Jared McCloud
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Jared Ross McCloud (born June 24, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, currently living in
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
. He had notable success with his record, ''Romance of the Atlantic'', released on Sling Slang Records on May 22, 2009. McCloud's style ranges from folk to alternative and he is known for playing intimate solo acoustic performances, or playing with a backing band that brings a
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
element to his music. He has been well received by both critics and fans, and continues to tour and write.


Early life

McCloud was born in
Bedford, Texas Bedford is a city located in northeastern Tarrant County, Texas, United States, in the "Mid-Cities" area between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth. It is a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth. The population was 49,928 at the 2020 United State ...
. Shortly after he was born, his parents divorced and his mother took him and his brother to Connecticut, where she was born. McCloud would later claim that his musical influences came from his brother (who was listening to the 1980s
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
) and his mother, an avid
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fan ("It really depended on who I was in the car with- if I was with my brother it could be anything from
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...
to
King Diamond Kim Bendix Petersen (born 14 June 1956), better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto s ...
. If I was in my Mom's car it was
Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...
,
The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...
,
Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...
..."). McCloud began playing guitar at age five when his brother put one in his hands. From there he would spend hours playing along with the radio and making up his own songs. He would go on to front many bands in his high school career, but they would all not last too long, as no one in the band would share McCloud's intensity.


Career

McCloud grew up playing in hard rock/heavy metal bands where he quickly stood out as a gifted guitar player. A lot of these bands would "fizzle out" rather quickly due to ever changing members and different musical tastes. One such band MERCY DROWNS did have some success, but when it seemed like the band might go somewhere, it fell apart. McCloud said it was this break up that made him want to have a solo career. "If I write everything, and name the band after me, then I don't have to start writing new songs if someone leaves... I can't break-up myself.". McCloud began writing an album that would go on to be ''1717 Vine St.''. Self released in 2005, the album was "about a period in my life, from love lost and thinking it was the end of the world, to a friend of mine taking his life and realizing that my problems were not that bad". Recorded with session musicians, McCloud began playing all over his native
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
and New York trying to get the songs heard. This led to a bit of success, playing bigger and bigger stages until finally he was headlining regularly. Around this time Jared's musical tastes began to change and he was focused more and more on being able to be a better songwriter. "I wanted to be as honest with my songs as possible, not worry about how fast I was playing". Jared decided that he was going to break up his backing band (which by now had seen a few different members) and play solo-acoustic shows. Jared began writing the songs that would lead to him being signed by indie label Sling Slang Records. The labels owner, George Engal said that Jared was "an extremely gifted songwriter, and his new record would prove just that". Recorded at Aliehn productions in Bristol, Connecticut, ''Romance of the Atlantic'' was a soundtrack to a short story that McCloud had written. The album quickly caught on at national and college radio across the country and received great reviews from online magazines, newspapers and music magazines nationwide. In 2010, McCloud embarked on his first headlining tour that took him from the
Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—eac ...
to the
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. More recently, he was sponsored by
Alvarez Guitars Alvarez is a guitar brand founded in 1965 by the owner and distributor St. Louis Music. Alvarez manufactures Steel-string acoustic guitar, steel-strings, classical guitar, classical guitars, ukuleles and, for a time, solid and hollow-body Elect ...
, which have been his favorite acoustic for some time now, as well as Steve Clayton Pics, SIT Strings, FootBass, and Corona. In September 2010, McCloud began work on a new collection of songs. Recording at Seventh Wave Studios in
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with record producer Jason Rubal (
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), these songs would become the record known as ''Painful Words Of Loving Grace''. "The title just describes what the record is about. As many great times that I have had since the last record, there have been some pretty rough times, as well as things that I decided I wanted to get off of my chest. My last record was sort of this grand, majestic love story and when it was done, I was and am proud of it, but the last thing I wanted to do was go make "Romance of the Atlantic: part II… I wanted to make something a little closer to what I had been feeling and thinking about. I wanted to have a sound that was a little more raw and stripped down, sort of dirty and pretty at the same time. The things I am talking about are things that I don’t really tell anyone, or things that are hard to say. This is a record of loss, uncertainty, beauty, decadence… it’s all there." McCloud decided to release this new record himself on February 4, 2011 and put on two release party shows in Hartford, CT, and Portland, ME to celebrate it. The Album was met with glowing praise from fans and critics alike, and found Jared playing with bigger names like
Vertical Horizon Vertical Horizon is an American alternative rock band, formed in Washington, D.C. Vocalists and guitarists Matt Scannell and Keith Kane started the band in 1991 when they were students at Georgetown University. The band have undergone multiple ...
,
Candlebox Candlebox is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. Since its formation in 1990, the group has released eight studio albums, several charting singles, a compilation, and a CD+DVD. Candlebox found immediate success with the release ...
,
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,
Tony Lucca Anthony James Lucca (born January 23, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and dancer. He is perhaps best known for starting his career on '' The All New Mickey Mouse Club''. After the All New Mickey Mouse Club, Lucc ...
, and Ernie Halter. Later in November 2011, McCloud delivered on a promise to his fans- putting out a live "download-only" record on his website. ''Feels Like Home- Live From Portland, ME'', was recorded at Slainte in Portland, ME- one of Jared's favorite places to play. The free 7 song download includes solo performances of some of McCloud's best known work, as well as a cover of
Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...
's "Chocolate Jesus" (a crowd favorite for years, and one that fans had been asking for a recording of), and a new song "Hail Mary". In August 2014, McCloud released "To Live And Die In Your Arms" on Noble Steed Music (Tony Lucca, Brendan James, Andrea Nardello). The record was partially crowd funded with a successful Kickstarter campaign, and reached No. 46 on the iTunes Top 200 Singer-Songwriter chart.


