Jordan White (musician)

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Jordan White

Jordan White, Tunes at Twilight Festival - June 2010
Background information
Birth name Jordan Frank White
Born May 6, 1982
Origin Cranford, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres Alternative rock, confessional singer-songwriter, power pop
Occupations Singer/Songwriter, rock musician
Instruments Vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass
Years active 2005 - Present
Labels Sony, Bamboo Bird
Associated acts KineticBlu, Foreplay, The Fuzzy Bunny Slippers, Impostar
Website http://www.JordanWhiteMusic.com

Jordan White (born May 6, 1982) is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter from Pennsylvania.

Contents

[edit] Early life and education

Born in Cranford, New Jersey, White was raised in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, part of the Lehigh Valley region of the state, where he learned to play guitar and classical piano. He graduated in 1998 from Nazareth Area High School and went on to graduate from Northampton Community College and then received a B.A. from East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; and a M.S. from Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, in the field of psychology. White credits several professors at Northampton Community College as having a profound effect on his motivation for continuing his education and for encouraging his song writing.[1]

White explained that depression he experienced as a teenager was the motivation behind writing his own music, revealing that music "saved me from being another statistic." [2]

[edit] Music and influences

White began playing keyboards in a class project led by his teacher in elementary school [3] and was later inspired by his father's vinyl record collection. White says his musical influences "started with singer-songwriters out of the 1970s," referencing Van Morrison, Jackson Browne and Billy Joel.[4] He also cites Guns N' Roses, Counting Crows,[5] Tom Petty,[6] The Beatles, Ritchie Valens and The Clash.[7] His music is considered a mixture of alternative, acoustic-confessional pop-rock.[8]

White spends much of the songwriting process fine-tuning lyrics and is known to occasionally alter verses in the middle of performing.[9] Much of the lyrical material deals with personal relationships, the divorce of his parents, and "how people just stop talking and the second things gets difficult they'll walk away." [10] He adds, “I really like lyrics that are personal but sometimes they become broader to apply to others; although there’s a fine line between doing that and making it obvious." [11] White reportedly has gone a year or more between writing songs due to his commitment to the lyrics.[12]

In a June 2011 article, White told The Philadelphia Daily News, "The songs are inspired from the life that I lead and the lives that I see. They are often about wounded people. People who are flawed and the flaws I find in myself; being caught in the grey area between what you want and what you can’t have. That’s not to say I can’t write about positive things, there’s an enormous element of faith and hope in what I write. I see both the beauty and heartache in people.[13] Sometimes it's like saying, well, I really made a mess of things this time, but I can’t wait to see what happens. I’m extremely inspired and moved by the environment I’m in." [14]

[edit] Career

White's first break into the music industry occurred in 2005 when a demo he recorded was included on a compilation in Australia on Bamboo Bird Records.[15]

White has performed as a solo artist and with several acts, popular east-coast cover band The Fuzzy Bunny Slippers, the acoustic trio Foreplay [16] and alternative rock band, KineticBlu,[17][18] which performs both original and cover songs.[19]

KineticBlu formed in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 2008 although inactive until the acoustic act Foreplay, in which White, guitarist Brian Kibler and vocalist Tara Crowe, had been performing with merged with drummer Rob Lilly. White was performing a solo show in the Lehigh Valley when he was approached by Lilly about a new band he was forming.[20] The media had even once dubbed KineticBlu "The Lehigh Valley's Sexiest Rock Band".[21]

White has shared the stage and opened for national acts such as Third Eye Blind, Vertical Horizon, Bowling For Soup, Sharon Little, Ryan Star, Crystal Bowersox and Katharine McPhee [22] and White advanced through the early rounds of American Idol during season 5 but has since publicly criticized the selection techniques used by producers of the show. After being dismissed, White was offered and signed a management contract with Media Five Entertainment.[23]

White performed for a sold-out audience on December 31, 2008 for Musikfest's "First Night in Bethlehem" annual New Year's Eve concert in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. [24] In February 2010, White's original song "September" recorded with KineticBlu, was selected by Sony Music/Red Distribution for inclusion on a national release of hot new musical acts and is available on Amazon.com, iTunes, Rhapsody, and Napster.[25][26] The song put the Pennsylvania-based band into the spotlight, and with over 1.5 million hits on Myspace it had clearly struck a chord. Says White: “I wrote the song about September because that’s when summer comes to an end, and even though chances are we’ll get to see another, it's possible we won’t.” [27]

