Philadelphia, PA-based soul roots reggae jam rocker JAY D CLARK has played music publicly since 2008, amassing fans from around the world online since before he began his live music career. With parents both from Brooklyn, NY, he was raised playing soccer in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area and competed at some of the highest levels possible growing up. Before Major League Soccer existed in America, Jay D was offered professional youth trials with a couple of English Premier League clubs, but didn't realize the opportunity he was offered and declined. His one major regret in life. He began his college soccer career at the previous year's #4-ranked Division 1 Old Dominion University Monarchs. Upon graduation and a college transfer, he decided to focus on his film degree from Temple University, rather than soccer.
Working in the east coast film, video, music, and art scene for years, JDC amassed a wide-ranging repertoire of multi-media skills. He began playing guitar at age nineteen and first recorded five original songs in 2004 at Turtle Studios for the soundtrack of a short film that he wrote, directed, produced and starred in. The film was screened at several film festivals nationally and led to JD releasing the five songs on a myspace page. The music amassed hundreds of thousands of plays and he got over 30,000 Myspace friends and fans before he ever played the songs live anywhere.
For four years Jay D managed Media Bureau, a highly-touted underground multi-media production facility and gallery in Philadelphia. There he met the legendary Chuck Treece, a groundbreaking pro skater and prolific studio and touring musician, while working on his movie project Order of the Quest. Treece, who has worked with acts like The Roots, G Love, Pearl Jam, Bad Brains, McRad, Slightly Stoopid, Billy Joel, Sting, Busta Rhymes, The Movement and others. JD played Chuck his five songs from the 2004 short film, which led to Chuck convincing JD to pursue music more seriously. Treece co-produced, engineered and cut almost all musical tracks on Clark’s first record Fall of the City.
The 2008 record started JDC’s foray into live music shows. Treece guided Clark as a bandleader into the unique situation of playing with talented, different backup bands for almost every show while on tour. When playing in the home region JDC played with either an area band backing him or gathered an unrehearsed group from a sizable, select pool of talented musicians for improv sets of originals and covers. He now jams with a smaller, steadier lineup home and on tour.
The common foundation of every live show is Clark’s well-written, universally upbeat reggae rock tunes, consciously-connected catchy lyrics and strong, soulfully sweet hooks sung with true passion. His raw energy creates a uniquely palpable experience live on stage every time. People can’t help but feel it and dance to the rhythm. His music feels familiar to complete strangers.
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