Joel Rakes
Encyclopedia
Joel Rakes is an American
singer-songwriter
and musician
based in Nashville, Tennessee
. Rakes first began releasing his music independently on his own, starting with 2005 release Third Person Present Tense. His 2008 sophomore release was entitled A Sudden Change in the Atmosphere. Rakes' most recent production, The Philadelphia Session live EP
, was released on February 16, 2010.
According to sleeve notes, The Philadelphia Session was recorded at Range Recording Studios in Ardmore, PA. It was recorded on August 16, 2009 over the course of only five hours. This was accomplished by tracking all six musicians live in studio.
Rakes has a very original twist to his music. This can be seen on A Sudden Change in the Atmosphere, where he puts to use his full repertoire of instrumentation and his vocal capabilities. Some of his earlier lo-fi demos featuring just his guitar and vocals speak just as clearly and show his talent just as well as full-band studio recordings. Rakes has released very well-accepted free Christmas
songs on his website in recent years.
. He grew up in Plano, Texas
and Dover, Delaware
, and graduated from high school in 2004.
A multi-instrumentalist, Rakes is well known for playing Taylor
acoustic guitars, but he also plays banjo
, piano
, and several other instruments. He plays all of these on his albums through the use of multitrack recording
. In The Philadelphia Session and A Sudden Change in the Atmosphere, Rakes utilizes various other sound effects and musicians.
While attending the University of Delaware
, Rakes studied marketing
. He graduated in 2008 and moved to the city of Philadelphia. He currently resides in East Nashville
. It was during his college years that he really came into his own as a songwriter and performer.
, Denison Witmer
, Vince Gill
, Dave Barnes
, Matt Wertz
, Ivan Colon, Aaron Roche, Himself, David Mead
, David Bazan
, and Derek Webb
.
when writing or typing even formal documents. Late at night, and early in the morning, Joel can be found using the finest flagon
of nasal spray. In addition, he is known to prefer the 'Thin Mint' variety of Girl Scout cookies. He has an extreme addiction to his iPhone
.
; he composes and performs contemporary Christian
worship music. Rakes' sister is a private voice teacher. Music has always been an important part of Rakes' life, and in 1999 Joel started to play guitar.
While in school at University of Delaware
, Rakes wrote and recorded many songs. He frequently performed live shows at coffeehouse
s, festivals, and local bars. His time at UD culminated with the release of his album, A Sudden Change in the Atmosphere, which was released independently. He collaborated with Jenny and Tylerhttp://www.jennyandtylermusic.com/ for some of the lyrics on this album.
In 2008, he moved to Philadelphia. During his time in Philadelphia, he performed with accompanying musicians at many of the top-tier city music venues including World Cafe Live, the Tin Angel, Burlap & Bean, Connies Ric Rac and Milk Boy Coffee. In August 2009 he began work on a new EP which was recorded live with a full-band in a one-day marathon recording session.
2009 brought Rakes to Nashville, Tennessee
, where he currently works, lives, records, and performs.
310ce and 614ce models. He also owns a Fender Stratocaster
.
.
2009 brought about festive.mood.inducing.music.volume.4, which was received very well online. Rakes' download server received thousands of downloads throughout December. New recordings were released weekly, and past years' recordings were also available for download.
. During the summer of 2008 and 2009, Joel was the special guest musician at Southwind Young Life camp in Florida.
Length: 25:52
"Recorded live in only five hours." Done at Range Recording Studios in Ardmore, PA. Features Joel Rakes on acoustic guitar and vocals, Sarah Pisano on viola, Josh Schurr on piano and background vocals, Ryan Crump on drums(!!), Jeff Scott on electric guitar and banjo, and (the extremely dislikeable) Mitchell Ebbott on bass.
