 | Holmes Holmes (CD) |
Bio:
Holmes' music career path is a windy one. Born in Israel as Roy Shakked he started playing piano at the age of 6. A family move to Boston opened up a new world of sounds and young Roy soon became a mix-tape junky, hooked on the likes of The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Prince, ELO, Queen, Harry Nielsen and other soul, pop and rock stalwarts - an addiction he's fighting to this day.
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On The Web:
www.sweetholmes.com
www.myspace.com/imholmes
www.facebook.com/pages/Holmes/40400376505
www.twitter.com/holmesmusic
www.youtube.com/holmesclips
www.groovegravy.com
Bio (Continued):
By the end of high school he was playing keyboards and singing backing vocals in various bands. At this point there would be no turning back from a music career. But, there would be quite a long pause.
Right before he turned 18 the family decided to move back to Israel. Roy came along. That meant a 3-year stint in the Israeli army - mandatory for every resident. New friends and an old walkman got him through that ride and at the end of it Roy, a lover, not a fighter, headed back to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music. To support himself he played in a handful of bands, worked as a bar pianist, waited tables, and did session work for hire.
After graduating Roy moved to New York, working as a composer for video games, and a year later he found himself in Los Angeles producing albums for Delta Music. As labels often do, Delta went under and right on cue Roy started his own Groove Gravy Records. A series of aliases followed…
He released his first record, a multi-genre effort, under the alias The Tao of Groove ("Shakked's work could quite possibly take mixing to a whole new level." - The Oakland Tribune) As Jazzelicious he has remixed classic tracks by Sarah Vaughan, Jimmy McGriff, McCoy Tyner and Carmen McRae and produced cuts for Shihan and Ursula Rucker. Dozens of tracks under a variety of names including Zigo, Joint Chiefs of Staff, RioListic, and others followed, yet still, Roy insists he does not suffer from Multiple Personality Disorder. In the process he has developed quite an eclectic musical style - one which has caught the ears of music supervisors who have featured his music on television shows CSI Miami, Sex and The City, The OC, Independent Lens, Nip/Tuck, Without a Trace and Knight Rider among others, as well as a Nissan Motors commercial and movies Poseidon, Day Zero, Cross Bronx and The Devil Wears Prada.
By 2007 Roy decided to make a departure from the world of samples, loops and sequencing and go back to his mix-tape roots and old influences. It was time to release his original songs, and with that, time for another alias - an old band name turned nickname was dusted off, brought back to life and Holmes was born. Enlisting a group of friends that would make any record producer's mouth water - Lyle Workman (Beck, Sting), Chris Bruce (M'chelle Ndegeocello, Seal), Michael Jerome (Blind Boys of Alabama, Better Than Ezra), Zak Schaffer (Pete Yorn) and Brett Simons (Brian Wilson) to name a few - he recorded his music in his cozy studio, stacked with just enough vintage recording gear to please his ears and located at the bottom floor of his Silverlake house. Holmes thanks his lucky stars for good friends. Influenced by 70's American rock, Brit Pop and the classic singer-songwriter tradition, the new songs have received critical acclaim, numerous licenses and spins from many radio stations around the world. Following his first album Stop Go and an adventure-filled Europe tour Holmes went on to record his sophomore release - the self-titled Holmes in 2009, bringing a deeper lyrical content and a stronger acoustic element to the table.
Still residing in LA, and still answering to more than one name, Roy spends his time producing and mixing records, playing live shows, taking care of his aging dog Jazz, staying up late, occasionally composing for television and always being on the lookout for a willing and able label to further support his musical exploits.
More about Holmes:
WHO: Having made a name for himself as Producer of numerous eclectic records for his Groove Gravy label, Roy Shakked decided to make a departure from the world of samples, loops and sequencing and go back to his song-writing roots. An old band name turned nickname was dusted off, brought back to life and Holmes was born. Some good friends dropped by to play when they weren't busy with paying gigs: Lyle Workman (Beck, Sting), Chris Bruce (M'chelle Ndegeocello, Seal), Michael Jerome (Blind Boys of Alabama, Better Than Ezra), Brett Simons (Brian Wilson) and Zak Schaffer (Pete Yorn) to name a few.
WHAT: Following his first album, 2007's acclaimed Stop Go, and an adventure-filled Europe tour Holmes went on to record this sophomore release in the Spring of 2009, bringing a deeper lyrical content and a stronger acoustic element to the table, with influences from 70's American rock, Brit Pop and the classic singer-songwriter tradition.
WHERE: Currently residing Los Angeles, by way of Boston, New York and Israel in his Silverlake house where he records in a cozy studio, stacked with vintage recording gear.
SOUNDS LIKE: A little bit of The Beatles, Harry Nielsen, ELO, Howlin' Wolf, Beck and David Byrne.
Press Quotes:
"Holmes pens the kind of melodic, unpretentious songs that scream for usage in film and TV. There's a humor, wistfulness and universality that would compare well with some of the best of Ben Folds or Beck and translates best in intimate venues." - Los Angeles Times
"This is the demented effort of one guy on a mission to make incredible pop music... Just about essential!" - First Coast News
"It's really rare to come across a CD a listener can just play without skipping over the bad songs. Stop Go is worth putting on that V.I.P. list" - Hot Indie News
"Some folks just write solid tunes. Such is the case with Holmes… a collection of songs that offer something for the ear no matter what mood you're in." - Amplifier Magazine
On The Web:
www.sweetholmes.com
www.myspace.com/imholmes
www.facebook.com/pages/Holmes/40400376505
www.twitter.com/holmesmusic
www.youtube.com/holmesclips
www.groovegravy.com