Jay Cobb Anderson

Music magnifies the human condition, highlighting both daily struggles and personal triumphs with the same sensitivity and sympathy. Portland-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jay Cobb Anderson accepts the responsibility of such sonic discourse via his solo output. Moreover, he deciphers these universal experiences in the form of hummable, hypnotic, and heartfelt anthems steeped in storytelling folk tradition and amplified by unabashed rock ‘n’ roll energy.

His seven-song 2019 EP immediately strikes an emotional chord.

“I’ve always felt like I had a duty to be a voice for the average person—and mostly for their frustrations, loneliness, and struggles,” he affirms. “The plight of the human condition is very confusing at times. We live in the age of information, and we’re still so much like animals. I feel like a great voice for that. I’m like a pendulum swinging hard from intellect and sensitivity to complete primal instincts and animal passion.”

He developed a knack for such writing via his downright prolific career thus far. Not only did he co-found folk rock phenomenon Fruition, but he also launched groups such as The Bell Boys and Rose City Thorns. His growing catalog includes 10 albums and multiple EPs, while he’s logged hundreds of gigs since launching his career in 2007. He served up his first solo offering, I’m a Rambler, I’m a Fool, during 2012. Constantly writing, he challenged himself to crank out a song a day since his birthday October 12, 2018.

In the midst of this creative whirlwind, he carved out time in 2018 to hit the studio alongside Fruition drummer Tyler Thompson once again behind the board as producer. It proved to be just the right moment for his sophomore solo album as they retreated to Thompson’s studio.

“Fruition has been touring nationally really hard for the past seven years,” he explains. “It was a challenge to find time in between. Along the way, I never stopped making my own music. So, I picked some of the material from the 100 songs that was more personal and specific to me and started recording them for eventual EPs. This is an outlet to fully get my vision out there and be completely me.”

Spanning seven years between solo releases, he widened his palette of inspiration. Musically, he developed a deep appreciation for Bahamas and maintained his longstanding Tom Waits fascination. At the same time, “books had been a big part of the last few years” as he devoured classics from Charles Bukowski and Kurt Vonnegut. Drawing on the talents of his Fruition family, Jeff Leonard (also of Fruition) contributed bass. Anderson handled guitars, vocals, keys, mellotron, and “everything else.”
The subject matter reflected marked growth.

“I’ve been through a lot of changes,” he goes on. “I put out my last solo record when I was 27. It’s still in the same vein as the original solo album where the lyrics were super important. The vibe is just different. You could say I’m older and maybe a little wiser,” he laughs.

The first single “Everything Is Gonna Work It’s Own Self Out” illuminates his evolution in under two minutes. A stop-and-start beats gallops in tandem with high-energy guitars as his soulful wail carries an upbeat and undeniable refrain punctuated by a punchy bounce.

“It discusses hardship in society and trying to work through everything as it also touches on repression,” he says. “That was all on my mind at the time. As an artist, it’s hard to do this and survive. You go through all of these processes in your head, wondering what you’re doing on the road and if you’d be happier with a nine-to-five and paid vacation. In exploring those frustrations, you swallow your emotions and gain the faith to keep going.”

Elsewhere, the stripped down live performance of “So Far From You” details “a relationship that ended” by way of unfiltered lyricism and stark emotion. “Leave Me” nods to Bahamas, and “Little Glowing Screen” takes on our smartphone addiction complete with “weird phone sounds” to enhance the atmosphere. Then, there’s the sweaty and sticky closing rocker “Baby I’m Yours,” which gets down and dirty replete with a shredding solo.

“‘Baby I’m Yours’ is something I never would’ve had on the first record. Most heavier rock I would’ve played with the Rose City Thorns. Since that band is done, I feel more comfortable expressing the more sexy rock ‘n’ roll sides of myself within this project. It’s a song all about sex, and it’s got a lot of heat to it,” he grins.

In the end, Anderson positions himself as a relatable and real voice for the modern age.

“Hopefully, you can connect to it, and maybe it helps you through whatever shit you’re going through,” he leaves off. “Maybe you forget about what’s driving you crazy and you’re able to have a good time and let it all out, if only for a moment.”