Release Date: May 21, 2008
Length: 30:02
Recorded and produced by Mike Odmark at Winter Beard Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
throughout February 2008. The album demonstrates Rakes' ever-increasing sense of musical composition. It features banjo, piano, guitar, bass, drums, and a wealth of other instruments and effects. The album was released on May 21, 2008 in Newark, Delaware at the first of five CD release shows/tour dates with his one-tour band, The Dreamwreckers.
Recording session musicians included Gabe Ruschival (bass) and Jeremy Lutito (drums) of Disappointed by Candy and Jars of Clay
. The album was mastered by Matt Odmark
(Jars of Clay).
Label: who ganked my gnome? records
Length: 28:40
t.w.i.p.ep = the works in progress ep
This is a homemade ep with some of Rakes' demos from the Fall of 2007
Label: who ganked my gnome? records
Length: 56:20
Recorded with friends in Rakes' bedroom. These songs are not often performed live anymore.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
based in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Rakes first began releasing his music independently on his own, starting with 2005 release Third Person Present Tense. His 2008 sophomore release was entitled A Sudden Change in the Atmosphere. Rakes' most recent production, The Philadelphia Session live EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, was released on February 16, 2010.
According to sleeve notes, The Philadelphia Session was recorded at Range Recording Studios in Ardmore, PA. It was recorded on August 16, 2009 over the course of only five hours. This was accomplished by tracking all six musicians live in studio.
Rakes has a very original twist to his music. This can be seen on A Sudden Change in the Atmosphere, where he puts to use his full repertoire of instrumentation and his vocal capabilities. Some of his earlier lo-fi demos featuring just his guitar and vocals speak just as clearly and show his talent just as well as full-band studio recordings. Rakes has released very well-accepted free Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
songs on his website in recent years.
Early life
Rakes was born 16 February 1986 in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He grew up in Plano, Texas
Plano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
and Dover, Delaware
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
, and graduated from high school in 2004.
A multi-instrumentalist, Rakes is well known for playing Taylor
Taylor Guitars
Taylor Guitars is an El Cajon, California‐based luthier, specializing in acoustic guitars, as well as semi-hollow and solidbody electric guitars. It was established in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug.- History :...
acoustic guitars, but he also plays banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, and several other instruments. He plays all of these on his albums through the use of multitrack recording
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
. In The Philadelphia Session and A Sudden Change in the Atmosphere, Rakes utilizes various other sound effects and musicians.
While attending the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, Rakes studied marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
. He graduated in 2008 and moved to the city of Philadelphia. He currently resides in East Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. It was during his college years that he really came into his own as a songwriter and performer.
Influences
Rakes cites influences as being Sufjan StevensSufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
, Denison Witmer
Denison Witmer
Denison Witmer is an indie singer-songwriter from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His first release, in 1995, was a cassette titled My Luck, My Love. He has since released six studio LPs; two live albums, a cover album ; three EPs; and an LP with The River Bends—a side project consisting of members of the...
, Vince Gill
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...
, Dave Barnes
Dave Barnes
Dave Barnes is an American rock-R&B-contemporary Christian singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee.-Early life:...
, Matt Wertz
Matt Wertz
Matt Wertz is a singer/songwriter. Originally from LaVale, MD he now calls Nashville, Tennessee, home. Wertz's interest in music started when he was young, but it was his interest in visual art that led him to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he graduated with a degree in...
, Ivan Colon, Aaron Roche, Himself, David Mead
David Mead
David Worth Mead is a Nashville-based pop singer-songwriter, best known for his soaring vocals and such albums as Indiana and Almost and Always...
, David Bazan
David Bazan
David Bazan is an indie rock singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Bazan was the lead singer and creative force behind the now-defunct band Pedro the Lion and was the lead singer of Headphones, a band he formed out of his interest in synthesizers...
, and Derek Webb
Derek Webb
Derek Walsh Webb is an American singer-songwriter who first entered the music industry as a member of the band Caedmon's Call, and later embarked on a successful solo career....
.
