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The D.I.Y movement in punk rock gave birth to many great things that weren’t powered by ferocious power chords and throat crushing screams. Most of the movement’s ideology could be just as easily applied to any struggling singer songwriter as well, and in Damien Jurado, it had found an artist more willing to commit than most.
Jurado started out releasing cassette tapes on his own label Casa Recordings, this managed to get him a cult following in his native Seattle and the attention of Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk.
Soon after they met, Enigk bought Jurado to the attention of legendary alternative label Sub Pop who would go on to release his first four albums, starting with 1997’s “Water Ave S”
Jurado would stay with Sup Pop for five years, releasing 1999’s “Rehearsals For Departure”, 2000’s “Ghost Of David” and 2002’s “I Break Chairs” in the interim.
These ran the gamut from the upbeat rockisms of “I Break Chairs” to the abject desolation of “Ghost of David” and earned him an even bigger cult following around the globe.
However, in 2003 he signed to Indiana’s very own Secretly Canadian, where he remains to this day. The truth of the matter is that Damien Jurado is going to remain a cult concern for the rest of his days, just as most artists as outrageously talented as he is will do.
However, it seems as though that’s exactly what Jurado wants to be, and any music fan worth their salt should want to be there as well.
Some might say 11 albums is overkill—I just call it dedication. And when you have an infinite amount of talent like Damien Jurado does, why not keep on sharing it?
I first fell in love with Damien when I stumbled upon his music on Heather Browne’s blog “I am Fuel, You are Friends,” her review startling me with the amount of praise it laid upon the artist. I knew that if Heather, who I consider to be a very credible source, was so ardently captivated by his music, I would be, too. After watching his haunting, choral version of “Metallic Cloud” (he literally had a choir behind him!), I knew he was someone I had to see live. Jurado’s fans are cult-like in their adoration of the musician, and it adds an incredible amount of positive tension and charged excitement to his shows. His voice lays somewhere between James Taylor, Bob Dylan, and Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek, and it makes his shows feel nostalgic for a place and time in the very recent past. His shows strike me as wholly classic, and I always feel closely connected to the crowd when I’m watching him perform.
Damien has certainly come a long way since his first album “Holding His Breath,” but he has maintained an unmatched sincerity that keeps him unique and relevant, and it is an absolute joy to hear him perform live.