PureVolume

When asked what he enjoys most about playing music, without hesitation he replied 'Huddling up with other musicians in some den or hotel room after a show and telling the stories of the songs. It's all about the songs for me. Great songs with great stories.'

Over time, this Kaplan, LA native has been inspired by artist ranging from James Taylor to Merle Haggard or as some would say 'everything from A-Z.' Whether its solo acoustic or full band behind him, Jaryd is sure to cap it off with a raw, raspy and sometimes gritty vocal that defies his age as well as his appearance.
Having been given the opportunities to open up for national acts such as Edwin McCain, Kenny Wayne Sheppard and Billy Currington, just to name a few, has definitely helped this southerner turn a few heads and show that theres more to be heard in south Louisiana than the traditional Zydeco and Cajun sound. In October of 2004 Jaryd had the honors of winning the Louisiana Blues Challenge which allowed him to compete in the International Blues Competition, held in Memphis, TN. When asked what these experiences bring to a young artist such as himself Jaryd replied, I really began looking at my songwriting in ways I never had before. Guys like Edwin reminded me that no matter what, it always comes back to the song, and not so much what you sing, but how you sing it. Like the late, great Ray Charles once said the most important thing is to feel your music, really feel and believe it. With a style of writing that varies from love ballads to a more edgier style of country mixed with a little rock and a taste of blues, its all capped off with lyrics about everyday life. There are songs about love, love knocking you around, God, sin, family and how the pressures of the world can make you feel like youre on a rollercoaster ride at times. With one album under his belt titled "Country Boy Sessions", Jaryd is obviously searching for simplicity by staying true to his downhome southern country roots. "I wanted to make an album that really expresses where I'm at right now musically. I didn't want some overproduced project that wouldn't coincide with the live shows. Right now over half of the shows we do are 2 and 3 piece acoustic sets, so we basically went into the studio and cut this album live trying to capture this. There weren't any overdubs or fancy effects, what you hear on the album is what was being played."
Although Jaryd has started to create a name for him on the local scene, dont think that he is going to keep it there. Theres a young singer/songwriter stirring in the south that some have already felt and believed and that others soon will. Lets just say Ray would be proud!