Quirks
While always a fan of proper grammar, Rakes does not favor capitalizationCapitalization
Capitalization is writing a word with its first letter as a majuscule and the remaining letters in minuscules . This of course only applies to those writing systems which have a case distinction...
when writing or typing even formal documents. Late at night, and early in the morning, Joel can be found using the finest flagon
Flagon
A flagon is a large leather, metal or ceramic vessel, commonly a pitcher, often used for drink, whether this be water, ale, or something else.-Christian use:...
of nasal spray. In addition, he is known to prefer the 'Thin Mint' variety of Girl Scout cookies. He has an extreme addiction to his iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
.
Career
Rakes began his musical career early in life. His father is Pastor of Worship at Grace Church in Dover, DelawareDover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
; he composes and performs contemporary Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
worship music. Rakes' sister is a private voice teacher. Music has always been an important part of Rakes' life, and in 1999 Joel started to play guitar.
While in school at University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, Rakes wrote and recorded many songs. He frequently performed live shows at coffeehouse
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
s, festivals, and local bars. His time at UD culminated with the release of his album, A Sudden Change in the Atmosphere, which was released independently. He collaborated with Jenny and Tylerhttp://www.jennyandtylermusic.com/ for some of the lyrics on this album.
In 2008, he moved to Philadelphia. During his time in Philadelphia, he performed with accompanying musicians at many of the top-tier city music venues including World Cafe Live, the Tin Angel, Burlap & Bean, Connies Ric Rac and Milk Boy Coffee. In August 2009 he began work on a new EP which was recorded live with a full-band in a one-day marathon recording session.
2009 brought Rakes to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, where he currently works, lives, records, and performs.
Guitars
Rakes currently records and performs with his TaylorTaylor Guitars
Taylor Guitars is an El Cajon, California‐based luthier, specializing in acoustic guitars, as well as semi-hollow and solidbody electric guitars. It was established in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug.- History :...
310ce and 614ce models. He also owns a Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
.
Festive Mood Inducing Music
For the past four years, Rakes has given away free recordings of Christmas music in December. A week or so before Christmas in 2006, he posted some simple recordings of himself playing Christmas carols. He posted a song a day for 5 days, leading up to Christmas Day. These five songs were festive.mood.inducing.music.volume.1. In 2007, Rakes posted a new song once each week before Christmas, starting on Sunday, November 25. festive.mood.inducing.music.volume.2 featured better quality recordings along with more tracks being added to each song. In 2008, He released festive.mood.inducing.music.volume.3 which featured even more elaborate arrangements and increased exposure from the blogosphereBlogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
.
2009 brought about festive.mood.inducing.music.volume.4, which was received very well online. Rakes' download server received thousands of downloads throughout December. New recordings were released weekly, and past years' recordings were also available for download.
Young Life
Joel has a long running history of involvement with the youth organization Young LifeYoung Life
YoungLife is a worldwide, non-profit, Evangelical Christian organization. YoungLife consists of many branches of ministry , but most commonly the name "YoungLife" refers to the outreach arm of the organization directed toward high school students...
. During the summer of 2008 and 2009, Joel was the special guest musician at Southwind Young Life camp in Florida.
Spiritual Themes
Rakes' faith has been ever-present in his song writing process. While his songs are not always specifically about faith, his works have an underlying theme of hope, grace, and Love.Discography
| Album | |
|---|---|
| The Philadelphia Session EP | February 16, 2010 2010 in music 2010 in music may refer to:*2010 in American music*2010 in Australian music*2010 in British music*2010 in Canadian music*2010 in European music *2010 in Irish music*2010 in Japanese music*2010 in New Zealand music... |
| A Sudden Change in the Atmosphere | May 21, 2008 2008 in music 2008 was a huge year in music history with the emergence of pop superstars Lady Gaga and Katy Perry into the mainstream. Also, this is the year that is widely agreed upon by critics as the start of the fall of hip hop from the mainstream and the rise of Synthpop into the mainstream due to acts such... |
| t.w.i.p.ep | August 10, 2007 2007 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame... |
| Third Person Present Tense | July 18, 2005 2005 in music -Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:... |
The Philadelphia Session EP
Release Date: February 16, 2010Length: 25:52
"Recorded live in only five hours." Done at Range Recording Studios in Ardmore, PA. Features Joel Rakes on acoustic guitar and vocals, Sarah Pisano on viola, Josh Schurr on piano and background vocals, Ryan Crump on drums(!!), Jeff Scott on electric guitar and banjo, and (the extremely dislikeable) Mitchell Ebbott on bass.
