Jared McCloud
Jared Ross McCloud (born June 24, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, currently living in Maine. He had notable success with his record, Romance of the Atlantic, released on Sling Slang Records on May 22, 2009. McCloud's style ranges from folk to alternative and he is known for playing intimate solo acoustic performances, or playing with a backing band that brings a rock and roll element to his music. He has been well received by both critics and fans, and continues to tour and write. Early life McCloud was born in Bedford, Texas. Shortly after he was born, his parents divorced and his mother took him and his brother to Connecticut, where she was born. McCloud would later claim that his musical influences came from his brother (who was listening to the 1980s metal) and his mother, an avid Motown fan ("It really depended on who I was in the car with- if I was with my brother it could be anything from Mötley Crüe to King Diamond. If I was in my Mom's car it was Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson..."). McCloud began playing guitar at age five when his brother put one in his hands. From there he would spend hours playing along with the radio and making up his own songs. He would go on to front many bands in his high school career, but they would all not last too long, as no one in the band would share McCloud's intensity. Career McCloud grew up playing in hard rock/heavy metal bands where he quickly stood out as a gifted guitar player. A lot of these bands would "fizzle out" rather quickly due to ever changing members and different musical tastes. One such band MERCY DROWNS did have some success, but when it seemed like the band might go somewhere, it fell apart. McCloud said it was this break up that made him want to have a solo career. "If I write everything, and name the band after me, then I don't have to start writing new songs if someone leaves... I can't break-up myself.". McCloud began writing an album that would go on to be 1717 Vine St.. Self released in 2005, the album was "about a period in my life, from love lost and thinking it was the end of the world, to a friend of mine taking his life and realizing that my problems were not that bad". Recorded with session musicians, McCloud began playing all over his native Connecticut and New York trying to get the songs heard. This led to a bit of success, playing bigger and bigger stages until finally he was headlining regularly. Around this time Jared's musical tastes began to change and he was focused more and more on being able to be a better songwriter. "I wanted to be as honest with my songs as possible, not worry about how fast I was playing". Jared decided that he was going to break up his backing band (which by