Jake Patterson, a graduate of Mercer Island High School, has signed on to tour with Paul Brown and the Killing Devils.

The band will play in Anaheim, St. Louis and New York, among several other cities in a coast-to-coast tour. Patterson, a sophomore at the Berklee College of Music, will be the lead guitarist for the band. Paul Brown has produced a number of CDs and has received international acclaim for his work.

As noted in the NYC Village Voice a few years ago, Brown’s “music has been played all over the world. He is a gifted singer, songwriter and musician with one of the best progressive rock bands on the planet.” In July 2006, the Killing Devils released the critically acclaimed “Red Spider” CD. More recently, they have released “The Wizard’s Dawn,” also with outstanding reviews.

Although proud of this development, Patterson’s parents have expressed some ambivalent feelings about their son’s recent accomplishment.

“I didn’t exactly raise my son, or fork out music school tuition, for him to become a ‘killing devil,’” his father, David Patterson, stated. “Besides, my understanding is that the mission of a devil is really to steal souls rather than to kill. So to be touring with a band with inherent irony in its name presents an immediate challenge.

“Also, I am not sure how being a ‘killing devil’ will come across when Jake submits a resume to be an elementary school music teacher or something.”

Intended humor in the preceding paragraph notwithstanding, Patterson has been greatly influenced in his music by Mercer Island High School mentors Tom Cox (guitar and jazz choir) and Dave Bentley (jazz ensemble), as well as local Seattle notable musicians Greg Ruby and Jay Roberts.