The House Jacks
The original Jacks met each other while singing in a cappella groups at their various colleges on the East Coast. They all moved to San Francisco to form the House Jacks in September 1991. Since then, there have been several membership changes, culminating in the tight ensemble showcased and loved today around the world. They found thier name in the Yellow Pages under Heavy Equipment Rental: a "house jack" is what you use when you want to move a house. Anyone who's seen them perform live will tell you that the name is appropriate. "Raise the roof" takes on a whole new meaning with the House Jacks.
They have headlined in many famous venues around the country, including The Bottom Line and The Bitter End (NYC), The Great American Music Hall (SF), The House Of Blues (Boston), The Birchmere (Alexandria, VA), and The Iron Horse (Northampton, MA). In addition, they have begun to make waves in Europe, headlining at many well-known German venues, including: Spectaculum Mundi (Munich), Theater am Aegi (Hannover), and Cafe Schlotte (Berlin). In the fall of 2001, the Jacks toured Japan.
The House Jacks have appeared with James Brown, Ray Charles, Jon Secada, LL Cool J, the Neville Brothers, President Bill Clinton, Crosby Stills and Nash, the Pointer Sisters, the Temptations, The Gap Band, Tower of Power, Starship, Run-DMC, and many others.
The House Jacks are: Wes Carroll, Garth Kravitz, Austin Wllacy, Bert Bacco, Deke Sharon
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More Love Adventure Day What's for Real After You Maybe That's the Reason From Sunday Stop and Think Good Things Middle Ground Unbroken |
It sometimes happens that bands write their best songs early in
their career. However, the House Jacks new CD - their first with wholly original
material in several years - proves that those generalities don't apply here.
Maturity can be a good thing! "Unbroken" contains their best writing since,
well, maybe ever, with compositions from every member (including Austin Willacy,
who's back). The strength of their material shows that marriage and family can
contribute in positive ways to artistic development, as in Deke Sharon's joyous
nod to fatherhood, "Adventure Day." The vocal chops of the Jacks have always
been in the upper of the upper echelon, but now their performances are translating
to CD with new passion. Part of the credit is due to the production - it's BIG.
So every nuance of those trademark harmonies shines through, and the vocal bass
and drum tones are brilliant. Take, for example, the title track: it's powerful,
evocative, and could match anything heard on modern rock radio. The House Jacks
early promise was just a taste of things to come.
| 7378 CD $14.98 |
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Feelin' Funkae Bam! Dive Into You Thread Sign Your Name Breathe We Fly Around I Want It All Change Father Figure Peace Love and Understanding What You Gonna Do? Still By My Side Next To You Crash Into Me So Far Away |
How do you cheer The House Jacks in German? (OK wait for it...) LOUDLY! And
so it was on all the stops in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and, yes the
USA. The results are a grand album of these rock/funk-masters singing a few
covers, some new arrangements of older work and 11 (count-em) new unreleased
originals which you will enjoy in two sets totaling over an hour of music! This
must be a first in the anals of live recordings where the normal fare is familiar
songs from other recordings rather than original works. One of the qualities
which we find particularly appealing is the mix of beauty and quiet harmony
added into the hard rocking songs which our tapping feet and nodding heads have
come to expect from this band. You know superlatives have long since run out
when we try to create verbal accolades for the band which effectively created
a cappella rock/funk genre, which pioneered vocal percussion, and which is still
is as good as it gets. While all the tunes feature Bert Bacco, Wes Carroll,
Garth Kravits, and Deke Sharon, the fifth voice on some of the tunes is Austin
Willacy and on some, Kevin Fudge. This is worth mentioning for Austin Willacy
has returned to the Jacks once again! YES! Hešs the creator of some of the most
unique and brilliant songs the band has recorded. Remember also that Drive marks
the tenth anniversary of the original rock a cappella band.
| 2925 CD $14.98 |
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The Way It Makes Me Feel Crazy Maze Don't Turn Away Slide Completely Dirt Let's Get to It Saturnalia Smile All Of My Life Express Yourself Kashmir Star Spangled Banner |
Tommy Boy Records signed the House Jacks to a contract. They labored long and hard in the studio, accepting some musical guidelines from the record company to create a more "popular" sound and then the company didn't know how to promote any music so original. After a long delay, the rights returned to the group who refunkified the sound, added a couple of bonus tracks and released Funkwich themselves. There is a new recording of "The Way It Makes Me Feel," along with seven other originals, two covers and the fan favorite bonus tracks, "The Star- Spangled Banner" and "Kashmir."
| 2520 CD $14.98 |
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The Way It Makes Me Feel Crazy Maze Dirt All of My Life Slide Saturnalia Smile Express Yourself Don't Turn Away Attitude Kashmir Another Chance Palm Sunday |
1999 release on the German Staccato label the House Jacks have made quite
an impression on the German a cappella scene, where they tour often. While there
are no new tracks on this CD - compiled from their previous two recordings,
"Naked Noise" and "Funkwich" - this is a great introduction to the groupšs rock-oriented,
but technically superb sound. Beginning with their signature song, "The Way
It Makes Me Feel," which has an undulating groove and an indelible hook that
inhabits the brain like a virus, the CD follows with favorites such as "Saturnalia
Smile," "Dirt," and the Jacksš legendary (and definitive) version of Led Zeppelinšs
"Kashmir." The House Jacks were one of the catalysts for the resurgence of contemporary
a cappella in the 1990šs, and this CD shows why!
| 2537 CD $14.98 |
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Tear Down The Walls The Way It Makes Me Feel Superhero Gone Another Chance Jack It Up Erotica Bazaar Attitude The Last To Know Palm Sunday |
This is an important album! The singers were recruited by Deke Sharon from
the best singers of college a cappella groups and convinced to relocate in San
Francisco where they have become the role models for high energy male rock/rap/funk
groups. We were introduced to one of the three best vocal percussionists in
the business, Andrew Chaikin, whose work still baffles drummers. Naked Noise
is totally original, not only in writing but singing, production, and complexity
of arranging. If you want a truly mind blowing a cappella experience, this is
it!
| 2510 CD $14.98 |
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