Official Website

www.jesserubenfeld.com

Influences

Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Ben Folds Five, Bob Dylan, Elton John, John Legend, Eagles, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Enya, Yanni, John Williams, Hans Zimmer

Bio

While the Joel influence is inescapable throughout Silken Walls, Rubenfeld expresses his emotions and spirited, thoughtful reflections about romantic relationships and the pursuit of dreams with a rich originality that blends classic piano and keyboard driven pop rock with harmonic inspiration from his other favorite artists The Eagles, Maroon 5, CSNY and John Legend. I'm very proud of the way I convey these emotional snapshots of my life over the past few years over the course of the eleven songs, he says. Love is certainly a dominant theme in my songs love and women and trying to figure things out on an emotional level. There are intimate moments in all of our personal relationships that tap into universal feelings that everyone shares, and those are the emotions I love to express. Though some who have listened wonder if there are sexual overtones in the lyrics of the sweeping and wistfully romantic opening title track, in actuality, the Silken Walls refer to the lush softness of a woman s long straight beautiful hair as a metaphor for the relationship. Take You Home is a funky, dynamically produced, real brass-enhanced rock tune that takes an optimistic look at the courting process. Showcasing his remarkable diversity, Rubenfeld follows the seductive, acoustic guitar enhanced James Taylor vibing Another Touch with So Hot Right Now, an explosive high energy, electric guitar propelled rock ballad that stands as a departure from the rest of Silken Walls; the energy of the track dictates that it be piano and keyboard free! Another song that takes Rubenfeld slightly out of his comfort zone is the percussive, New Orleans meets country/bluegrass flavored When You Need My Love. Back to his trademark graceful piano style, Rubenfeld reaches the starry eyed romantic in all of us on the anthemic All For Something and taps into his classical background on the hypnotic (and vocal free) piano solo Erev X-mas (a lovely track perfect as background for holiday parties). Finally, he incorporates Queen-like vocal harmonies and lively, high energy Allman Brothers piano licks on Thoughts About The Future, which finds Rubenfeld looking back on the hardships of his musical journey, determined to forge ahead come what may. He also taps into a Southern rock front porch feeling on Love Began, a rich chronicle of the end of a relationship that shows the way the heart grows even when things don t work out. The most difficult part of being a songwriter is not that it requires a lot of self-exploration and intimacy with the subjects of the songs (which is certainly not easy), but that you must universalize that and render it unshakably sticky, he says. But there s no greater feeling than overcoming creative obstacles and conveying everything I set out to say. Over the last few years I have been getting to know myself musically and learned how best to convey my feelings and thoughts in a straightforward manner within the context of accessible pop music. I'm excited about sharing myself with people in a way that resonates with everyone. I hope the listeners feel happy on the happy songs, remember their lost loves on Love Began, think of the mystery and fascination of women when they hear Silken Walls, reflect on the beauty in general while enjoying Erev X-mas and remember how to appreciate their special people when they hear All For Something. Being a songwriter makes you a true voice of humanity, and that s a wonderful responsibility I try to live up to every day.