Jordan White

Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_White_(musician) Born and raised in Cranford, New Jersey until the age of 12, White recalls developing an interest in music in second grade at Hillside Avenue Elementary School. White moved with his family to Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state, in close proximity to the Martin Guitar factory, where he learned to play guitar and classical piano. He graduated in 1998 from Nazareth Area High School (also with TV star Kate Micucci) and went on to graduate from Northampton Community College and received a B.A. from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; and a M.S. from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania 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. White explained that periods of depression experienced as a teenager led to composing original music, stating that music "saved me from being another statistic." "I spent my summers as a teenager practicing my piano and my guitar while everyone else was outside partying, drinking, swimming, driving around, and having fun. I never really think I fit in with anything else other than music. I wasn't great at sports. It was just me and the music for a long time." White began playing keyboards in a class project led by his teacher in elementary school[1] 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. He also cites Guns N' Roses, Counting Crows, Tom Petty, The Beatles, Ritchie Valens and The Clash. His music is considered a mixture of alternative, acoustic-confessional pop-rock. White spends much of his songwriting process fine-tuning lyrics and sometimes alters verses in the middle of performances. Much of the lyrical material deals with personal relationships, the divorce of his parents, "how people just stop talking the second things gets difficult they will walk away." 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 it becoming obvious." White reportedly has gone a year or more between writing songs due to his commitment to the lyrics. 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. 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." White told Jukebox.com that lyrical inspiration stems from "the people that I see around me, those who have come and those who have gone, for better or worse. I’m a very observant person and see the dynamics of relationships between others." "The lyrics are often about looking into the past and trying to make some sense of how things came to be now, trying to gauge where I'm at based on what's happened.” In September 2013 White told FOX News that his musical style is "a mix of the 1970's and 1990's, I know I kind of skipped the 1980's. That's what it is to me, and that's what people tell me they hear. It's like a Jackson Browne meets Nirvana, very singer-songwriter oriented. It has an alternative vibe with a 1970's feel." Before a performance on NBC's "PA Live!" White said that his single "Maybe Amy", one of his most popular songs, was "really just a misguided love song, about how when you first meet someone there's a split between what you want to happen and what's actually going to happen." White's first break into the music industry occurred in 2006 when a demo he recorded was included on a compilation in Australia on Bamboo Bird Records. White has performed as a solo artist and with several acts, the popular east-coast cover band The Fuzzy Bunny Slippers, the acoustic trio Foreplay and alternative rock band, KineticBlu, which performs both original music and cover songs. 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. The media had once dubbed KineticBlu "The Lehigh Valley's Sexiest Rock Band". White has shared the stage and opened for national acts such as Third Eye Blind, John Mayer, Vertical Horizon, Bowling For Soup, Duncan Sheik, Sharon Little, Ryan Star, Amy Helm, Priscilla Ahn, Crystal Bowersox, Asher Roth, Rusted Root, Duncan Sheik and Katharine McPhee and White advanced through the early rounds of American Idol during season 5 but later criticized the selection techniques of the show, responding in an interview that "I personally heard the producers pass on some of the greatest singers I had ever heard." After being dismissed, White was offered and signed a management contract with Media Five Entertainment. 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. 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. 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, even though chances are we’ll get to see another, it's possible we won’t.” In April 2010, White performed his original song "Crazy Girl" live on WFMZ-TV Channel-69 News. White has performed at the Tunes at Twilight Festival in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and campaign fundraisers for U.S. Congressional Candidate Jake Towne for Pennsylvania's 15th District. 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. KineticBlu was named Alternative Addiction's "Next Big Thing" for the monnth off October 2010 and performed at the fifth annual Bethlehem Harvest and third annual Blue Mountain "Rock The Fall" Festivals and in February 2011, performed at the 15th annual Millennium Music Conference & Showcase in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, an event which draws nearly 300 musical acts from across the country. In May 2011, White performed at the Paul Robeson Arts Center in Princeton, New Jersey, which was televised on Comcast and Verizon FIOS and performed in August at Musikfest 2011 held annually in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In April 2012, White had finished recording his first four song EP entitled "Four Songs" which includes the tracks “Maybe Amy”, "Bloodshot", "Before I Go Out", and "No Promises." It was released in July 2012 and is available on iTunes, Amazon, the official website, http://JordanWhiteMusic.com and others. White has performed on morning news programs such as PHL17's "Eye Opener", FOX News in September, and major NBC, ABC and CBS affiliates morning news programs and talk shows in support of the "Four Songs" EP during the fall of 2013. On November 1, 2013, White appeared on ABC Good Day PA and talked about how writing and practicing music gave him an outlet to cope with depression. Overall, critical reviews of White's "Four Songs" has been mixed to positive and it is in rotation at many radio stations. The Sentinel's Stacy Brown remarked that "Four Songs" "contains moments of pop and flavor of southern rock paired with plenty of clean guitar licks amongst White's clear and distinctive vocals." Ashley McAteer of That Music Mag wrote that "White’s catchy lyrics really do not really draw attention but are easily stuck in your head, although he seems to be giving you just what he knows." Jennifer Shields from The Owl Mag described the EP as "taking music back to beautiful simplicity." Charles Minguez from One Minute Sound wrote that White's "Four Songs" kicks off with the track 'Maybe, Amy' which is a throwback to the sound of 90’s pop icons like Third Eye Blind and Matchbox 20; the EP then rolls into 'Bloodshot' and features heavier driven guitar riffs and a solo borrowed from the pages of Counting Crows. 