Taking its name from The Book of Ezekiel chapter 12, Packed for Exile juxtaposes Old Testament imagery with the collapse of the American dream. Packed for Exile
is a record that deals with injustices whether they are
socio-political, personal or spiritual and the human nature of looking
for hope and affirmation within darkness. The record follows Jason Heath
& The Greedy Souls first release The Vain Hope of Horse, which PASTE Magazine called “a wonderful debut: ragged, soulful and well-written.”
Jason Heath, frontman for The Greedy Souls says that Packed for Exile is more of a collaborative band effort this time around. “There’s a lot more electric guitar and up tempo blues inspired rock going on. It’s a lot more focused and cohesive.” Heath calls the music, “working class music” with elements of Americana, rock, country and the storytelling nature of folk music. “It draws on common themes,” says Heath, “love, loss, redemption and the search for justice. I’ve always been influenced by people who have something to say and can say it with honesty and clarity—from Woody Guthrie to Public Enemy and everyone in between.”
The Greedy Souls include the core of guitarist and lead singer, Jason Heath, Jason Federici (son of late E Street Band member Danny Federici) on accordion and organ, Abe Etz on drums, Aaron Gitnick on lead guitar and Will Mack (son of jazz art specialist Willie J. Mack) on upright and electric bass, with additional help from multi-instrumentalist/producer Jonathan Chi, pianist Chris Joyner and fiddle player Ysanne Spevack. The Band has shared the stage with Tom Morello & Wayne Kramer (both lent a hand on the band’s debut album), Ben Harper, Billy Bragg, Brian Wright, Jill Sobule and many more.
Packed for Exile is already receiving positive attention. The lead single off the 14 song album, “California Wine” an upbeat tune with a cautionary tale. The song has already been featured on ExtraTV, Triple A radio buzzcuts, and was included in the online original music series “Grooveable Feast”. The remorseful anti-war song “God’s name in Vain” cracked the top 100 on Neil Young’s “Song of the Times” countdown. From the eeriness of "Killing Floor" through whimsical "Runnin' like a River" these are songs that make you reflect while you’re moving to the music.
Known for philanthropic leanings, the band is involved with raising money and bringing awareness to the Danny Fund—A fund created to bring attention to Melanoma after Jason Federici’s father, Danny Federici passed away from the disease. They are also re actively involved with, “the loudest charity on planet earth” , Wayne Kramer’s Jail Guitar Doors USA. Lead singer, Jason Heath and bandmate Federici have also been volunteers for the Midnight Mission for the past 5 years, (a non-profit group aiding the homeless) and have been involved with their Music with a Mission Series. “It’s nice to foster people’s spiritual and artistic needs.” Says Heath, “Many of the people on Skid Row are musicians & artists… and it was a privelage for us to see people close their eyes and enjoy the music.”
Jason Heath & The Greedy Souls are a band that aspire to write and play with integrity and sincerity and who perform with their collective heart and soul. “We want to play as many shows and write as many songs and meet as many folks as possible.” Says Heath, “In the end we hope to touch and affect the world in a positive way, leaving things better than we found them. Hopefully we do it with a modicum of success.”
Jason Heath, frontman for The Greedy Souls says that Packed for Exile is more of a collaborative band effort this time around. “There’s a lot more electric guitar and up tempo blues inspired rock going on. It’s a lot more focused and cohesive.” Heath calls the music, “working class music” with elements of Americana, rock, country and the storytelling nature of folk music. “It draws on common themes,” says Heath, “love, loss, redemption and the search for justice. I’ve always been influenced by people who have something to say and can say it with honesty and clarity—from Woody Guthrie to Public Enemy and everyone in between.”
The Greedy Souls include the core of guitarist and lead singer, Jason Heath, Jason Federici (son of late E Street Band member Danny Federici) on accordion and organ, Abe Etz on drums, Aaron Gitnick on lead guitar and Will Mack (son of jazz art specialist Willie J. Mack) on upright and electric bass, with additional help from multi-instrumentalist/producer Jonathan Chi, pianist Chris Joyner and fiddle player Ysanne Spevack. The Band has shared the stage with Tom Morello & Wayne Kramer (both lent a hand on the band’s debut album), Ben Harper, Billy Bragg, Brian Wright, Jill Sobule and many more.
Packed for Exile is already receiving positive attention. The lead single off the 14 song album, “California Wine” an upbeat tune with a cautionary tale. The song has already been featured on ExtraTV, Triple A radio buzzcuts, and was included in the online original music series “Grooveable Feast”. The remorseful anti-war song “God’s name in Vain” cracked the top 100 on Neil Young’s “Song of the Times” countdown. From the eeriness of "Killing Floor" through whimsical "Runnin' like a River" these are songs that make you reflect while you’re moving to the music.
Known for philanthropic leanings, the band is involved with raising money and bringing awareness to the Danny Fund—A fund created to bring attention to Melanoma after Jason Federici’s father, Danny Federici passed away from the disease. They are also re actively involved with, “the loudest charity on planet earth” , Wayne Kramer’s Jail Guitar Doors USA. Lead singer, Jason Heath and bandmate Federici have also been volunteers for the Midnight Mission for the past 5 years, (a non-profit group aiding the homeless) and have been involved with their Music with a Mission Series. “It’s nice to foster people’s spiritual and artistic needs.” Says Heath, “Many of the people on Skid Row are musicians & artists… and it was a privelage for us to see people close their eyes and enjoy the music.”
Jason Heath & The Greedy Souls are a band that aspire to write and play with integrity and sincerity and who perform with their collective heart and soul. “We want to play as many shows and write as many songs and meet as many folks as possible.” Says Heath, “In the end we hope to touch and affect the world in a positive way, leaving things better than we found them. Hopefully we do it with a modicum of success.”
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