| Track | Title |
|---|---|
| 01 | Hold On |
| 02 | Your Love Smothers Me (...In A Good Way) |
| 03 | This Girl |
| 04 | Okay In Spring |
| 05 | To Know |
| 06 | Something So Beautiful |
A Sudden Change in the Atmosphere
Mike Odmark ProductionsRelease Date: May 21, 2008
Length: 30:02
Recorded and produced by Mike Odmark at Winter Beard Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
throughout February 2008. The album demonstrates Rakes' ever-increasing sense of musical composition. It features banjo, piano, guitar, bass, drums, and a wealth of other instruments and effects. The album was released on May 21, 2008 in Newark, Delaware at the first of five CD release shows/tour dates with his one-tour band, The Dreamwreckers.
Recording session musicians included Gabe Ruschival (bass) and Jeremy Lutito (drums) of Disappointed by Candy and Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay is a Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. They met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.Jars of Clay consists of Dan Haseltine on vocals, Charlie Lowell on piano and keyboards, Stephen Mason on lead guitars and Matthew Odmark on rhythm guitars...
. The album was mastered by Matt Odmark
Matt Odmark
Matthew Odmark is an American musician most known for being a guitarist for Christian alternative folk rock group Jars of Clay.At times, Odmark's first name is noted as "Matthew" instead of "Matt"...
(Jars of Clay).
| Track | Title |
|---|---|
| 01 | A Square Wheel |
| 02 | Ends of the Earth |
| 03 | Dutch Blitz |
| 04 | Terrkat's Kitten |
| 05 | Grampa Grady |
| 06 | These Thoughts |
| 07 | Take Everything |
t.w.i.p.ep
Release Date: August 10, 2007Label: who ganked my gnome? records
Length: 28:40
t.w.i.p.ep = the works in progress ep
This is a homemade ep with some of Rakes' demos from the Fall of 2007
| Track | Title |
|---|---|
| 01 | Grandpa Grady |
| 02 | Life Falls Down |
| 03 | This Girl |
| 04 | Ends of the Earth |
| 05 | Sunset Over Sharptop |
| 06 | It's Never Enough |
| 07 | A New Day |
| 08 | Tongue Tied |
Third Person Present Tense
Release Date: July 18, 2005Label: who ganked my gnome? records
Length: 56:20
Recorded with friends in Rakes' bedroom. These songs are not often performed live anymore.
| Track | Title |
|---|---|
| 01 | Staring at My Shoes |
| 02 | I Come to Worship You |
| 03 | Master of the Skies |
| 04 | Shine Your Light |
| 05 | Hope in Your Love |
| 06 | Someone to Save Me |
| 07 | I Won't Fall |
| 08 | The Same |
| 09 | Who |
| 10 | Try and Turn |
| 11 | Tongue Tied |
Singles
- "This Girl", 2007 - music video won a video contest hosted by the University Of DelawareUniversity of DelawareThe university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
media design center - "No Mo' Ho Ho Ho", Christmas 2007 - was chosen by Sufjan StevensSufjan StevensSufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
as one of the top 36 songs out of 650 song entries in an original Christmas song contest
Collaborations
- Rakes played shows and recorded with roommate/bandmate Tyler Somers between 2006 and 2007.
External links
- Joel Rakes - official site
- www.myspace.com/joelrakes - myspaceMyspaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page - www.virb.com/joelrakes - virb page
- www.joelrakes.com/blog/ - official blog