'Before I Go Out', the third track, is probably the favorite and features subtle slide guitar licks and a quirky piano line. White undeniably has an ear for writing catchy, radio-friendly songs and is extremely talented, however his musical style is a bit outdated. Even when he is pushing out creativity, it still sounds as if he is trying too hard to emulate his influences. White's voice is clean and crisp, though it may not be the composition as much as the production to blame." Dustin Schoof of The Express Times wrote that "White goes from belting out a tender, folksy acoustic tune ("Maybe, Amy") to plugging in and cutting loose on "Bloodshot," highlighted by a smoking guitar lead. "Before I Go Out" is more of a roots rocker, complete with background harmonica. "No Promises" is a piano ballad that is heartfelt without veering into cheesy territory. It's a balanced and robust and shows off White's skills as a musician and songwriter. Michael Phoenix of "The Hub" wrote that the lead single 'Maybe, Amy' "could have been from the TV shows "Saved By The Bell" or "California Dreams" but gave the rest of the album a positive review, stating that "White comes back, hitting you with the hard beat of 'Bloodshot', a great change up and a way to keep your attention, while 'Before I Go Out' is a good transition song in leading into the piano ballad 'No Promises' with references made to Philadelphia and the Jersey shore, leading you to feel the passion of the song from both the music and lyrics." DJ "RJ" from WPHT-FM "The Note" described the collection of songs as "engaging, thoughtful, and very focused; it's an enjoyable listen from a talented singer." Sandy Lo of WHOA Magazine wrote that "White's music is certainly lyrically based which is a breath of fresh air nowadays with so much machinery and big beats thrown into songs." White also responded regarding his much publicized affair with American Idol that "the problem [with the show] is the judges dismissed the best singers but would then send a guy through wearing a clown costume." White performed with Grammy-Award winner Richard Smallwood and was given the highly coveted slot as residency performer at The Hard Rock Café in Philadelphia in February 2013, performing every Wednesday for the entire month. According to The Hard Rock Cafe, thousands of bands and musicains submit their material for booking considerations at their locations across the United States each year. White returned to The Hard Rock Café for a second residency in November 2013 and performed "Before I Go Out", "Maybe Amy" and a new song titled "Therapy?" on the popular television program "Talk Philly" that airs daily on CBS-3 KYW-TV with hosts Ukee Washington and Pat Ciarrocchi to promote the performances. Washington asked White what his ultimate goal was; White responded with "Grammy. I'll set it right here on this table when you want me back." White also debuted two new songs; "High Road" and "12/26" which delved deeper lyrically into the subject matter that the EP "Four Songs" had previously only hinted at, while musically the new pieces contained a darker tone. According White's official Facebook page White has also been dubbed a "Brand Ambassador" for Martin Guitar, in which he owns and plays several different models at shows. White is known to frequently take part in fund raising events; he performed in January 2010 to benefit the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake with Wyclef Jean for The American Red Cross and in June 2010 at the "Songs For The Spill" concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania to assist the clean-up from the Deepwater Horizon BP oil disaster. 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. White also performed at several Red Cross events in the wake of Hurricane Sandy to benefit affected residents of New Jersey, the state in which he was born and spent part of his childhood. In June 2013, White performed to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand. 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 which was well received. White was nominatted 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, Best Songwriter and Best Male Vocalist, in April 2012 returned to WFMZ-TV. White was officially nominated for three Lehigh Valley Music Awards in fall of 2012 including Best Lyricist, Best Singer-Songwriter and Best Folk Band/Soloist and for Outstanding Songwriter in the 2012 Philadelphia music awards, and in November 2013 was again nominated for three Montgomery-Bucks Music Awards including Outstanding Performer, Outstanding Singer-Songwriter, and Outstanding Male Vocalist. "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" 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." White is a Nissan racing enthusiast, and has custom Datsuns, Nissan Sentras and 200sx's that are powered by the SR20DE and SR20VE engines. He mentioned that if he wasn't a musician he "would love to work on race cars." White says that when he first purchased a brand new Chevrolet Corvette he soon returned it "because it just wasn't me." He is also a registered independent, animal lover, owning Chihuahuas, Dobermans, Siamese cats, and has elaborate home saltwater aquariums. He recently adopted a 2lb chihuahua from a pit bull rescue. His mother also raises seeing-eye German Shepards. White also is a lifelong Philadelphia Phillies fan and is often seen at home games seated behind the plate. Responding in an interview with Mike Viso from "Through The Fence Baseball" magazine when asked about the Phillies 2008 World Series victory, he replied "I'll always know exactly where I was when it happened. I had waited for it for 20 years. The 1993 World Series loss to the Blue Jays crushed me. I was just a little kid. I stood there in shock as I watched Joe Carter round the bases jumping up and down in glee. After that, the Phillies winning it all was something I thought I’d never get to see. It was one of the few things not in my control I wanted to witness before I’m gone and I'm forever grateful." White has also spoken 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." White claims to have developed a form of 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". White graduated Nazareth Area High School with actress/musician Kate Micucci and currently lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. "High Road" available on iTunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1169132472 "Four Songs" available on iTunes here: http://bit.ly/14AsDmr