Jake La Botz
Jake La Botz taps into the spooky Americana undercurrents of Tom Waits and turns it into something cleaner and leaner, relying on weathered blues changes and a smokey after-hours atmosphere. La Botz's is a simpler singer, too, lacking the gravelly growl of Waits and his casual delivery can help camouflage the eccentric characters and stories on his albums, traits that came to a head on 2022's Hair on Fire.
Moving to Chicago as a small child with his father, a truck driver, union organizer, and journalist, La Botz discovered vintage blues and hillbilly music at the library as a teenager. Dropping out of school, he began to travel and see the country, working a succession of labor jobs and developing his skills as a guitarist. Returning to Chicago, he began busking on street corners, mentoring with bluesmen like Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis and David "Honeyboy" Edwards, before leaving again on another round of travels, playing juke joints, blues clubs, and tattoo parlors.
As a recording artist, he debuted with 1999's The Original Soundtrack to My Nightmare, followed by 2002's Used to Be, 2004's All Soul and No Money, and 2006's Graveyard Jones. He also began a side career as an actor, appearing in Steve Buscemi's Animal Factory, where he was shown onscreen playing a couple of his songs. He went on to roles in a succession of films, including Lonesome Jim, Ghost World, Thirteen Moons, The Grey, and One Night with You, and had a recurring role in the TV series Gilmore Girls. More well-received albums followed, including 2008's Sing This to Yourself, 2010's I'm a Crow, and 2013's Get Right. In 2017, La Botz signed with bassist Jimmy Sutton's Hi-Style Records and released Sunnyside. Included on the album was the single "How I Wish She Was Mine."
© Steve Leggett /TiVo
Discography
19 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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They're Coming For Me
Country - Released by Hi-Style Enterprises, Inc. on 18 Oct 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Original Soundtrack to My Nightmare
Blues - Released by Spinout Records on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'm a Crow
Rock - Released by Charnel Ground Records on 12 Jun 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Get Right
Rock - Released by Charnel Ground Records on 23 Aug 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
First McDonell's on the Moon
Rock - Released by HAIR ON FIRE on 1 Apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Graveyard Jones
Rock - Released by Charnel Ground Records on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sing This To Yourself
Blues - Released by Charnel Ground Records on 1 Jan 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
How I Wish She Was Mine
Rock - Released by Hi-Style Enterprises, Inc. on 24 Apr 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Hope the Sunshine
Rock - Released by HAIR ON FIRE on 15 Jul 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
They're Coming For Me
Country - Released by Hi-Style Enterprises, Inc. on 4 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All Soul and No Money
Country - Released by Joseph Street Records on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Hey Bigfoot
Country - Released by Hi-Style Enterprises, Inc. on 2 Oct 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Without the Weight
Country - Released by Hi-Style Enterprises, Inc. on 18 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo