No Jet Left

Jordan Schmidt (Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Programming/Production) started No Jet Left in 2008 largely as a solo project. Until their 2013 upcoming, ironically named release "Keep It Off the Ground," Schmidt had been the sole writer for the group, recruiting musicians across California to help perform and record the music and create the live legacy attached to the group's name. With "Keep it Off the Ground," Schmidt stuck with the core group of Azuri Moon (Guitar, Keys, Vocals), Kasey Cohn (Bass, Vox) and Danny Beallo (Drums), who all made the most significant contributions to the albums songwriting and arrangement, the first such example in the band's history. This changed the dynamic of the lone Schmidt as singer-songwriter with studio toys and guitar noise. The band as we know it was born.

Based out of Culver City (essentially West Los Angeles, CA), their sound is influenced by everyone from Radiohead to Led Zeppelin, Pavement to My Bloody Valentine, Gorillaz to the Stooges, Frank Zappa to Joy Division, Dinosaur Jr. to Marvin Gaye, and even artists as vareid as Bjork, Sigur Ros, Beck and 65 Days of Static. It is a lush, soulful sound defined by the complex layers of instruments that are part of the traditional rock n roll pantheon mixed with otherworldly voice-like instruments and enveloping live and electronic drum beats. What makes this band so fascinating to listen to is the way the blend such seemingly disparate musical influences to a track (like the way they blend shoegaze, hip hop instrumentals, and new wave pop on "Voices") and make it sound like these elements belong together. Even though their approach comes from a sort of a collage or pastiche like process, their albums represent the singular voice of their authors. Most importantly, No Jet Left music sounds like No Jet Left.