In April 2010, White performed his original song "Crazy Girl" live on WFMZ-TV Channel-69 News.[28]

White has performed at the Tunes at Twilight Festival in Bethlehem, PA [29] and campaign fundraisers for U.S. Congressional Candidate Jake Towne for Pennsylvania's 15th District.[30] During the campaign White criticized incumbent Charlie Dent for attempting to bar Towne from scheduled debates due to a controversial band that was scheduled to perform as well.[31][32]

KineticBlu was named Alternative Addiction's "Next Big Thing" for October 2010 [33] and performed at the fifth annual Bethlehem Harvest and third annual Blue Mountain "Rock The Fall" Festivals, events which drew several thousand people.[34][35] In February 2011, White performed at the 15th annual Millennium Music Conference & Showcase in Harrisburg, PA, an event which draws nearly 300 musical acts from across the country.[36]

In May 2011, White performed at the Paul Robeson Arts Center in Princeton, NJ which was televised on Comcast and Verizon FIOS[37] and performed in August at Musikfest 2011 held annually in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania which around 1 million people from across the country.[38]

White also spoke about hearing loss in performing musicians, saying initially he did not use ear protection but added "it's something to think about more as I get older and want to protect my senses. After shows, I'll have this ringing in my ear where it sounds like there's a television on." [39]

As of January 2012, White had been recording a four song EP to include new songs “Bloodshot;” “Maybe Amy,” "No Promises", and “Before I Go Out” and performed with Grammy-Award winner Richard Smallwood. [40]

[edit] Charitable performances

White is known to frequently perform at fund raising events, notably in January 2010 to benefit the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake with Wyclef Jean for The American Red Cross[41] and in June 2010 at the "Songs For The Spill" concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania to assist the clean up from the Deep Horizon BP oil disaster.[42]

In 2011 White performed with both American Idol runner-ups Crystal Bowersox and Elliot Yamin at Stabler Arena to benefit juvenile diabetes, a disease which both Bowersox and Yamin suffer from.[43]

[edit] Awards

In November 2007 White was a finalist in the Lehigh Valley Acoustic Competition and in 2008 KineticBlu was nominated for two Lehigh Valley Music Awards. In August 2010, White himself was nominated for three 2010 Lehigh Valley Music Awards for Best Songwriter, Best Lyricist, and Best Band Website, being chosen amongst 3,000 other fan and industry nominees. White performed at the awards ceremony on December 5, 2010 in Allentown, Pennsylvania [44] which was well received.[45]

White was nominated for two Mongtomery/Bucks County music awards and performed at the ceremony in November 2011; and for the third time was also nominated for two more Lehigh Valley Music Awards, one for Best Songwriter and one for Best Male Vocalist.[46]

[edit] Personal life

"The people who are making a living playing music, the reason they got to that level is because they see music as a lifestyle," White told The Northeast Times, adding, "[This] requires talent, dedication and endurance" [47] also telling the Sun-Gazette that "there are a lot of setbacks and accomplishments. Often you take two steps forward and one step back. It's just how it goes." [48]

