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REVIEWED: Jack McNairn by Ariel Nyp
Sandy Martin on guitar and vocals
Aaron Hernandez on drums
Mikey Vee on bass and vocals
Mackenzie Jordan on guitar and vocals
I’ve been hooked on these guys since I saw them open for Ben Caplan back in June 2012. It may have been their very first gig, but listening to them play live was a whole different experience. On stage, they’re a bunch of energetic lads with a constant upbeat attitude – so contagious, they get the crowd dancing. Literally. They were so animated live and I knew I had to grab their EP as soon as it came out. And now it’s here. Neighbours, their brand spankin’ new album, is finally out and it’s ready to meet your ears. To me, they have a “Beatles-esque” essence to them. To them, well, they define themselves as “Tuneful Roots Rock”. In the musical mixing pot, it’s a couple of smoky voices and raspy amps mixed with heartfelt lyrics that will definitely take you back to a time when you felt exactly what these guys have felt. My personal favourite to blare in my car is Bipolar Mother Nature because A) the title is pretty ingenious and B) the song itself is an addiction to my ears with its catchy words and harmony. In person, they’re a couple of chilled out guys that like to jam in a barn…with some chickens.
This is what they had to spill to Velvet Rope:
VR: “So what’s the name of your band all about?”
MJ- “I came up with the name on a whim-I just liked the sound of the name. I wanted to have a band name that was a person but I didn’t want that person to be in the band!”
VR: “Who IS Jack McNairn?”
MJ-“He was someone who lived next door to me when I was a little kid but he died…”
SM-“…and we thought he had a boss name…”
MV- “….and that’s why the EP is called “Neighbours!”
VR: “How’d you guys meet and create this band?”
MJ- “Aaron and I went to high school together.”
AH- “And we met this one after highschool.” (gestures towards Sandy)
SM- “And we found Mikey here because he works here.” (gestures towards the bar at Maxwell’s Music House)
MV- “Yeah, I met these guys at the bar.” (Laughs) “Seriously, I did.”
VR: “The last time I saw you guys, you were opening for Ben Caplan. What’s changed since then?”
MJ- “We got an EP out! Got a bunch of new songs online for people to check out. “
AH- “We’re a little older, little wiser.”
SM- “That show with Ben Caplan was kind of our warm up show. We scored it last minute and it was our very first show.”
VR: “Right – I remember that and now we have the release date of your EP “Neighbours” so big congratulations! What’s the theme behind your songs?”
SM- “The songs aren’t too dramatic, the songs aren’t too complicated.”
MJ- “It’s more about feeling good, and having a good time.”
SM- “For Hey Man we were jamming one night… and I was listening to a lot of Tom Waits at the time. So then I went home and wrote the words – it’s like a murder ballad. We tried to make it kind of gritty and it’s the only one on the record that sounds like that. Everything else is sunshiney-ish.”
MJ- “Yeah, it is a pretty happy record. Well, except for Run Like Hell. That one is about Johnny Cash’s death. I came up with that one while I was riding on my lawnmower.”
SM- “A lot of songs come to us while we’re on a riding lawnmower!”
MV- “Oceans is about a guy and the theme is “seeing for miles.” He’s this wise guy with oceans in his pockets who has seen his whole life and has turned retrospective.”
MV- “How about this – You wouldn’t dress up to go to your neighbour’s house would you?”
(Awkward silence)
VR- “Uhh…no.”
MV- “Well there ya go! It’s casual and simple.”
VR: “What do your parents think of you focusing on music?”
SM- “My mom sent me a four part text today telling me how proud of me she was.”
(All laugh)
VR: “Which one of you writes the most?”
MJ- “It’s pretty even-Steven.”
SM- “Almost all of the songs were either written together or someone came in with a new song or a concept and something’s been added along the way.”
MJ- “A couple of Mikey’s songs were all his.”
VR – “So it sounds like you guys started out with a hobby.”
MJ- “It’s been a hobby but for me it’s what I do all the time. If I’m at home doing nothing then really I’m just playing my guitar.“
AH- “It’s kind of the clubhouse approach to making music.”
SM- “Instead going to the studio and saying, ‘We’re going to record this EP’, we hangout and jam because we’re friends and that’s what we like to do. When we get together and hangout, usually someone’s playing something. We don’t really sit there and just talk.”
MJ- “We have a goal in mind!”
Me – “When did you guys actually decide to take this somewhere?”
MJ- One day I thought, “I’m not playing enough.” So I sent Sandy a text saying we should work on something together. Sandy and I have pretty different voices but complimentary styles.”
AH- “The summer before, we were recording Sandy’s music. We’ve - Velvet Rope Magazine
REVIEWED: Jack McNairn by Ariel Nyp
Sandy Martin on guitar and vocals
Aaron Hernandez on drums
Mikey Vee on bass and vocals
Mackenzie Jordan on guitar and vocals
I’ve been hooked on these guys since I saw them open for Ben Caplan back in June 2012. It may have been their very first gig, but listening to them play live was a whole different experience. On stage, they’re a bunch of energetic lads with a constant upbeat attitude – so contagious, they get the crowd dancing. Literally. They were so animated live and I knew I had to grab their EP as soon as it came out. And now it’s here. Neighbours, their brand spankin’ new album, is finally out and it’s ready to meet your ears. To me, they have a “Beatles-esque” essence to them. To them, well, they define themselves as “Tuneful Roots Rock”. In the musical mixing pot, it’s a couple of smoky voices and raspy amps mixed with heartfelt lyrics that will definitely take you back to a time when you felt exactly what these guys have felt. My personal favourite to blare in my car is Bipolar Mother Nature because A) the title is pretty ingenious and B) the song itself is an addiction to my ears with its catchy words and harmony. In person, they’re a couple of chilled out guys that like to jam in a barn…with some chickens.
