Jaco - artist bio
It takes a certain amount of grit, and unbridled creativity, to put out three albums in three years, yet with a little assistance from the time afforded by a global pandemic, that’s exactly what indie rock alter ego Jaco has done, churning out hook-after-hook of 90’s retro stylings for a modern day audience under the howling coronavirus moon. Completing his pun-laden trilogy of hyper-focused rock and roll with the help of longtime confidant/producer Les Nuby, Jaco’s homespun tales of suburban ennui and cultural discontent— all wrapped in the bright, shiny foil of his surprisingly upbeat sound— have come full circle in this final addition of a song cycle that started out as a personal artistic challenge, and ended up as a compendium of 21st century anxiety and confusion in the grips of a world turned upside down.
Traversing some of the same sonic territory as his last two LPs— think Ride meets Weezer with a dash of Sugar and Teenage Fanclub thrown in— Jaco has managed to once again expand his musical pallet to include a wider range of sounds and sonorities on his newest offering, touching on everything from the dour melodicism of Morphine (“Control Me”) to the alt-country riffs of Son Volt (“A Trace”) and even the psychedelic grunge of Screaming Trees (“I Blow My Mind”), all threaded together in his unique blend of pop-centric tunes with catchy, overdrive dynamics.
And whether it’s the opening second song Brit-pop blast of “The Byzantine,” the lumbering greatness of “Wanna Get High,” the lo-fi teaser-turned-power chord showcase of “21st Century TV,” or the motorik beat of the Heroes-era Bowie closing track of “Wanna Feel Sad,” Jaco’s third album traces more than just a life inside a fractured and disease-ridden world. It traces the arc of a life inside music and the sounds that shaped it rediscovered and refracted back onto itself, bubbling up to the surface after a year of solitude and lockdowns. And during a time when most of us were just trying to make it to through the next day, that’s no small feat. Jaco just put it all to tape where the rest of us could hear it.
- Lee Shook, @theaudiovore
July, 2021
PREVIOUSLY. . .
Power pop indie rock may seem like a lost cause and art form in today’s pandemic-infused, doom-and-gloom apocalyptic hellscape, with a sheen a little too bright to counter the unrelenting woes and insanity of the day, but in so many ways it’s exactly what’s needed to help balance out the dragging drudgery of a rudderless world gone mad, with Jake Waitzman being just the man to place his hand on the scale for a better musical tomorrow. Or maybe he’s just lysergically laughing on the way down with us at the spectacle of it all as the nation burns at every turn. But then again, maybe that’s what we should all be doing for our collective sanity.
Offering up his second album in a working trilogy for Cornelius Chapel Records under the nom de plume of Jaco, the Birmingham-based wordsmith and multi-instrumentalist has once again found himself mining distinctly new terrain away from his primary role as drummer for longtime local entities like Vulture Whale and Wes McDonald, presenting a chummy alter-ego of ambiguous semantics and hook-laden rock and roll— all dressed up in a cloak of sly turnabout phrasing— whose seeming deception is all part of the fun, or at least for a moment. That is, until you realize just how subtly dexterous and dark his look at the pablum of everyday life actually is, with the music just another hallucinatory mirage meant to throw you off his tracks.
Having finally stepped out as a working frontman, but still behind the kit while also handling rhythm guitar duties and basic keyboard work on the LP, Waitzman once again enlisted the help of his longtime friend/bandmate/production wizard Lester Nuby III to manage the fiery lead guitar licks, intricate bass lines, and more demanding synth parts, as a two-man studio band operating essentially as a proper quintet. As the follow-up to 2019’s cleverly enumerated You Know debut, Dose finds the power duo still riffing on a cherished mishmash of mid-90s indie pop that combines touches of everything from Fountains of Wayne and the Apples in stereo, to Matthew Sweet and the Posies, but with a wry sense of humor bubbling just beneath the surface.
And whether it’s the light psychedelia of album opener “Outer Space,” the Dinosaur Jr.-by-way-of-Big Star vibes of “Fabergé,” or the raucous and rousing closing track “Grow Up Together,” there’s a lot to love on this sophomore outing, and even more to explore outside the confines of Waitzman’s previous effort. Delving into even deeper uncharted waters with the likes of the weird Tortoise and Tropicalia-meets-AM gold atmospherics of “Bluebird,” the Ween-ish Dire Straits tribute of “Things In A Dream,” and the moody Crazy Horse rock of “Sign Of A Struggle,” fans of Jaco’s first LP will be pleasantly surprised by what awaits inside, as he once again surprises at every turn with a fresh batch of psychoactive sounds and sonic storytelling.
Tune in, turn on, and take a trip with the man with the stash in his hand. You never know what you might find on the other side.
- Lee Shook, @theaudiovore
June, 2020
EVEN MORE PREVIOUSLY. . .
As a longtime member of the Magic City music scene, Jake Waitzman has spent the majority of his career behind a drum kit, pounding the skins for a family of local acts like Vulture Whale, The Wes McDonald Plan and Ham Bagby, laying down thick rock grooves while intentionally staying out of the spotlight. An engine and agent of propulsive forward motion, it’s been the place he’s most comfortable, yet for the past four years he’s been quietly plotting a new role for himself as an indie rock/power pop impresario under the nom de plume Jaco, exploring a radically different side of his creative vision that may surprise old school Vulture Whale fans.
Born out of a home recording project meant to document a veritable fountain of musical and lyrical ideas that had been floating around his personal sonic sphere dating back over a decade, Waitzman’s first full foray into the realm of solo artist is brimming with big guitars, giant hooks, and inventive song structures fleshed out over 11 tracks in a remarkable debut LP that recalls everyone from Elliott Smith and Teenage Fanclub, to Jellyfish and Big Star, but with a modern day rock and roll twist.
Featuring contributions on lead guitar and bass from Les Nuby (Verbena, Vulture Whale, Holiday Gunfire) and Greg Slamen (Through The Sparks, Cosmonaut On Vacation), the main thrust of the album’s songs are pure Jaco, taking the listener on a guided tour through stacked harmonies and memorable rock riffs with a psych-tinged underbelly, having helmed almost every aspect of the album as both co-producer and arranger, while simultaneously stepping to the forefront as lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist and drummer.
Released as part of Cornelius Chapel Records’ growing roster of great Southern musical acts like Beitthemeans, Bohannons, Will Stewart, Caleb Caudle and the mighty Dexateens, You Know stands as a singular summation of an alternate ego finally ready to introduce itself to the world. From the opening Cars-inflected synth intro to “On The Ground,” to the ELO/Elephant 6 backbeat boogie of “Blackboard,” the subdued melancholy of “I Don’t Mind,” or the guitar-driven rock and roll of songs like “Lavabo,” “Say Goodbye,” and “All Your Love,” there’s a world of sound to be discovered on this unique debut from one of Birmingham’s best and brightest new acts. Buy the ticket, take the ride, and take a look at the mind inside of Jaco.
- Lee Shook, @theaudiovore
May, 2019
Bonus. . .
Oops, my kids are making up songs now!