Jared Deck
Norman, OK | Established. Jan 01, 2015 | SELF
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Jared Deck
Jared Deck
(self-released/RED)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
It’s no surprise that an Americana artist who proudly sports his denim — right down to the art on the physical CD — would have a song called “The American Dream.” But don’t hold that somewhat stereotypical attire and song title against Jared Deck whose debut is one of the better releases from a roots artist this year.
Okay, so his Mellencamp/Springsteen-isms tend to get the better of him on Stones-sy rockers such as “Hope, KS” and the cars/drinking/good-girl-gone-bad theme of “Hell on Wheels” (she used to be heaven on earth/ now she’s hell on wheels”). He even namechecks the Stones on the opening Bob Seger rip “17 Miles” (my nerves are shaking like the hips of a Rolling Stone”), a tune about, what else?, life on the road and the pleasures of “coming home.” But there is an honest, believable and even unassuming quality about Deck’s singing along with a hardscrabble approach, that transcends the occasionally clichéd nature of his music. Surely his rural upbringing on an Oklahoma farm has fueled these blue collar stories that feel lived in and unpretentious.
Deck’s grainy singing and voice-of-the-heartland dude instincts whose true-blue disposition is often at odds with his hard life in the working class trenches might not be exactly fresh turf. But his soulful singing, memorable melodies (especially on ballads), and classy, uncluttered production by veteran Wes Sharon keeps the soul at the heart of this music focused. And when Deck lets loose on the bluesy gospel-soaked “Sweet Breath,” complete with powerful Hammond B3 accompaniment, you get the sense he could be, with a little luck and some more songwriting under his belt, in a league with last year’s breakout Americana artist Chris Stapleton.
Songs such as the clearly autobiographical “Unusually Blessed” (“I was born to be a fighter/ I was born to rock and roll”) marry beautifully crafted, heartfelt lyrics with easy rolling music that’s hummable yet not cheesy. When the music stops and Deck sings a cappella you’ll understand how gifted a vocalist he is. Get on board Deck’s train early because he’s got the chops, the ambition and the talent to take it to the next level. - American Songwriter
Sounds Like: Greetings From Asbury Park, Oklahoma; a freewheeling, keys-loving disciple of the John Mellencamp School with plenty of dirt still under his nails
For Fans of: Unadorned roots-rock, Jason Isbell's "Super 8"; any song misinterpreted by political candidates as being a happy-go-lucky patriotic anthem (i.e. "Born in the U.S.A")
Why You Should Pay Attention: Heartland this, Americana that — it seems like every other band these days wants to embody a rootsy, corn-fed spirit, often without ever actually living it. Jared Deck, however, grew up in a rural Oklahoma town (population: 1,200) and spent the bulk of his early years trying to start a business, playing piano in a gospel church or just hoping to get the hell out of Dodge. And when he did load up his car and try to flee at 21, he made it exactly 17 miles until a flat tire sent him right back to where he came from — a woeful tale until you listen to the blue-collar bombast of "17 Miles," the song he later wrote inspired by the incident. Like the rest of his forthcoming self-titled debut, it deals not in some imagined, idealized version of fly-over country, but in the real life that lingers in towns much smaller than the dreams they contain — and, sometimes, constrain.
He Says: "This album is very personal for me," Deck says. "I used to always try and avoid songs about my life and background, or overly mask them so that nobody understood them except me. But I've opened up, and decided that the best way to feel better about what I am writing and singing is to be honest. It's taken me years."
Hear for Yourself: One of the most rowdy odes to failure ever written, "17 Miles." M.M. - Rolling Stone
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
PRESS/QUOTES.
Winner for "The American Dream" - 2016 Woody Guthrie Songwriting Contest
"Deck sings about the heartland with the power of someone who has seen both its peril and promise, and not just imagined an idealized, cinematic scape that exists in only Brooklyn studios or Hollywood treatments." - Rolling Stone
"10 New Country Artists You Need to Know." - Rolling Stone Country, March 2016
"...you get the sense [Deck] could be, with a little luck and some more songwriting under his belt, in a league with last year's breakout Americana artist Chris Stapleton." - American Songwriter
"That was the best harmony singing I've ever heard, Jared. Come over and give me a smooch!" - Wanda Jackson
BIOGRAPHY
Jared Deck takes life one fight at a time. "The battle has always been internal, overcoming my own failures and working to improve." Raised on the dusty plains of an Oklahoma family farm, Jared worked in the fields as well as the town grocery, owned by his parents. "In a community of 1,200 people, big dreams seem impossible. We're taught to manage expectations, put our nose down, and get to work." He did exactly that.
When the family business saw hard times, Deck turned to the oilfield to pay for school. "I was a roughneck - a worm hand, really - throwing back tongs on the drilling rig floor. Sure, it was tough, but so were we. I saw the sun set and rise each day; that kept me going." The oilfield provided for a time, but every boom has its bust.
After the oilfield, Jared worked at a local factory until the jobs were outsourced to other countries. He started a business, but was hit hard by the recession. He even ran for political office but lost by a couple percentage points. Through every challenge and change, music remained the one constant in Jared's life.
Desperate to supplement his business through the recession, Jared answered the classified ad of a small church in need of a pianist. "I called the number, and the pastor asked if I'd ever played at a black church before. I told him, no, but I can play the blues. He said that would probably work." Over the next six years, Jared received an unparalleled musical education. "It felt like relearning the piano, so I applied that concept to my songwriting."
Deck's writing has evolved and now presents the maturity of a man who has learned the hard way. "The pen is disruptive and inspiring," says Deck. "It rattles me, reflecting moments and things about myself I might rather forget. But it also inspires me to face myself and become the man I'd rather be writing about." That attitude is apparent in the writing of Jared's self-titled, solo debut.
The album tells 11 heartfelt stories of life on the road. Starting with "17 Miles," a tale of broken dreams, Jared shares his story. "As a teenager, all I wanted was to leave Oklahoma and never look back. The day I worked up the nerve to go, I had a flat tire just 17 miles down the road. Never got any further than that." All of the songs reflect a sense of wry understanding of life and an indomitable spirit, from the fractured family in "Wrong Side Of The Night," to the working-man's fight in "The American Dream;" from the crisis of faith in "Grace," to the torn heart of an oilfield father in "Unusually Blessed," Deck's songs illustrate life in the rural heartland. And because this is the life he knows only too well, these songs ring true - the honest voice of midland America.
For the new album, Deck called upon Grammy-nominated producer Wes Sharon at 115 Recording. Sharon has produced some of the most lauded Americana artists of late, including John Fullbright, Parker Millsap, The Grahams, and Turnpike Troubadours. In Sharon, Deck found a musical soulmate, "Wes understands songs and the people who write them. He helped me find a voice I didn't know I had."
That voice isn't going unnoticed. During an impromptu afternoon show on a back alley patio in Amarillo, TX, Deck was surprised to realize his hero, Alejandro Escovedo, was in the crowd. "He'd been listening for some time, but I didn't see him," Deck recalled. "When he walked around the corner, it felt like a movie." Escovedo complimented him, "You have a powerful, beautiful voice." It was an unforgettable moment for the young songwriter.
Every boom may have its bust, but every dusk has its dawn. This hope, that there is always a way out, a way through, is an integral part of Jared's songs of pain and promise. "When folks hear my music, I hope they see the sunrise, just as I did each morning from that oilfield tower."
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