Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets by Gary Jules

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| Tony Peyser, Santa Monica Mirror

"Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets takes on a shimmering glow. Gracious and redemptive, it is a rapt, quiescent masterwork."

| Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide

It's been little over a year since the homemade recordings that eventually became Gary Jules' second album Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets first started to circulate hand-to-hand among musicians and scenesters in the dark bars and back rooms of Hollywood, California. Since then - propelled by nearly constant airplay and live performances on LA's KCRW, a phenomenal string of sold-out residencies both at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood and Fez in New York City, and the success of his version of Tears for Fears' classic "Mad World" from the cult-hit film Donnie Darko - Jules has emerged from those dingy shadows to win growing international recognition and share the stage with some of today's brightest stars: Jason Mraz, Mason Jennings, Jewel, Sheryl Crow, and Jack Johnson.

Gary Jules' first national recognition for Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets came when he was featured on VH1's new music show "FRESH" as a "Fresh Pick of the Week", where he was hailed as "the best American singer-songwriter to emerge out of the late '90's -- and the only one worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence with Paul Simon, James Taylor, Cat Stevens and Nick Drake".

Originally championed by Nic Harcourt, legendary host of "Morning Becomes Eclectic" at KCRW in Los Angeles, and by Bruce Warren at WXPN in Philadelphia, "Broke Window", "DTLA", "No Poetry", "Something Else", and "Mad World" from Snakeoil have all received regular college and public radio airplay in the U.S., England, Ireland, Australia and elsewhere. And although Snakeoil is still considered very much an independent release, "Mad World" was even placed in rotation at KROQ in Los Angeles in the Spring of 2003.

Snakeoil has also garnered considerable critical acclaim.

All Music Guide's Stanton Swihart says, "Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets takes on a shimmering glow. Gracious and redemptive, it is a rapt, quiescent masterwork". Benjamin Friedland of Rolling Stone calls Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets "at once beautiful and haunting, depressing and inspiring, lonely and welcoming -- delicately crafted folk music of the highest order." Chuck Mindenhall of Sunset Strip Radio (LA) and The Village Voice (NYC) says, "Jules' Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets is the best album to be released this year, anywhere -- let alone in the triple-A genre".

The grass roots rise of Snakeoil seems the logical next step to Jules' 1998 A&M Records debut Greetings from the Side (now available at CDBaby as well). An All Music Guide review of Greetings, produced by Snakeoil co-producer and Donnie Darko score composer Michael Andrews, and mixed by industry heavy Tchad Blake (Sheryl Crow et al), named Jules "one of the most gifted songwriting talents to surface during the decade", and called the album "a promising, powerful collection of songs". Greetings received wide praise from critics and fellow musicians but barely saw the light of day, having been released just weeks before A&M and its parent company, Polygram, were sold to MCA/Universal in August 1998. Still, the title track was prominently featured in Timothy Hutton's film "Digging to China" starring Kevin Bacon, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Faye Dunaway.

November 2003 will see the releases of 'Snakeoil' in Europe and Australia, with comprehensive tours to follow shortly thereafter.

- Eman Laerton 2003

For more music, news, and tour information please visit www.garyjules.com. To purchase Gary Jules' debut album "Greetings from the Side" go to www.cdbaby.com/garyjules2.

Average Customer Review: 4