Called a “wild man” akin to Tom Waits, Screamin’ Jay
Hawkins, artist’s all-new “East of Eden” (out June 11th) is his most
accessible LP yet.
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J Hacha De Zola as John Denver as photographed
by Christopher Welby
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J Hacha De Zola | In The Press
“A wild man in the vein of such fire breathing artists
like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.” — Paste
“The kind of alluring character found in old
children’s books.” — UTNE
“Enticing as it is distant and strange.” — MAGNET
“Bound to light the way forward and inspire a legion
of imitators.” — PopMatters
“Sits at his own, most likely oddly shaped table.” – Pancakes and Whiskey
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Obviously, as a songwriter, J Hacha De Zola and John Denver
come from vastly different places, with different musical ideas… As for the
could-be-ironic, mostly inexplicable, definitely fun tribute that is the album’s
cover, a dead-on approximation of singer-songwriter John Denver’s own eponymous and iconic John Denver’s Greatest Hits
album image… Hacha De Zola focuses
in on, and connects with what they have deeply in common, saying, “I loved this
idea of being exactly what you are. Whatever you are, be it.”
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J Hacha De Zola
J
Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits
April 2, 2021
(Caballo
Negro)
Track Listing:
01. Blue Sky (STREAM)
02. Strange (STREAM)
03. El Desgraciado
04. No Situation
05. El Chucho
06. On A Saturday
07. Lightning Rod Salesman
08. Bubble Gum
09. Black Sparrow
10. Anarchy
11. A Fools Moon
12. Syn Illusión
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J Hacha De Zola | About
“It’s a gas, looking back at what we have done,” says
Jersey City’s J Hacha De Zola,
considering the music that comprises J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits, a
re-mastered 12-song collection of tunes culled from the four albums and various
EPs that the eclectic “Urban Junkyard” artist has released over the past five
years.
“I never really thought of myself as a recording
artist when I started out, but I guess that’s what I do now,” he realizes,
concluding, “Sometimes you find yourself so far down the road that there’s only
one option: to keep on going.”
Sequenced as its own stand-alone album, J
Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits is dense with awesome. The record stands
as a proclamation of identity for Hacha
De Zola as a tightwire-walking artist that has defied early comparisons to
everyone from Tom Waits to Captain Beefheart to Jim Morrison to becomes his own thang
(with an “a!”)
“Sometimes to get an idea of where you are going, ya
have to take a look at where ya been,” he says. “I’m taking a moment to reflect
upon the previous work, while also keeping my thoughts on the first-time
listener who may happen upon my music with this compilation release.
“I thought to myself, ‘what songs are most
representative of J Hacha De Zola’s
voice and spirit? What would you want a first time listener to hear? This
compelled me to make sure that listening to the ‘greatest hits’ was a fun,
captivating and immersive experience, and a strong introduction to what I do as
a recording artist.
“I picked what I felt were some of my best moments and
crafted it into what feels like a new record. Hopefully some will delve a bit
deeper, but I wanted this to be a fun collection of my proudest, and maybe most
accessible moments.”
As for the could-be-ironic, mostly inexplicable,
definitely fun tribute that is the album’s cover, a dead-on approximation of
singer-songwriter John Denver’s own eponymous
and iconic John Denver’s Greatest Hits album image, Hacha De Zola explains, “John
Denver was one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the 70s, and there
definitely was no shortage of those during that time.”
Drawing the connection, Hacha De Zola continues, saying, “He wrote authentic tunes that
came directly from his heart, soul, and experience. There was a certain purity
about him and what he did. My introduction to his music was through his John
Denver’s Greatest Hits record, and everything about it, including the
album cover, was a perfect representation of his music and overall vibe. I
would like to think that I have done something similar with my own record, except
that John Denver actually had hits!”
Obviously, as a songwriter, Hacha De Zola and Denver
come from vastly different places, with different musical ideas, but Hacha De Zola focuses in on, and
connects with what they have deeply in common.
“I loved this idea of being exactly what you are.
Whatever you are, be it.”
J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits is out April 2nd,
2021. His albums Escape From Fat Kat City, Antipatico,
Picaro
Obscuro, and Icaro Nouveau are all streaming now.
Look also for the Spanish-language EP “Syn
Illusión” and Hacha De Zola’s EP
of covers of songs by female pop stars, “UnPOPular.”
The all-new J Hacha De Zola album East
of Eden arrives on June 11th,
2021.
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J Hacha De Zola | Links
ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : BANDCAMP
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Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact
WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
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