Jamie Block is a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

-based musician, known for being a prominent member of New York's

anti-folk Anti-folk (sometimes referred to as unfolk) is a music genre that emerged in the 1980s in response to the remnants of the 1960s folk music scene. Anti-folk music was made to mock the perceived seriousness of the time's mainstream music scene, a ...

movement.

Style and Lyrics

Block has been considered one of the early participants in New York's

movement, a raw and subversive form of

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

that is inspired heavily by punk rock and

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

. Block includes a multitude of instruments and sounds within each album, including elements of punk rock,

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and hip hop. Lyrically, Block focuses heavily on personal experiences and observations living in

Early career

Block grew up on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He went to college to study English in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-largest municipality in the state. Chapel Hill, Durham, and the state ca ...

, but dropped out and relocated to

, where he began his music career as a subway busker. In 1996, Block self-released his debut album, ''Lead Me Not Into Penn Station'', which was well received by critics. In reviewing the album, Laurel Bowman of

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

wrote that Block "practices the alchemy of melodious discord: pretty enough to draw you in, rough enough to keep you listening." The CD included

CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...

content, including video clips, song lyrics, photos and a New York City guide. Block released a music video for the album song "Rhinoceros," which was broadcast on cable network

MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...

''Timing Is Everything''

The positive reception for ''Penn Station'' helped Block book tours opening for

The Brian Setzer Orchestra The Brian Setzer Orchestra (sometimes known by its initials BSO) is a swing and jump blues band formed in 1990 by Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer. In 1998, for their breakout album '' The Dirty Boogie'', the group covered Louis Prima's "Jump, ...

Bob Mould Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s. Early years Born in Malone, ...

, and

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a d ...

, garnering notice from producer

Glen Ballard Basil Glen Ballard Jr. (born May 1, 1953) is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer. He is best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's 1995 album ''Jagged Little Pill'', which won Grammy Awards for Grammy Award fo ...

. In 1998, Ballard, (known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's album ''

Jagged Little Pill ''Jagged Little Pill'' is the third studio album by Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, released on June 13, 1995, through Maverick. It was her first album to be released worldwide. It marked a stylistic departure from the dance-pop sound of her ...

'') started the

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

imprint Java, and chose Block to be the first signed artist. Java released Block's sophomore album, ''Timing is Everything'', on October 6, 1998. The album was generally very well received by critics, with Karen Iris Tucker of ''

Time Out New York ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition becam ...

'' calling the album "stellar" and Matthew S. Robinson of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' stating that the album is "tight, important and definitely well-timed." Following the album's release, Block toured with a full band, including Mark Hutchins on drums and John Abbey on bass. Several songs from the album appeared in feature films. "Rhinoceros" was featured in the 1999

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

'' Blast from the Past'', "I Used to Manage PM Dawn" was featured in the 1999 Mary Lambert film '' Clubland'', and Block's cover of the

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

song "

Catch a Falling Star "Catch a Falling Star" is a song written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss. It is best known and was made famous by Perry Como's hit version, recorded and released in late 1957. Background and chart performance The song's melody is based on a theme ...

" was used in the opening credits for the 1999 romantic comedy

Never Been Kissed ''Never Been Kissed'' is a 1999 American romantic comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Drew Barrymore, Jessica Alba, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Leelee Sobieski, Jeremy Jordan, Molly Shannon, Garry Marshall, John C. Reilly and ...

Departure and Reemergence

Despite being well received critically, the album did not sell as much as expected, and Block was dropped from Java records. He ended up pursuing a career on

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...

, getting a job as a financial advisor at a Manhattan investment firm. In the mid-2000s, he reportedly got interested in making music again after hearing one of his songs on Fordham University's non-commercial radio station

WFUV WFUV (90.7 FM) is a non–commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York. The station is owned by Fordham University, with studios on its Bronx campus and its antenna atop nearby Montefiore Medical Center. WFUV first went on the air ...