White claims he has developed a mild form of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) over the years, noting his tendency "to perform certain actions in sequences of even numbers" and says he is "obsessed with the number 4".[49] White graduated Nazareth Area High School with actress/musician Kate Micucci.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kelly Montgomery, "Inside a Songwriter's Psyche", 2009 December 18 "[1]" 2010 September 1
  2. ^ Jackie Szymanski, "The Sun-Gazette", 2010 September 2 "[2]" 2010 September 3
  3. ^ Dana Rogonese, "The Cranford Chronicle" 2011 Aug 4" [3]" 2011 August 8
  4. ^ "Lehigh Valley Live" 2011 June 15" [4]" 2011 July 20
  5. ^ Abby Drew, "The Morning Call", 2010 July 3 "[5]" 2010 September 3
  6. ^ "The Orlando Sentinel", 2010 August 10 "[6]" 2010 September 27
  7. ^ Dustin Schoof, "The Express-Times", 2008 August 8, "[7]",2010 September 6
  8. ^ Melanie Vanderveer, "Pocono Record", 2010 August 20, "[8]",2010 August 31
  9. ^ "The Express", 2010 September 9, "[9]", 2010 September 10
  10. ^ Josh Kreger, "Connections Magazine" 2008 March, "[10]" 2010 September 9
  11. ^ Lauren Cappucio, "The Shippensburg Slate" 2010 September 7" [11]" 2011 January 6
  12. ^ Jared Katz, "The Ticket" 2011 August 11" [12]" 2011 August 12
  13. ^ Danielle Petersen, "The Philadelphia News" 2011 June 27" [13]" 2011 June 30
  14. ^ "The Valley Beat" 2011 July 5" [14]" 2011 July 20
  15. ^ "MP3.com", 2005" [15]", 2010 September 3
  16. ^ Dustin Schoof, "The Express-Times", 2010 July 9 "[16]" 2010 September 1
  17. ^ "California Chronicle" 2010 December 5 "[17]", 2010 December 12
  18. ^ Denise Sanchez, "The Morning Call", 2010 August 10, "[18]",2010 August 31
  19. ^ "The Chicago Tribune", 2010 August 10, "[19]", 2010 September 6
  20. ^ Sound Check With KineticBlu, "Chester County Cuisine & Night Life", 2010 September 8 "[20]" 2010 September 9
  21. ^ Eventful, San Francisco Metro Area, 2008 February 15 "[21]" 2010 September 18
  22. ^ "WFMZ-TV 69", 2010 April 12, "[22]",2010 August 31
  23. ^ "Media Five Entertainment", "[23]", 2010 September 1
  24. ^ Colette Cope, "Celebrate New Year's Eve at First Night Bethlehem", 2008 December 30 "[24]" 2010 August 31
  25. ^ Blake Dannen, "Blake's Picks 2/3/10", 2010 February 3 "[25]" 2010 September 3
  26. ^ Amazon.Com, 2010 January 14 "[26]" 2010 September 18
  27. ^ Tine Roycroft, "The Pulse", 2010 December, "[27]", 2010 December 12
  28. ^ "Lehigh Valley With Love", 2010 June 5 "[28]" 2010 September 3
  29. ^ "The Morning Call", 2010 June 3 "[29]" 2010 September 18
  30. ^ "Freedom Concert on July 30th", 2010 July 18 "[30]" 2010 September 1
  31. ^ "The Morning Call", 2010 July 30 "[31]" 2010 September 6
  32. ^ "Independent Political Report", 2010 July 27 "[32]" 2010 September 6
  33. ^ "Alternative Addiction", 2010 September 1 "[33]" 2010 September 1
  34. ^ "Bethlehem Harvest Festival", 2010 "[34]" 2010 September 3
  35. ^ John J. Moser, "The Morning Call", 2010 October 6 "[35]" 2010 October 6
  36. ^ Brad Patton, "The Times-Leader", 2011 January 14 "[36]" 2011 January 26
  37. ^ Anthony Stoeckert, "Princeton Patch", 2011 May 27 "[37]" 2011 June 30
  38. ^ Corinne Miller, "Lehigh Valley Singer Keeps Busy with Summer Shows", 2011 July 29 "[38]" 2011 August 2
  39. ^ Kelly Huth, "Musicians Sound Off On Hearing Loss, Prevention", 2011 July 17 "[39] " 2011 July 20
  40. ^ Brian Bingaman, "The Lansdale Reporter", 2011 September 9 "[40]" 2011 September 11
  41. ^ Marcie White, "Haiti Earthquake Relief Unites Musicians From the Lehigh Valley to Linkin Park", 2010 January 19 "[41]" 2010 September 3
  42. ^ "Songs For The Spill", 2010 June 19 "[42]" 2010 September 3
  43. ^ "The Morning Call", 2011 June 30 "[43]" 2011 June 30
  44. ^ "2010 Lehigh Valley Music Awards", 2010 August 28 "[44]" 2010 August 31
  45. ^ "Lehigh Valley Music Blog", 2010 December 7 "[45]" 2010 December 12
  46. ^ K. Montgomery "Finding Zenith", 2011 September 12 "[46]" 2011 September 12
  47. ^ John Loftus, "Rhythmic Revelations", 2011 June 29 "[47]" 2011 June 30
  48. ^ A.M. Wertz, "After 'Idol,' Jordan White is Living Out His Dream", 2011 July 21 "[48]" 2011 July 21
  49. ^ Joshua Kreger, "White: Unrestricted", 2008 May 1 "[49]" 2010 September 3

[edit] External links


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