Discography

* ''1717 Vine St.'' (Self released) 2005 * ''Romance of the Atlantic'' (Sling Slang Records) 2009 * ''Painful Words of Loving Grace'' (Self released) 2011 * ''Feels Like Home: LIVE From Portland, ME'' (Self released) 2011 * ''To Live and Die In Your Arms'' (Noble Steed Music) 2014


Press

Jared McCloud is that rare thing; an artist that just cannot be compared to any of his contemporaries. His musical spectrum is about as broad as it is possible to be as he encompasses practically every rock subgenre you can imagine. I would say that he is a talent and that this album is not far off astonishing but that wouldn't even begin to do him justice. :— John Edden, AltSounds.com (March 17, 2011)
Imagine for a moment. all of that speaker-blowing intensity turned inward, shredding the artist down till there is nothing lift of him but the purity of his being. That's what this album is. Painful Words Of Loving Grace is raw and real, you can hear the scrape of flesh across steel and taste the soul of Jared's passion as he performs. Bold, vulnerable and genuine. Quite a moving experience :— Allen Foster, '' Songwriter's Monthly'' (February 4, 2011)
It's hard to compare Jared McCloud to any contemporary artists. And that's a good thing. Painful Words Of Loving Grace contains the intricacies and complexities of a seasoned song writer while retaining the pop-
catchiness Catchiness is how easy it is for a song, tune, or phrase to be recalled. It is often taken into account when writing songs, catchphrases, advertising slogans, jingles etc. Alternatively, it can be defined as how difficult it is for one to forget i ...
of an accessible rock record. It's clear Jared is shooting for far bigger things. And I would easily say he succeeded. 5 stars. :— John Dotson, CT/MA Music (February 3, 2011)
...a strong lyricist and a tremendous guitar player, McCloud shows a lyrical and musical ethic not dissimilar to that of a young
Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature the E Street B ...
. He has a talent for capturing moods (NYC Song) and people (St. Catherine's Anthem) in song while holding nothing back. :— Wildy Haskell, Wildy's World (July 29, 2009)
...McCloud really shines with his new CD Romance of the Atlantic. He brings a clean pure sound with a no B.S. approach to his music that is bound to get you off your seat. To sum it up, this CD is a joy to listen to and really captures the soul. The world needs more musicians like Jared McCloud. :— Noella Tarquino, ''
Broken Records Magazine Broken may refer to: Literature * ''Broken'' (Armstrong novel), a 2006 novel by Kelley Armstrong in the ''Women of the Otherworld'' series * ''Broken'' (Slaughter novel), a 2010 novel by Karin Slaughter Music Albums * '' Broken (And Ot ...
'' (September 1, 2009)
McCloud's genuine feelings are reflected in "Romance of the Atlantic," and can be widely understood by any artist, or one that knows one... His innocence is refreshing, compared to others who enjoy solely the "perks" of the entertainment business (i.e. groupies and freebies)...A combination of acoustic and light rock, (Romance of the Atlantic) is smooth and soothing... McCloud seems to be directly talking to his audience in sing-song tone, making the listener feel a sense of personalization. The continual sincerity of a starving artist is felt throughout the CD :— Erika Y. Gradecki, '' Skope Magazine'' (May 26, 2009)
McCloud's arrangements bolster and color the songs in a way that sounds purposeful and tasteful, and his voice and adept acoustic guitar-playing carry the show. Jared's introspective coffeehouse pop-rock approach is mellow but not limp and his vocal delivery sounds earnest and passionate. :— Brian LaRue,
New Haven Advocate New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
(June 4, 2009)
The album title may ring of a long-lost Indiana Jones movie adventure, but the music is heartfelt folk singer-songwriter tunes that boast radio-and-pub friendly lyrics. :— '' Smother Magazine'' (August 3, 2009)
...McCloud is as competent a guitarist as he is a lyricist. 'Colors' is a great show of his talent as a musician and as a songwriter. It's always refreshing to see an artist who truly believes in his craft. And judging by his new CD and his live show, he has a lot of reason to believe. :— John Dotson, CTMAMusic.com (November 30, 2009)


References


Erika Y. Gradecki, Skope Magazine





External links


Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCloud, Jared Living people 1980 births Singer-songwriters from New York (state) 21st-century American singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Connecticut