This is what they had to spill to Velvet Rope:
VR: “So what’s the name of your band all about?”
MJ- “I came up with the name on a whim-I just liked the sound of the name. I wanted to have a band name that was a person but I didn’t want that person to be in the band!”
VR: “Who IS Jack McNairn?”
MJ-“He was someone who lived next door to me when I was a little kid but he died…”
SM-“…and we thought he had a boss name…”
MV- “….and that’s why the EP is called “Neighbours!”
VR: “How’d you guys meet and create this band?”
MJ- “Aaron and I went to high school together.”
AH- “And we met this one after highschool.” (gestures towards Sandy)
SM- “And we found Mikey here because he works here.” (gestures towards the bar at Maxwell’s Music House)
MV- “Yeah, I met these guys at the bar.” (Laughs) “Seriously, I did.”
VR: “The last time I saw you guys, you were opening for Ben Caplan. What’s changed since then?”
MJ- “We got an EP out! Got a bunch of new songs online for people to check out. “
AH- “We’re a little older, little wiser.”
SM- “That show with Ben Caplan was kind of our warm up show. We scored it last minute and it was our very first show.”
VR: “Right – I remember that and now we have the release date of your EP “Neighbours” so big congratulations! What’s the theme behind your songs?”
SM- “The songs aren’t too dramatic, the songs aren’t too complicated.”
MJ- “It’s more about feeling good, and having a good time.”
SM- “For Hey Man we were jamming one night… and I was listening to a lot of Tom Waits at the time. So then I went home and wrote the words – it’s like a murder ballad. We tried to make it kind of gritty and it’s the only one on the record that sounds like that. Everything else is sunshiney-ish.”
MJ- “Yeah, it is a pretty happy record. Well, except for Run Like Hell. That one is about Johnny Cash’s death. I came up with that one while I was riding on my lawnmower.”
SM- “A lot of songs come to us while we’re on a riding lawnmower!”
MV- “Oceans is about a guy and the theme is “seeing for miles.” He’s this wise guy with oceans in his pockets who has seen his whole life and has turned retrospective.”
MV- “How about this – You wouldn’t dress up to go to your neighbour’s house would you?”
(Awkward silence)
VR- “Uhh…no.”
MV- “Well there ya go! It’s casual and simple.”
VR: “What do your parents think of you focusing on music?”
SM- “My mom sent me a four part text today telling me how proud of me she was.”
(All laugh)
VR: “Which one of you writes the most?”
MJ- “It’s pretty even-Steven.”
SM- “Almost all of the songs were either written together or someone came in with a new song or a concept and something’s been added along the way.”
MJ- “A couple of Mikey’s songs were all his.”
VR – “So it sounds like you guys started out with a hobby.”
MJ- “It’s been a hobby but for me it’s what I do all the time. If I’m at home doing nothing then really I’m just playing my guitar.“
AH- “It’s kind of the clubhouse approach to making music.”
SM- “Instead going to the studio and saying, ‘We’re going to record this EP’, we hangout and jam because we’re friends and that’s what we like to do. When we get together and hangout, usually someone’s playing something. We don’t really sit there and just talk.”
MJ- “We have a goal in mind!”
Me – “When did you guys actually decide to take this somewhere?”
MJ- One day I thought, “I’m not playing enough.” So I sent Sandy a text saying we should work on something together. Sandy and I have pretty different voices but complimentary styles.”
AH- “The summer before, we were recording Sandy’s music. We’ve - Velvet Rope Magazine
Discography
"Neighbours" EP - released August 9, 2012
More to come - always.
Photos
Bio
Jack McNairn is a result of 3 young front-men with years of experience on the stage coming together, singing in 3-part harmony to play pure rock 'n' roll. Completed with a drummer who is energetic and animated, so much so, that he might as well be at the front too. In fact, if the stage is big enough, that's just where we put him.
What we sound like:
Roots rock with a hint of the blues, and a hint of psychedelic groove. Loose enough to make you feel at home, but tight enough to hit you like a brick.
What sets us apart:
The 60's and 70's were known for its honest and adventurous rock 'n' roll, mostly because of the lack of technology. This lack of technology forced bands to be top-notch, not allowing for production to cover up mistakes, or lack of talent. Jack McNairn encompasses this spirit, as we record live-off-the-floor in our barn, never use auto-tune, and play take after take until the music becomes one with our hearts. Bands in the 60's and 70's were trying to seek heaviness by pushing their amps louder and louder. Our rock 'n' roll is so hard hitting - without losing its melodic touch - as we push our tube amps as far as they go without even using a distortion pedal. We take our lyrics seriously, making each and every word and sentence as poetic and real to us as we can. This is refreshing compared to some of the laziness found in today's pop music. Can we bring good music back to the genre of 'pop'? By being as honest as we can be, dressed with good-quality music and some of the best musicians, while still being "pop"ular: Yes, of course.
How you make money:
People recognize honesty in music, and our rock 'n' roll is so fresh, forceful, and fun that people just can't help themselves but to get off their feet and dance. We constantly search for that intangible quality that makes a performance and audience experience so special. Although our music encapsulates the honest feelings we get from 60's and 70's music, our songs are not dated, but rather fresh and unique. When people have a good time, they remember that moment as nostalgic. Nostalgia loves to be repeated, so people will come back home. Come back home to Jack McNairn.
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