Singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist, Jace Pawlak has just released his third solo album, Perspective, via his website www.jacemusic.com. A ten song affair, reaching into the depths of Pawlak’s influences, the album touches on melodic hard rock, acoustic numbers and even a jazzy pop number that stayed with him from a soundcheck four years prior. “Most people know me for my melodic rock writing (he has written and co-written material on albums from melodic rock bands FarCry and Tango Down), but I have a great deal more material that most have never heard. I have so many influences as a writer, including James Taylor, Richard Marx and Emily Saliers, just to name a few, and I wanted to incorporate a lot of that into the new record,” says Pawlak.
Literally surrounded by music his entire life, Jace started out as a drummer before taking up the guitar and piano in later years. “My dad was a guitarist in a local band in St. Louis when I was a kid and both he and my mother encouraged me to make a career out of music.”
Perspective opens with “Cry” a melodic rock number that epitomizes everything Jace loves about the genre. “I knew “Cry” was special when I started recording it. It all fell into place easily and, dare I say it, perfectly. It’s a bit musical but still easy and accessible.” The poppy / jazzy influenced “Don’t Talk to Me” is Jace’s only co-write on Perspective. “About five years ago, I was doing a soundcheck with my friend, Chris Swan in Joplin, MO,” Pawlak reminisces. “I was playing drums and he was on piano. It was just a short 20 second or so piece but it stuck with me all these years. It was something different for me and I had a blast using different creative muscles. The tune ended up being a complete Toto worship song. I just wanted it to sound like Toto. It took 7 weeks just to record that song and work out all the parts. I have rarely been so excited to work on a song.”
Wherever his career takes him, 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 writing for other artists. “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!”
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