Colin Healy and the Jetskis

Website) - Colin Healy & The Jetskis are a refreshing cocktail of youth pop, mixed with indie edge, and a subtle shot of punk rock. Hailing from Richmond Virginia, this flavorsome group are a bundle of creative energy, whose boyish good looks, cheeky teen antics and musical talent have inspired reality TV show interest, comic strip concepts, and branded toothbrushes for fans.

Behind the playfulness, however, The Jetskis are a curious blend of innocence and maturity. Romance rookies who are unafraid to wear their hearts on their sleeve, they prove that

teenage boys, as well as girls, anguish over love, life and relationships.
The title track '...Or
Just Don't Go' captures the essence of the entire EP, with its high school sweetheart angst, mixed with rock rhythms, catchy guitar hooks and vocal prowess.

Influenced by the likes of Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, Sigur Ros, and Dashboard Confessional, The Jetskis describe their music as 'Too pop to be indie, and too indie to be pop'. The band consists of frontman and pianist Colin Healy, guitarists Harrison Weber and Cullen MacDonald, bassist Jon Norton, and drummer Tony Cornicello. Colin is the group's songwriter, but each member brings their own unique personality and musical stamp to the mix.

Since their high school jam sessions (where Harry had to see the school counsellor about his continued absence due to gigs!), the quirky quintet have performed with explosive acts such as The Maine, A Cursive Memory, We The Kings, The White Tie Affair, and All Time Low. They are now ready to follow in the footsteps of Jason Mraz and show the rest of the country that the wealth of talent from Richmond, Virginia, just keeps on rolling in. - top-40 charts.com

By Andrew Cothern

Published: December 15, 2008

The members of power-pop rock group Colin Healy and the Jet Skis admit to hanging out with each other a little too much.

The group met when they were students at Trinity High School and now live together and make music. However, they feel that it’s helped turned the band into what it is today.

“We love it,” guitarist Harrison Weber says. “We fight over different parts of the music and things like that, but playing music with people who don’t always agree with you is actually a blessing. Without arguments and disagreements, we would have never grown as a band.”

The Jet Skis, consisting of Weber on guitar, frontman and piano player Colin Healy, guitarist Cullen MacDonald and bassist Jimmy Kelly, are influenced by several different artists including Sigur Rós, Imogen Heap, Jack’s Mannequin and Copeland. No matter what they listen to, though, the group keeps its feet rooted in pop and indie rock.

“I guess we’d describe ourselves as indie pop – although that’s not really correct.“ Healy says. “We’re too indie to be pop and we’re too pop to be indie. We’re in that awkward place in between.“

Full of energy and catchy melodic hooks, Colin and the Jet Skis offer nothing less than a good time. The heartbreaking lyrics mixed with power pop driven sounds grabs you by the collar, sends you on a tumultuous ride, spits you back out and leaves you wanting to take the ride again.

The Jet Skis are touring and promoting their recently released EP “Or Just Don’t Go,“ which they first released as a free download on MySpace. By offering the EP for free, the band has increased the number of people visiting their website and hopes to increase numbers of fans.

“We even found our EP on a Chinese torrent site.” MacDonald jokes. “I thought it was hilarious that someone out there took our songs, which were free and gave them out to a whole new audience. I even posted a comment on there.”

While recording the EP, the band learned that things take much longer than expected.

“We actually recorded over 12 songs, but we felt that they weren’t good enough to release.” MacDonald said. “Our fans have been waiting forever for some decent recordings and we felt we owed it to them to have something of quality to give them.”

The Jet Skis have a number of tour dates coming up including shows at The National (Jan. 9) and the Canal Club (Feb. 7), but it wasn’t always that easy to get people to come see them perform.

“When we first started out and up until recently, we almost had to drag people out to shows.” Kelly said. “There really weren’t a lot of places to play. Alley Katz was the standard, but everyone would play there. The quality has gotten better with new venues and more diverse bands popping up.”

And while the band is happy that there are now more venues in Richmond and more people are able to come to their shows, they feel that there’s more to being musicians.

“Making music is the best part of being in a band.” Healy said. “Although getting noticed, making friends and having people think we’re cool is also great.“

The final, and possibly most important question is then asked: “Who would you kill to open for?”

“That’s easy. I’d kill to play with Muse.” MacDonald said.

“But the real question is who would we kill to play with Muse?” Weber asked.

“Anybody. I’d even kill Colin to play with Muse. Sorry man.” MacDonald answered.

Healy laughs and shrugs it off. “Hey, I’d kill myself to play with Muse.” - inRich.com

At first glance, you would think these cats were seasoned musicians. Hard to believe they are under 25~! Their sound is very radio-friendly and you can almost hear their music being played on prime time tv shows. A polished, upbeat style. You can tell these guys are absolutely enjoying themselves. It’s almost like the pressures of being in a working band have not affected them - yet. I’d expect to see their sound maturing and the next album to encompass stories from the road, challenges of the business and hearts that have mended. This group would appeal to those who like Blink 182 and the Gin Blossoms. - http://tuned-out.com

Colin Healy & the Jetskis

Looking for new music to update your iTunes? GL’s got your rock fix covered with this five-piece.

Colin Healy & the Jetskis, an export of Richmond, Virginia, has been creating its piano-infused pop-rock since Colin and his Jetskis (guitarists Harrison Weber and Cullen MacDonald, bassist Jon Norton and drummer Tony Cornicello) were buddies in high school.

The band has been committed from the start and sometimes had to choose between their budding career and their studies—in high school, Harrison had to visit a guidance counselor because he continually skipped school to play gigs!


The boys’ dedication to their music was definitely not for nothing. Released in June, the band’s EP “…Or Just Don’t Go” is a smooth ride through the hardships of teenage relationships, love and life. The title track opener is a familiar rocker, similar to the piano-pop of other bands, like Relient K. All five of the songs on the disc are solid in their musical construction—the tracks are all cohesive but each has something unique about it.

Self-described as “too pop to be indie, and too indie to be pop,” Colin Healy & the Jetskis bring a mix of influences and styles of music to the album. Standout songs are “The One” and “Stars.” Colin’s simple and sincere lyricism makes the tracks easy for any love-struck—or heart-broken—teenager to relate. And did we mention they’re all super cute?

What do you think about Colin Healy & the Jetskis? Let us know, girlies!

--Haley Blum - Girl's Life [dot] com

Live! Colin Healy and The Jetskis, "So I'm the Liar"
Check out this exclusive acoustic performance of "So I'm The Liar" by Colin Healy and The Jetskis. - http://www.teen.com/music/live-colin-healy-and-the-jetskis-so-im-the-liar/