Biography

Out of the diverse streets of dirty Jersey a sound is born. A sound of a new, fresh, culture, channeled through five individuals from around the globe. Friends, musicians, and comrades, they call themselves JakTripa.

In the hot summer of 2005, four talented musicians met in a run down studio in Hoboken, NJ and began to play a blend of hard rock and dirty funk as diverse and original as the members themselves.

The voice you hear behind the mic is Mr. Priceless himself, Alex Jones. With his raw, natural, and soulful voice, Al Jones polishes JakTripa with its unique sound. Using the music as a platform, Al with sing and rap lyrics that will make you think, want to make love, or rise up and start a revolution. Born and raised in Middletown, Conn., Alex finds himself in Hoboken, NJ to reunite with his old friend Kieran and step on stage for the first time with JakTripa.

At the center of this funky sound is guitarist and founder, Kieran Sullivan. Born and raised in the NYC suburbs of Northern Jersey, Kieran has been writing, playing, and producing in the tri-state areaÕs underground scene since youth. After teaming up with Alex, he called upon the best musicians he knew to create JakTripa. His musicial experience ranges from heavy metal to afrobeat, from HipHop to Garcia. Extensive time spend in Nassau, Bahamas gives Kieran a sound of his own and serves as both the Hendrix fire and cool island breeze of JakTripa.

The rhythm section is driven by drummer Evaldo "Evil" Soares formerly of the rap/metal group Phonenzix. The beats of JakTripa hit hard, funky, and dynamic reflecting Evils life experiences as a musician hailing from his native Cape Verde Islands to Brooklyn NY, and finally landing in the burned out blocks of Newark NJ. His sound is as worldly as his past, speaking 4 languages, Eval's influences range from Zuk, Reggae, Rock, R & B, to Salsa, with heavy overtones of Metal and Hip Hop, creating the funkadelic cocktail of JakTripa. E also shares in most of the writing and arranging with the rest of the band.

Bumping on top Eval's ruthless drum playing is Jak's latest member, bass player Greg Leventhal. Playing bass since a little youth, Greg comes from a school of influence paved by Les Claypool and Flea, which serve a perfect undercurrent for Jak's dirty funk. Leventhal has played, recorded and toured with such international acts as New York Jazz Ska Ensemble, The Toasters, and Rudy Crew, but broke his musical cherry back in day with the Pascack Valley Funk legends "Earl's Loaf." He's got a slap happy, one drop, RockFunkReggae soul, and is proving to bring JakTripa to new hieghts.

Jak has had the pleasure of playing, recording, co writing with an arsenal of talented musicians Such as: Sidney "Duartchh" Scarchetti of Sao Paulo, Brazil on bass - Billy Carrion Jr. of Puerto Rico on alto, tenor, and baritone sax - Nick "the Stick" Afflitto of NJ on trumpet - Simon Olsen of Sydney Australia on bass - David Hollander of NJ on tenor sax - they consider these guys their JakTripa extended family, and are grateful for the energy everyone has brought to the table over the last couple of years. You never know when Jak will show up with special guests artists, MCs, a horn section, or percussion circle, or a clown juggling flaming bowling pins. One thing JakTripa has always had pride in and embraced is diversifying their product. Girls maybe dancing on tables, b boys may battle it out on the dance floor, fans may jump on stage and sing on the mic. Fact is, you never know what will happen at a JakTripa Party.

JakTripa can play for hours mixing a set with their trade mark originals, and covers that they ÒJakÓ to their own groove. It is impossible not to dance, and to respect the music that this young group of friends produces. From the hills to the hood, from the hippies to the frat boys, from east to west, Jaks got heads bobbing up and down. It has always been said that "who feels it knows it." Rest assured with Jak, you will KNOW it.