Jacob Moon

Every artist starts out with heroes. But not every artist gets asked by their heroes to join
them, as artists, on their stage. It's a compliment that Jacob Moon keeps getting from the
musicians who have inspired him since he started as a singer-songwriter out in Hamilton,
Ontario. Artists like Rush, Marillion and Gordon Lightfoot have taken a shine to Moon's
renditions of their songs and have lavished him praise and a spotlight that has gained him
international attention. It is these inventive covers that draws the fans in, but it's Moon's
original material and his compelling live show that make them pull up a chair.

Ron Sexsmith has said: "Jacob Moon is an exceedingly gifted and watchable
performer....seems completely at home on stage" and Danny Miranda (bassist for Queen)
concurs "Tremendous command of the instrument...amazing voice. I can honestly say that I
am overwhelmed by his music".

Jacob Moon is known for his giftedness as a singer, songwriter of award-winning pop and
folk songs. He is also a master of the art of ‘live looping’, a performance style where he
records what he’s playing in real time and layers sound on sound to make one guitar sound
like an orchestra. His faith and his passion for social justice has led him to advocate and raise funds for many organizations over the years, including his current position as national ambassador for Compassion Canada and International Justice Mission.


INFLUENCES:
Jacob Moon considers himself first and foremost to be a singer-songwriter. The songs he has
written have gone on to win awards in International Song Competitions (Unisong, Great
Lakes Song Contest, West Coast Songwriters, GMA Canada). His songwriting heroes
include Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Peter Gabriel and Rich Mullins, and
Moon's timeless and eclectic style can be compared to those artists, among others. Likewise,
his music is hard to pigeonhole, and Moon is okay with that. "My music is borne from all the
listening I've done over the years, and I listen to a lot of different music. In a way it makes
sense that what comes out would be a mash-up of all those different influences, and tough
to pin a style on", Moon says.

Though not exactly born with a guitar in his hands, Moon's own father had a 12-string Gibson
that made an impression early on. "It just had this huge sound-- it sounded like an orchestra
to me", Moon says. That would prove instructive as he approached learning the acoustic
guitar in his early teens. "My musical influences at that time were bands like Yes,
Rush and Marillion, so I was trying to figure out how to make the guitar sound as big as I
knew it could sound from hearing those guys".

IN THE LOOP:
Once Moon had completed his musical training at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo,
ON, he began recording and trying to find as many gigs as he could to stay alive. Realizing
that he needed something that would set him apart from other performers, Moon began
experimenting with 'live looping' technology--a foot-pedal that triggers the instantaneous
recording of his guitar while he's playing live. This gave Moon a whole new palette to paint
with musically, and he has gone on to be one of the leading Loopers on the scene.
His popular live-looping music videos on YouTube recently gained attention on a national
level, when rock legends Rush asked Moon to perform at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of
Fame Gala. Geddy, Neil and Alex insisted that Moon to be there to play 'Subdivisions', which
he performed on a Hamilton rooftop in his 2008 video (now at over 350, 000 hits). His
performance was immediately followed by a standing ovation from his heroes, and that one
night has led to some exciting new touring opportunities.

Rush drummer Neil Peart had this to say about Jacob: "We all shared Jacob Moon’s
performance of Subdivisions quite a long time ago and sent it to each other, ‘Hey have you
seen this?’ because it’s such a beautiful cover. The imaginative way that he uses the little
cassette player to get my voice in there. It’s superb. And it is that kind of song. It’s a singersongwriter’s
song. I loved to see his version of it and I loved the idea that song has endured
to his generation.”

Jacob performed for Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush in September 2016 when a park was named in their honour in their hometown of Toronto. Mayor John Tory gave them both the key to the city in a ceremony that featured Jacob performing 'Subdivisions' for a large crowd of Rush fans and the guests of honour.

In December 2016, Rush released a new version of 2112, featuring Jacob Moon's cover of the last song on that seminal hit for the band, entitled 'Something for Nothing'. Other artists covering Rush include Foo Fighters, Stephen Wilson, Alice in Chains and Billy Talent.

Also in 2016, Jacob Moon formed The Commissionaires, a rootsy soul gospel band, with singer Joel Parisien. They released their debut record, 'Shelter Me' and have been touring ever since, working on new music for an upcoming release later this year.

The new album is 'Under the Setting Sun' (Mar 2022). It's been a minute since 2009's Maybe Sunshine, but Jacob Moon is back with a new collection of original songs. 'Under a Setting Sun' finds Moon at a crossroads with himself and his world and the songs evoke a sense of loss, haunting memories and battling the hands of time. It's his most personal to date, and you won't want to miss this live performance of these newly minted classics.