For those who haven’t heard of Jack The Radio before could you tell us a bit about the band?
George: JTR is an American rock band based in North Carolina. We blend rock and blues sensibility with Americana, folk, and country to create a tapestry of swampy southern-tinged sounds and we’re influenced by Tom Petty, Jack White, Spoon, The Black Keys and so many others. The band has shared the stage with The Avett Brothers, Hall & Oates, George Thorogood, Cold War Kids, Rayland Baxter, and American Aquarium to name a few. Our music has been featured in commercial, film, and TV projects including Modern Family, and Boardwalk Empire, as well as in sports programming for NASCAR, NFL, PGA, and AEW. After a few-year hiatus we returned with a new rhythm section in 2020 to release our “Creatures” album and companion anthology comic book, and our latest album “Under Lonely Light” released in 2024.
Who inspired you to get on stage and perform?
Kevin: I started studying percussion at age 10, inspired by my dad and older brother who were both amateur musicians. Joined my first rock band at age 13 and just haven’t quit.
George: At age 13 some friends and I had a chance to get out of class once a month to take guitar lessons at our school. That led to us writing some songs, forming our first band and performing at a middle school dance that same year. I haven’t been able to stop since!
What artists and albums have stuck with you and inspired your sound?
Danny: That’s a tough one, as they change from year to year, but my current answer would be Radiohead’s “Kid A”, Mike Viola’s “American Egypt”, Bon Iver’s “22, A Million”, and Jeff Buckley’s “Grace.”
George: Like Danny said, we love a lot of music and it can change from time to time. For our latest record, I’ll add we love the fearlessness of Jack White with his tones, especially on his guitars. I also love listening to Spoon’s production and the way they use space in their mixes.
Where do you write your music, are you someone always coming up with song ideas?
George: Lyric and melody ideas can happen anywhere. Even though I’m not always in the headspace to write, ideas still pop up. I’ve got a phone recording app full of ideas and scrap melodies that may never get used, but it can be a good place to spark inspiration too or revisit an idea I want to flesh out further. It’s really fun to listen back to the raw idea after the song has been released to see what changed and what stuck around.
Please tell us about the writing/recording of the ReverbNation Competition winning track “Fast Fun”?
Kevin: George will have to speak to the writing portion but, as with all of the songs on Under Lonely Light, the drums were tracked at Carshop Recording and all other instruments and vocals were tracked at Danny’s house.
George: Writing “Fast Fun” was an attempt to dig myself out of a metaphorical hole that I was in during the pandemic. I was in too deep scrolling through the doom and gloom of social media and reading too many of the “comments” on posts. I needed to remind myself that even though times were tough it was still ok to let myself let some joy in too. Lyrically the verses hit on some of the heaviness in the world and in life and the choruses focus on finding some joy to keep some balance.
What has been your favourite experience as a musician?
Danny: There’s too many to choose a single moment, but overall the experience of travelling to play music has been my favorite. Even if you’re just rolling into a town for a short period of time, there is something fulfilling about getting a snapshot of what a new city or town has to offer in the time between load-in and a show.
You recently released your new album “Under Lonely Light”, how has the reception been?
Kevin: the reception so far has been very positive. We are quite proud of the record so it has great great to hear all of the positive reactions.
George: It’s been solid so far. We’ve been lucky enough to have folks like No Depression Magazine, Americana Fest and others share our songs and we’re grateful to folks like you for helping share our story and music with your followers.
What is the most memorable place you have performed?
Danny: The rooftop of a very old building in Pittsfield, Massachusetts for their WordXWord festival. Hard to beat a scenic evening show overlooking the Berkshires!
George: WordXWord rooftop was a bucket list gig after seeing a video from The Beatles last show on a rooftop. I’d also add a memorable gig we did at a place called the Bistro in the mountains of Virginia. It was a bit secluded in a rural town so we didn’t know what to expect. They were kind enough to feed us before we played and the food blew our minds. We found out the chef had studied in some major food places and moved to the mountains for a slower pace. Then they moved some tables so we could set up and as we were getting ready and the place started to pack in. It was a tight space but the place was filled with strangers who were dancing and rocking with us. Sometimes those are the best nights because you get to talk and connect with a lot of folks. It almost feels like you’re at a family event.
Here at Artistic Echoes, we are always on the lookout for new artists. Do you have any to recommend?
Danny: Our pals in the band Fancy Gap have been crushing it with their new record… definitely worth checking out!
What plans do you have for the rest of the year?
George: We’ll be releasing a new music video for “Tell Everyone Around” we’re really excited about and we’ve got a few more regional shows in North Carolina and Virginia through November and then the plan is to get back to writing and focus on planning for 2025. I just got back from my first music conference, which the band performed at, and it was inspiring to be surrounded by other musicians and industry folks filled with years of knowledge and ideas. We’ve got some initial thoughts for how to push ourselves musically and hopefully expand our reach in an effort to get more people listening to our music and supporting us online and at shows.
Find out more:
- Website: www.jacktheradio.com
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/
jacktheradio - Instagram: www.instagram.com/
jacktheradiomusic - Facebook: www.facebook.com/JacktheRadio
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/
jacktheradio - Spotify: https://open.spotify.
com/artist/ 68etl27NtWBZnyKKtzeLl7
