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Jake Rodrigues

Jake Rodrigues

Musician & Performer

Jake Rodrigues & his Music

 


Jake on Hackney Marshes with banjo circa 2001 

Jake’s love affair with music really took off with a black bin liner of a Christmas present which was a £6 banjo from a junk shop ( it’s still being played ). A passion for British and American folk music began alongside song-writing about teenage life on the isle of wight. Teaming up with Jc and Angelina Grimshaw plus a host of others Jake formed ‘The Chuff Train Stompers’ before heading off to London and college.

For over 20 years Jake has made a living from his music working solo and in bands. He’s toured all over Europe and had musical engagements as diverse as banjo playing at Euro Disney for Michael Jackson, playing Vienna in Vienna with Midge Ure,  being a lead guitarist in the cellarbar next to damnation in Puchdrunks award winning Faust and being the animated songthrush for 60 episodes of Channel 5’s ‘Bird Bath’

Jake Solo

Jake is an original and engaging performer and together with his multi instrumental skills his gigs are always memorable and never the same. A passion for early blues, country and tin pan alley music gives Jake’s show a real feel of the 1920’s-30’s. His singing heroes are Jimmie Rodgers, Emmett Miller and Al Bowlly so yodelling, vocal effects and crooning are always high on the agenda. His own song writing has a resonance of these heroes, however these are mixed with more contemporary performers such as Nik Drake and Peter Gabriel.

His solo gigging took a novel turn with his CD ‘Major Chicken’ when frustration at the London singer songwriter scene made him decide to give theatrical renderings of all his songs. This involved a trunk full of props, lights, a stage set, smoke machines and even pyrotechnics. This show took a minimum of 3 hours to set up and eons to rehearse as it was more like an agit-prop musical than a gig. A night  with Major Chicken ( the result ) has become legend on many levels from the sheer mess and anarchy it creates to the musical car crash nature of the show. Jake’s intention has always been to create a show he’d like to see himself, a mixture of musicality, hilarity and truth. A window into the bitter sweet mess that is humanity…Heavy !

The CD’s here are a selection of Jake’s original solo work from 1998 to 2005. Recorded on various home studio set ups they are ambitious and  icleptic in style. Jake is currently working on songs for kids and has the songs and the band he just needs to find the time to record them since he’s now a proud and very occupied dad.

Jake Solo 2008 - Back to Vaudeville & Music Hall

For the last couple of years Jake has been augmenting his solo reportoire of original songs with a new reportoire of Old Time Music Hall and American Vaudeville songs. His monthly gigs at The Camel in Bethnal Green feature the songs of Harry Champion , Gus Elen, Al Bowly, Sir George Robey and Vesta Tilly. We then cross the Atlantic for tin pan alley , Blues and Vaudeville from the likes of Emmet Miller, Nick Lukas and Ukulele Ike. Each month features a different theme ( previous themes have included death, journeys , Cockney knees up and Love ). If you've seen his major chicken show you'll love his rendition of Tiptoe Through the Tulips and his take on classic novelty songs of yesteryear.

. Major Chicken - from 2004 Jake's CD that spawned the show ' A Night With Major Chicken' . Guest Musicians include JC Grimshaw, Rupert Brown, Tim Ten Yen & Martin Wheatley.

  1. Tango Train
  2. Major Chicken
  3. Sea Kissing the Shingle
  4. Keep Smiling ( the Overture)
  5. Minor Bird
  6. Then Again
  7. Keep Smiling ( The Ballad of Big Brother )
  8. Chinese Toy
  9. The Friend
  10. Cocktails with Cavemen
  11. How to make and A-Bomb
  12. Death by Karaoke

  The Friend- Recordings 2000-5 & previously unheard tracks made at the same time as Major Chicken.

  1. Brightest Pearl
  2. The Second Time We Met
  3. Brick Lane
  4. Turn it up Loud
  5. Fallen Leaves
  6. Neil & Alison
  7. Now is your Time
  8. Sam's Dilema
  9. Kitty Kat Song
  10. Why is the Sweetest
  11. Balloon for the Moon
  12. The Friend ( part II )

Dead Man's  Trousers - Jake first CD release 1997, featuring Sim'Tosh'Jones on Violin and Martin Wheatley on Mandolin - All tracks now remixed and mastered.

  1. Pirate of the Heart
  2. The Moon is on the Pull Again
  3. Dead Man's Trousers
  4. We went for Supper
  5. The Cowboy in his Transit
  6. Nothing can break us Apart
  7. The Loyal Cobbler
  8. Inside the muffler she carries a Gun
  9. Have  I  found  You ?
  10. Trust in Tomorrow
  11. When the show comes to Town

   Offcuts - A collection of early recordings 1996-99. Band tracks include 3 tracks by ' The Third Man' featuring DIY man Scot Vicary and Neil ' Head in a Book' Jones . Also features session palying by Rupert Brown, Bob Kitby and Sim Jones

  1. Like Mrs Robinson
  2. Crying Shame
  3. Now the World's Square Not Round
  4. Whatever
  5. But Sun is Shining
  6. Dance some More
  7. Taiwan Tennessee
  8. Happy Man
  9. Psychic Surburbia
  10. Where the Grass is more Green
  11. Virtual Baby
  12. Live the Lie again
  13. Your a Bee

Posted 5 March 2008 - All these CD's are available for sale via Pay Pal. CD's are £10 for 1 and £15 for 2. Postage and Packing included in the price

For more details email

Strange Pic of the Month - March 2008

Well here we are busking in Zeeland,Holland in 1989. still using the same banjo , shoes and glasses. Whatever happened to the hat though !