three Dog Night, America, The Ramones, Eurythmics, Mark Knopfler, JD Souther, Alison Krauss, The Animals, Eddie Cochran, The Replacements, Otis Redding, The Cranberries, Squeeze, Eagle Eye Cherry, Patty Griffin, Marc Cohn, Green Day, and Emmylou Harris (to name a few!)
Sounds Like: I have a very versatile voice; one that can go from very soft to very powerful. Some songs I sing really smooth (a bit like James Taylor), while others are done with a smokier, more textured feel (Tom Waits and Gove Scrivenor come to mind). I very much enjoy exploring the dynamics and phrasing of each song. Some might have a southern feel to them, while others would be more reminiscent of John Lennon or Paul McCartney, reflecting both their acoustic sides as well as their flat out rock n' roll, high energy rave ups. I don't really sound like anybody, though I'm sure I've learned and taken at least a little from every singer I've ever enjoyed listening to. That's how we learn. I suppose it's true — at least to some degree — that we are all pretty much the sum of our influences. We take what we've learned and then filter it through our own sensibilities until we find our own voices.
Record Label: Unsigned
