JUTAUN
City Winery Philadelphia presents JUTAUN live on Saturday, Jan 25 at 7:30pm.
JUTAUN, perfectly described as having ‘harmonies that will melt your soul’ features frontmen Jake Evans, Jamie Evans and Samoeun Cheng. Influenced by classic rock, R&B, reggae and 80’s/90’s pop - this contemporary Christian group is consistently driven to keep expanding their sound, creating genre-defying and lyrically honest music.
The group developed a unique sound under the careful mentorship of their father, Jake Evans Jr. a profoundly talented musical director and bassist. Fostered in this environment, the group fell in love with music and began harmonizing at an early age. Based in Williamstown, New Jersey and surrounded by the arts, the love of music seemed inevitable. Heavily influenced by their father’s work and other classic artists like Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Sade and Peter Gabriel, Jamie notes - “From an early age, I knew that music was what I wanted to do. Jake and I have been singing for as long as we can remember, when we found out we could harmonize, you couldn’t get us to stop”.
Halfway around the world, Samoeun Cheng spent the early years of his life in a refugee camp in Thailand, soon after his parents fled Cambodia. “I lived there until I was six years old,” he says. “All I remember was that we often had to escape thieves and stay hidden. I remember the sounds of gunshots. It all reads like a bad dream now.”
Samoeun’s journey to the U.S began with a Christian organization based in San Francisco and Tennessee, finally ending when his family settled in Williamstown, New Jersey, beginning a new life. “It was my stepfather who actually introduced me to music,” he recalls. “I just fell in love with music. In school I was in the choir and performed in musicals….and then I met two brothers named Jamie and Jake.”
Joined by their band consisting of Stephen Honsberger, Carter Fox, Jordan Damiani, and Michael Walker, the group continues to explore new levels of creativity and depth in their songwriting, production and live performances. Always searching to expand the sonic boundaries of the industry and further develop their sound, JUTAUN’s dedication to their craft has led them to partnerships with musical icons such as Leon Huff of Philly International and R&B legend Freddie Jackson, and touring internationally to South Africa and the Caribbean.
JUTAUN's releases 'By the River', ‘Live Sessions’, and ‘Back to Life’ have received airplay on major radio networks and have been featured on Netflix, Fox Sports and A&E. Their newest single 'Release' is a genre-bending (CCM/Pop/Rock) song builds from a soft opening featuring synths & bare vocals to full band fanfare. It’s inspired by singer Jake Evans’ childhood memory of "being inspired by music, knowing there was more out there, & to have faith in the journey we take and the higher power guiding us." Their 2023 release Grateful received international airplay, gaining the attention of NPR as part of the Tiny Desk Contest.
You can currently find them on tour and listen to their latest single 'What Are We Fighting For,' available on all streaming platforms.
