Jake Cropley – Song Catcher [Album]
‘Song Catcher’
Album by Jake Cropley
Written & recorded by Jake Cropley
Mixed & Mastered by Benedict Roff-Marsh
benedictroffmarsh.com
Cover art by Benedict Roff-Marsh
Released on May 7rd, 2023
Available exclusively on Bandcamp!
Here it is, ‘Song Catcher’! My second album and what a surprise it is.
Last year after launching ‘Falling Down In Love’, I told myself it would be a while until I made another album and I was happy with that decision. I thought a few years would give me time to try new things and write new songs. So, I relaxed away from writing and performing.
At the same time, I also had an opportunity working for The Wiggles as a guitar-tech / musician. Work that lead to an 8-month run with them touring to various parts of the world and an incredible experience. I met hundreds of amazing people, played in unbelievable venues and got to see how some of the best musician in the industry operate. Anthony Field being the best rock’n’roller and teacher I have ever met and I haven’t played music the same since spending some time under his wing.
However, with all this wonderful time away experiencing and learning new things one thing was missing for me, writing and performing my own music. After such a big push with my first album, I didn’t give the songs the energy afterwards to live in the world.
Finally coming home again, I was exhausted, grateful and proud. All signs leading to another break from music. But then I had an idea. I’ve missed writing music so much, what if I take some time off and just write for two weeks. I could aim for ten new songs and see what happens. This idea is what started this project and became, ‘Song Catcher’. An event that changed my music life forever.
The focus for this project was the songs and only the songs. With this in mind, I filled the recently emptied laundry room with any basic musical gear and instruments I had as all my other equipment was in storage. This didn’t bother me because the goal was to have fun, and make music not to be perfect but to find my feet again. Another part of this puzzle was that I was also going to film my experience and share daily videos online of my progress to family and friends, with the intention of sticking to my own goal of ten songs and share them along the way.
All of these factors were the perfect storm for me to let go of everything I wanted before: perfection, acceptance, validation, techniques, and be free to explore and experiment with everything I thought I knew. The songs arrived and got finished faster, my singing and recording performances improved, my approach to song structure and lyric writing changed from day to day. I was having the time of my life, and I learned a million things about not only music, but myself as well from my time in the home laundromat.
And it is with that, I am excited to share with you the result of those two weeks from setup, writing and release, a whole 14-days, the album ‘Song Catcher’. Let it be an example that letting go of everything you thought you knew is maybe the only way to become everything you want, like it showed me.
Jake x