OKay, wow. I'm SO glad we finally got Jake Manzi live in the studio on the High Plains. Huge thanks to him and Caleb Rossaza for making the trek to Amarillo as they headed down to Turkey, TX for a gig at Hotel Turkey. We have loved Jake's music since first hearing from him, and we'll certainly make a mini-tour happen through HPPR on his next run.
Check out some of the fabulous tunes on his new album, Getting Somewhere. Oh, and his new videos are GREAT! We'll keep it in rotation on High Plains Morning. Thanks to Jake and Caleb for the jams, and we look forward to seeing you again!
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STANDBY for the link to his live, in-studio performance!
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ABOUT JAKE MANZI (from his website):
Written during a period of perpetual motion—bouncing from apartment to apartment, undergoing sweeping growth both artistically and personally—Getting Somewhere is an LA record in spirit and sound, with Manzi's New England heart beating at its center.
Jake Manzi has been on a journey, and he’s ready to tell you all about it.
Raised in western Massachusetts and residing in Los Angeles, Jake’s unique brand of folk rock has earned him significant acclaim, sold-out hometown shows, and opening slots for Dawes, NRBQ, Ron Sexsmith, M. Ward, Lori McKenna, and more. "Getting Somewhere" Bio
After a decade of writing songs, making records, and touring across the country, Manzi presents his third full-length record, Getting Somewhere. Recorded mostly-live at Recorders in LA, it’s a confident, assured collection of no-frills Americana gems.
Getting Somewhere sees Manzi at his best, roadtripping through eleven songs that start in nostalgia and end up landing firmly in the present. “When you go, the trouble begins,” he sings, heartsick, in the first track. By the end of the record, accompanied by whirling organ and distant, roomy-sounding drums, things have changed: “I’m finally waking up.”
Co-produced with Gabriel Bernini, the album favors an invisible approach to production: complete takes captured live and minimally dressed up with overdubs. The songs breathe, and the performances speak for themselves. The result is vibrant and immediate, closer to what it sounds like when Manzi takes the stage.
With driving piano that nods to Jackson Browne, heartachey lap steel, and the shimmer of glockenspiel recalling Springsteen's most energetic moments, Getting Somewhere takes us through winding roads with plenty of detours, landing in a place of quiet confidence, truehearted and speckled with delightful imperfections.
Jake is no stranger to collaboration. As part of a close-knit Italian family, he grew up singing around the table after homemade dinners. During a two-month artist residency in France, Manzi wrote much of Getting Somewhere and also collaborated with guitarist (and Remi Wolf co-writer) Jack DeMeo. Together, under the name The Breadwinners, they released their first LP titled ‘Starter’ in February of 2026.
DeMeo’s guitar and vocals appear on Getting Somewhere, alongside keyboardist Eli Salus-Kleiner, Tim Heidecker’s band’s lap and pedal steel player Connor “Catfish” Gallagher, Mikaela Davis’ bassist Shane McCarthy, Charlie Faragher on drums, and many more. It’s a lineup featuring old and new: longtime Massachusetts pals who also made the westward migration, and new friends made in LA.
