Livingston resident, Jared Wohl has released “The Road,” a compilation of his original songs about love, but not love in the traditional sense.
The songs, we he wrote between 2011 and 2013, are about “love for where you’re at in life; who you’re with; where you’re going; and finding one’s true purpose or sense of fulfillment,” he said.
Wohl had the opportunity to record the songs with top session musicians who play with artists like John Mayer and Taylor Swift. “It was a surreal experience and one that I’ll never forget and always cherish,” Wohl said.
The album contains nine songs, six with full production mixes, and three that are acoustic with some hand percussion. “There’s something beautiful about the simplicity and the intricacies around an acoustic song,” he said.
Wohl waited years to release the songs when his priorities shifted – he got married, bought a home in Livingston, and had two children. “I hit the pause button on things related to music,” he said.
He also changed his career focus – after teaching at middle and high schools and getting a master’s degree in educational technology, Wohl segued into post-secondary education and is a higher education account director at LinkedIn.
Would is married to Samantha Zambito, who grew up in town, and they have two young songs, Quinn, two, and Callan, ten months.
“Samantha and I met when we were in middle school,” Wohl said with a chuckle. “Growing up in Parsippany, I played travel hocket with a kid from Livingston, Mike Cullen.
“We would sleep over at each other’s houses, and one day, at one of his griend’s houses, I met my wife. We kept in touch but didn’t start dating until after college.”
Ironically, the Wohls ended up moving next door to Cullen’s aunt and uncle.
The Music is Released
Wohl frequently shares music with, and plays his guitar for, his young boys; then, one day, his wife asked him to play his own songs for them.
“It had been years since I even listened to those tracks,” he said. “But when I played for my kids, my older son’s eyes lit up and he said, ‘This is dada!’”
Wohl now knew it was finally time to get the songs out. He had missed listening to the music, and had “fallen out of touch” with what drove him to record the album in the first place. Now he is back into his music.
He explained that a song typically starts with a melody he hears in his head, and that he records on the voice memos app on his phone.
“It could be a vocal melody, or a guitar riff, and then I’ll just sing it into my phone and lay back. From there, I just hear all the different parts coming together,” he said.
“I might sit down with the guitar and come up with the chord structure and progression, and try out difference ideas. I can kind of hear when it clicks. That’s the exciting part – getting that idea out, taking and running with it.”
Self taught in both writing and music, Wohl had put out an earlier album, “Your Are,” and used the title song in the credits of a documentary that he produced with his brother, Cameron.
Wohl had donated a portion of his liver to Cameron, who suffered from a rare liver disease, in 2014. The documentary is called “65 Percent” – the portion of the liver that Jared donated.
Making a career as an artist has changed, he said, even since that last album.
“Everything is artist-driven and artist-related,” he explained. “The artists are in the driver’s seat. There are still ways to make money touring and playing live shows, and you can also earn by streams – when someone listens to Spotify or Apple Music, a percentage of royalties are paid to the artist.
“They’re not substantial,” he admitted, “but more plays, the more streams that you get, the more you can earn.”
Wohl, with assistance from his wife, who formerly worked in public relations, is driving awareness through his social media channels, and trying to get placements and licensing his music for other uses such as in movies or commercials. His wife is also the family’s in-house photographer.
Wohl hopes to get back into playing live shows once the pandemic settles down, and to explore writing for other artists.
“I always found joy and fulfillment in the collaboration elements of songwriting,” he said.
He hopes people will take the time to listen to the album, and share their thoughts about it.
“It they, too, are musicians, I would love them to share their work with me as well…maybe form a local collective of artists and musicians!”
“Listening to the songs years later, they take on a different meaning. I am grateful for having had time to take a step back and realize what’s important in life, which is, you know, what the album is about.”
To hear Wohl’s new songs, go to the music tab on jaredwohl.com, or search for him on the major streaming platforms. He can be reached at info@jaredwohl.com.
Source: West Essex Tribune, January 20, 2022, p. B-3
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