JACE PAWLAK
“Like most writers, I just want to be heard.”
In the past few years, Jace Pawlak is being heard more and more as his material is being covered by an ever-increasing number of bands.
His third original album, Perspective, was released in February 2015 to
universally positive reviews.
In addition to his newest album, Perspective, he also co-wrote Tango Down's 2014 album, Charming Devil.
Having bands record his material is what Jace says he strives for. “When I was 14 and discovered Diane Warren it was the first time I realized that a person could write songs for bands/artists for a living. I never thought that writing songs could be a ‘job’. From that point on, all I wanted to do was write and get my songs in the hands of great singers, musicians, and producers…to make my living with music.”
In 2000 Jace did in fact begin to make his living with music. He became a full time musician at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. He has spent most of his adult life learning what makes songs resonate with people, how to arrange songs to keep them interesting, and what makes people responsive. He has had the benefit of a job that requires him to pull apart the most popular songs of the past 60 years and learn how to deliver them to an audience. The result is a knack for hooky, engaging, and succinct songwriting.
In 2005 Jace released his first album, Stolen Season. He states, “It was mostly meant to be a vehicle for the writing- a way to get the songs out there for people to hear and hopefully want to cover. Technology had progressed to a point where I could make a CD in my closet and afford to get it distributed. The whole point, though, was to generate some interest in the writing- in the songs.”
One person to take note of Pawlak’s writing was John Kivel, owner of Kivel Records. John responded to the material on Stolen Season and shared Jace’s interest in having bands cover his songs. To date, Jace Pawlak has written material on seven of Kivel's releases. He wrote over a third of the material on FARCRY’s heralded debut album, High Gear and over a third of TANGO DOWN's 2011 gem Identity Crisis, as well as co-writing almost all of the material on their follow up album Charming Devil.
John Kivel sums up Pawlak’s work this way: “Jace always delivers. He is a song doctor. His songs are resonant, relatable, and catchy as hell. Ten years into our creative partnership and he continues to be prolific and never disappoints. It's a pleasure to have him as part of the Kivel brand. ”
In 2010 Jace, along with his father, Dennis, and his brother, Trevor, released a hard rock album under the moniker Kindred Saint. This self titled album is a collection of tunes written by Dennis and features dual lead vocals, stacks of harmonies, and solid guitar-driven songs with a 70s flavor. It is hard rock in the vein of Kiss, Sammy Hagar, and Foreigner. Jace states, “I am so proud of the Kindred Saint CD. We always wanted to record an album as a family. I grew up with my dad’s songs. I heard some of that material when I was 5 years old. It was amazing for me to record those tunes with my dad and brother and give them new life and get them out there in the world for people to hear.”
In 2011 Jace, once again joined by Dennis and Trevor, released his self penned melodic rock album, Chasing Magic. Chasing Magic is a collection of tunes inspired by the music Jace grew up loving. Heavily influenced by Night Ranger, Journey, and Def Leppard, the album is filled with soaring harmonies, tasty guitars, and catchy hooks.
In his review of Chasing Magic, Andrew McNeice of melodicrock.com labeled Jace Pawlak as “one of the most deserving guys in the business.”
Johnny G from The Melodic Buzz wrote, “With Chasing Magic, Jace has delivered a musical work of art.”
Rob Evans of Powerplay Magazine stated, “Jace Pawlak is one of the most under rated singer/songwriters in the world of AOR at this very moment.”
And Paul Nichols at ARFM added, “Chasing Magic is a slab of the finest Melodic Rock these ears have heard in a very long time.”
The album also contains Jace’s own version of his most popular song, “Fine Line”.
In February 2015 Jace released the album Perspective. When asked about the songs on the album, Jace responds, “Most people know me for my melodic rock writing, but I have a great deal more material that people have never heard that is more stripped down and, I believe, deeper. I am inspired and influenced by many artists and writers. James Taylor is amazing. Emily Saliers is a brilliant lyricist. Richard Marx is far more talented than he gets credit for. I have a stack of songs I have written that I could never find a home for, things that just would not flow in the context of the albums I have done. Some songs are just me and a piano, some songs have a slight country feel, and still others are just kind of...different for me. So rather than just continue to wait for the ‘perfect’ project to come along to find a place for these songs, I decided to set them loose on one album. The common thread being they all came from my head and my heart. I think some of the material might surprise people. I will always primarily write hooky rock tunes; but as a writer, I need to express myself in every way that appeals to me, and having control of my own projects gives me a chance to put different sides of myself out there so that I’m not just doing the same thing over and over.”
Jace Pawlak will continue to write and record his own material, but his main objective remains getting his songs heard by as many people as possible whether it's his own albums or other bands covering his songs.
Next up for Jace he will be focusing on writing songs for a couple of Kivel Records releases. And then turn his attention to doing a full on melodic rock album. And after that.... well, there are still another few dozen song ideas in notebooks to get to.
“Like every writer, I just want to be heard. When I release my recordings I’m not ‘done.’ It’s just another step in trying to be a successful songwriter to get people to consider my material for their band.
It does not end with me.
I want every song I write to be covered by ten different bands!”