In five short years, high-octane power funk trio Baked Shrimp has become a top up-and-coming group in the jam scene. The high energy young talents Jared Cowen (Guitar/Vocals), Scott Reill (Bass/Vocals), and Jager Soss (Drums/Vocals) from Long Island, NY keep it fresh from night to night with their repertoire of over one-hundred original songs and have performed over two-hundred concerts on their many extensive tours throughout the east coast and midwest. Baked Shrimp has provided direct support for artists such as Aqueous, Mihali (from Twiddle), Kung Fu, Freekbass, and more. In the past year they have also become a well-known name in the festival circuit. Highlighted festivals include Adirondack Independence Music Festival, Catskill Mountain Jubilee, Great South Bay Music Festival, Memorial Meltdown, Some Kind of Jam, Karnival of the Arts, and their very own hosted LonCon festival.
Baked Shrimp founded LonCon in 2021 following the passing of their most loyal supporter and ambassador, Lon “Conscious” Gellman. The initial festival was announced during a virtual music festival live stream called “Live for Lon” which featured a live Baked Shrimp set in addition to performances submitted by members of Twiddle, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, Andy Frasco, and more. The event raised $2,700 for White Light Foundation. The inaugural LonCon festival took place in August of 2021 at legendary Arrowhead Ranch in Parksville, NY. In 2022, Baked Shrimp will bring the festival to Yasgur Farm in Bethel, NY and feature artists such as lespecial, Cabinet, Dogs in a Pile, members of Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, the Disco Biscuits, and more, with two headlining performances by Baked Shrimp.
Despite Baked Shrimp’s very intense touring schedule, the trio has managed to find time to release five official albums in the timespan of five years. The band’s 2021 release of Conscious received high praise by media outlets such as LiveForLiveMusic, Grateful Web, The Sound Podcast with Ira Haberman, and more. After a quick release of a three-disc live album The Prawno Tapes, Vol. 1, Baked Shrimp went back into the studio to finish their early-2022 release Pork Etiquette. Pork Etiquette was featured on JamBase’s Release Day Picks which highlighted five other albums, four of which were by Vulfpeck, The Weeknd, Lotus, and Cory Wong. Baked Shrimp celebrated the release of Pork Etiquette with a virtual release party in New York City at Relix Studio. The performance was live streamed on Relix’s Twitch Channel to their 40k followers, and featured The Horn Section (members of Turkuaz).
With a goal of 100 shows in 2022, Baked Shrimp prepares to head out on the road for a 50+ date Summer Tour. The band is already well on their way to achieving their goal after starting the year with a 30-date Winter/Spring Tour in which the young trio performed at well-known venues such as Brooklyn Bowl, Cafe Wha?, and The Westcott Theater. Baked Shrimp is constantly turning heads and has moved from “Long Island’s best kept secret” to the hardest working band in the business, a secret impossible to keep.
Jared Cowen (Guitarist/Vocalist)
Jared Cowen, born on April 29th, 1998 is the lead guitarist, vocalist, primary songwriter, and tour manager for Baked Shrimp. Cowen began studying music at age four, and began composing music not long after. Cowen is responsible for many of Baked Shrimp’s more complex compositions such as “Down the Drain,” “Tulu,” “Rosa,” and more. Throughout his early life he studied jazz and won awards as a guitarist on County and State levels. When Cowen founded Baked Shrimp in 2017, he began to take an interest in the music business side of the industry, and took on the responsibility of booking, promoting, and managing the band’s tours and performances. Cowen graduated from SUNY College at Oneonta in 2019 with a degree in Music Industry. Cowen still continuously writes music, teaches, and is always planning Baked Shrimp’s next move towards success.
Scott Reill (Bassist/Vocalist)
Born and raised on Long Island, Scott Reill picked up the bass in elementary school. Self-taught without any teachers, he would sit down and play along to songs by Pink Floyd and The Beatles for hours on end. Reill is also influenced by Phish, The Clash, and Victor Wooten. Jared Cowen had known Reill through mutual friends, and asked him if he wanted to play bass for a one-night stand with Cowen’s side project band. Reill overachieved expectations and was asked to be the bassist in Baked Shrimp.
Jager Soss (Drummer/Vocalist)
Long Island born and raised, Jager Soss at the age of 20 lives and breathes rhythm. Early on it was apparent that Soss was intended to play the drums. When discussing the first time he sat down and picked up a pair of sticks, he said “I knew what I was going to chase for the rest of time.” Soss has been fortunate enough to have shared the stage with the likes of George Porter Jr. (The Meters), Butch Trucks (Allman Brothers Band), Kenny Brooks (Rat Dog), Robert Walter (Mike Gordon Band), and has even worked with Debbie Gibson. Soss continues to learn and grow everyday as a musician.
