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Artist Bio

Jay Stolar is on a journey. With an exceptional voice, infectious melodies, and honest lyrics, the New Jersey born artist has become a respected member of the NYC music scene. After writing hundreds of songs and delivering thousands of performances, he has truly arrived at a signature sound.

An early step on his path was fronting the indie-rock band Julius C while attending the NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2004. It was a good run – playing over 500 shows internationally, having a charted single on FMBQ, multiple appearances at SXSW and CMJ, winning national contests and, most importantly, building a musical relationship with the members of the band. At this time he also connected with veteran entertainment lawyer Barry Perlman (Virgin Records/EMI, Lenny Kravitz, Janet Jackson), who has become a core part of his team. But inner-turmoil over musical direction left Jay unable to deny that a solo career was in his future.

In 2009, Jay immersed himself in artists like Otis Redding and Bill Withers. What emerged was the band Jay & The Birds and their wonderfully executed “Soul Volume 1” EP. Again, though, something told Jay this retro approach still wasn’t right for him. He began working on a more authentic and modern sound.

In early 2011, Jay explored his new vision. He spent time alone traveling throughout the North East writing and arranging new material. He flew to England for a short tour and writing retreat with top songwriters. It was an accelerated period of extreme hard work and focus, which resulted in an album’s worth of material and a unique identity.

Everything culminated at CMJ In October 2011 when top audio engineer, Ari Raskin (Robin Thicke, One Republic, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West), came to one of Jay’s shows at Rockwood Music Hall. Jay’s band that night was comprised mostly of former members of Julius C, and the chemistry impressed Raskin. He immediately offered to record the band at Downtown Records Studio in NYC, which led to the recording of a 4-track EP to be released in Spring 2012. Jay Stolar, along with that same band, is played several showcases at SXSW this year.

And the journey continues…