. He connected with and was interviewed by WFUV DJ Claudia Marshall, who inspired him to record new material. In March 2006, Block released this third album, ''The Last Single Guy'', on

indie label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

SonaBLAST! Records sonaBLAST! Records is a Louisville, Kentucky-based independent record label founded by film producer Gill Holland in 2002. Artist roster * Andrew T. Hunt * Bastion * Beady * Belushi Speed Ball * Ben Arthur (musician) * Ben Sollee * Broken ...

. Like his previous albums, it was critically well-received, with Jo-Ann Greene of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

calling the album "enthralling" and noting that "like a bedside book, this album can be played in one sitting, but so much better to dip in and out of it over time, letting one's mood determine one's favorites for the day." Claudia Marshall of New York-based noncommercial radio station

included the album in her "Best of 2006" list.

''Whitecaps on the Hudson''

In February 2013, Block released his fourth full-length album ''Whitecaps on the Hudson''. The album was produced by Dean Sharenow and was recorded at New York City recording studios Excello and Steel Cut Audio. Featured musicians include bassist Byron Isaacs of New York-based folk band

Ollabelle Ollabelle is a New York-based folk music group named after the influential Appalachian songwriter Ola Belle Reed. The group is composed of five singing multi-instrumentalists hailing from disparate parts of the United States, Canada and Austral ...

, guitarist Erik Della Penna who has recorded with

Natalie Merchant Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first se ...

and

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

, and bassist Jeff Hill who was recorded with

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set ...

. The album has generally been praised by critics. In a positive review, critic Nick DeRiso stated that songs on the album "blend the brutal, hard-won spoken-word honesty of

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

with a rootsy, rattling cadence" and said that Block is a "vocalist capable of subtle, deeply emotional complexity." Journalist Steven P. Marsh noted the personal nature of the songwriting, stating that the songs on the album "are perfectly crafted stories of a man whose life has had some twists and turns." Block has announced a tour of the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

to support the album's release.

''Abby Singer/Songwriter''

In 2015, Block starred in, and co-wrote the feature film, '' Abby Singer/Songwriter'', in a collaboration with the independent filmmaker

Onur Tukel Onur Tukel (born August 5, 1972) is a Turkish-American actor, painter, and filmmaker. A notable figure in the New York City independent film community, Tukel's films often deal with issues of gender and relationships. Career In 1997, Tukel wrote ...

. In "Abby Singer/Songwriter," Jamie Block plays himself, as a divorced stockbroker has-been who was once an indie-rock star signed to Capitol Records who meets Onur Tukel, a hapless middle-aged filmmaker who has just moved to Brooklyn. In this coming-of-middle-age story, Onur persuades Block to sink his money into a series of increasingly absurd music videos to promote his comeback as a musician. Desperate to impress his two beautiful, nonchalant teenaged daughters, Block casts them in the videos, which then play on multiple screens throughout this hallucinatory film. As tension mounts between director and musician Block's bank account and grip on reality dwindle. Bedford and Bowery called the film, a "No-Budget, Poor Man's ''Birdman''," while

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

' and

Brooklyn Magazine ''Brooklyn Magazine'' is an online news magazine, focusing on "New York’s most populous borough through the lens of culture, community, commerce, arts and leisure." The company was bought by Michael Bassik and the website was launched in Decembe ...

named ''Abby Singer/Songwriter'' as a "Highlight" and "Best Bet" for the 2015 Brooklyn Film Festival. The film premiered internationally at the 2015 CIMMFest, had its East Coast premiere at the 2015 Brooklyn Film Festival, and had an extended festival run at festivals including

Northside Festival The Northside Festival is an annual week-long summer showcase celebrating emerging "music, innovation and art" in Brooklyn, New York, United States. The festival is held at venues across the neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick ...

, Lighthouse International Film Festival, and Buffalo International Film Festival where it won Special Jury Prize for Festival Feature.

Discography

Filmography

References

External links

Official websiteAllmusic artist page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Block, Jamie American male singer-songwriters American folk singers Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Living people Anti-folk musicians Singers from New York City Place of birth missing (living people) People from Long Island University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Guitarists from New York City American male guitarists Year of birth missing (living people)