The "other piano playing Jim" from NE Ohio.
A finalist in the Independent Music Awards for the 2006 New Age Song of the Year (Moonlight Reflection), Jimm Motyka's style is defined by a touch of new age, hint of pop, and underlying tone of progressive rock.
An established musician within the Cleveland area, Motyka has played with Catalyst, Amon-Ra, Blue Llama Parade, and most recently the Byron Nemeth Group (BNG).
In 2004, he decided to dedicate his talents towards his solo career, of which he was amassing a number of self-penned tunes, just waiting for the world to hear.
He has opened for Tom Jones and Etta James (as a solo artist/Blossom Music Center). He's also opened for Yes (as a member of BNG), and Dream Theater and Rik Emmitt (Triumph) as a member of Amon Ra. Large venues or small coffee houses, Motyka pulls his audience into the intimacy of his songs, lyrics, and personality.
The release of "Subject & Predicate", Motyka's first solo CD, gave others a glimpse of another musical side of his creativity, which had been overlooked within the band settings. "S&P" touched on a bit of pop, jazz, and has neo-classcial undertones. In short, Motyka describes this release as something unique, but with a familiar sound.
A sense of neo-classical overtones, which meld classical, pop, jazz, and progressive rock. Motyka jokes that his "classical music" is Styx, Kansas, ELO, Alan Parsons Project, Supertramp, Elton John, and the Moody Blues. He typically tells people that he's not classically trained, but calls himself "classic rock" trained.
That progression led to the 2007 release, titled "In A Sense Of Innocence". This release is stripped down, echoing a 70's pop radio format of vocals and piano. He does mention this release has three instrumentals, to bridge the gap between the two releases. What listeners will find is Motyka venturing back to his lyrical roots, with his uplifting and introspective songs.
The CD was recorded in Cleveland, Ohio at Ante Up Audio, on their Neve board. This was the same board that was used to record, "We Are The World" in the mid-80's. An arduous task, in coming to the completion of this release, the final product was well worth the minor setbacks.
"This release is a continuation of my developing style and sound," comments Motyka. He follows, "I would like to continue in the path established by Roger Hodgson, Elton John, and Steven Curtis Chapman, in the sense of retaining a great melody with lyrics that touch the heart and soul."
"I believe that people have become interested in singers/songwriters again, which is a great thing. Having lived though the era of pre-fabricated, made for mass media music, this is certainly a great time to rediscover the artist behind the music, rather than the corporations behind the music, " Motyka follows, "Which is primarily why the major labels have complained about losing money, where the indies are closing the gap. We're playing for real people, not Wall Street projected stock prices and stock holders. Real people follow talent and not trends. And, in the end, it's the song that we remember most, that links the series of memories and life events together."
Motyka's thoughts are that people discover his composing structures within the various genres he's writing in. "In A Sense Of Innocence" allows his audience to hear the stories in the lyrics, via Motyka's voice. Again, the natural progression for composer to songwriter is continuing.
Motyka is planning limited, live support dates, locally and regionally, for "In A Sense of Innocence".Motyka is currently working on music and arrangements for his next release, due Summer 2008.
