“Pressing Strings” Releases 10th Album

Arnold resident Jordan Sokel, founding member of “Pressing Strings,” took his music passion from a duo to a trio, from local bars to a national tour, and has now released 10 albums. He’s not only lead guitarist and vocalist, but also the writer and arranger of the band’s new music.

Pressing Strings is an electric, rock, blues and soul group consisting of Sokel, Justin Kruger (drummer) and Nick Welker (bass). The trio formed in 2011 after performing as an acoustic duo since 2007.

After graduating from Broadneck High School in 2004, Sokel headed to Salisbury University to study marketing and communications. By 2007 he realized music was his calling and his passion. He left college and formed Pressing Strings with friend Josh Kachura, who is now a solo artist.

Sokel said his obsession with music came early in life in large part due to his mother, also a talented singer. He taught himself to play the guitar, harmonica, piano and drums. He reads music but prefers to play by ear.

He said his early music was influenced by folk rock acoustic pioneers like Ben Harper, Dispatch and Jack Johnson, and classic rock from the 1970s. More recently, the Wood Brothers and The Black Keys are part of his playlist, along with lyricists like Jason Isbell, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Nathaniel Rateliff and Kacey Musgraves. As a songwriter, Sokel said his lyrics are personal meditations.

From 2011–2016 Pressing Strings played primarily local gigs from Baltimore to Washington, D.C., but in 2016 the trio was approached by a management company that felt the band had the talent to go on tour and move from the local to national scene, and into larger venues.

“We played every bar in the Annapolis area for a very long time,” Sokel said of the time the group transitioned to ticketed events across the country. “We do travel quite a bit, but I make sure to be away for no longer than a week at a time.”

Sokel said a perfect “off” week includes a slow wake-up, family breakfasts, hikes and Sundays watching football with his wife and three daughters.

“The camaraderie of musicians in Anne Arundel County, especially in the Annapolis area, is tremendous,” Sokel said, and praised the Annapolis Musicians Fund for Musicians (AMFM), a temporary emergency fund for artists who lose work. “It’s a community where the majority of musicians do everything they can to lift each other up and support one another.”

As an artist and a band member, Sokel feels that Annapolis is a very special and unique place with an exceptionally high output of talented artists with eclectic styles - and residents who are very supportive of the arts community.

Sokel plays at many neighborhood restaurants including The Point Crab House & Grill, with performances coming up on Wednesday, November 11 and Wednesday, November 25. For more information on future shows, check social media or visit www.pressingstrings.com.