Band members of "Jack's House":

Ricky Irby - Acoustic / Electric guitar, lead vocals Javarus Ford - Lead vocals Jack Bryant - Drums & back up vocals Peter Larkin - Electric guitar Dave Maniscalco - Bass

Band Manager: Gregg Jackson of Oracle Vision Management, Inc.

"Jack's House, a quintet formed in VA in 1999, is an original vision that can only come from experience, true virtuosity, or some combination thereof. Demonstrating excellent command of their instruments, the band throws down quick, funky acoustic-rooted grooves a la Dave Matthews. Indeed this is one of the few young bands that I have heard that have the chops, tightness, writing skills and variety to be a first class jam band." Alex Greenberg - PA Musician Reviews

MZ - Ricky, in your press kit, you talk about your strength as a band in terms of diversity. Describe how your ethnic diversity drives the creativity of the band.

RI - There's much diversity in "Jack's House" and I think that's what fuels our musical diversity. We try to bring in a lot of concepts from every ethnic background and we want to reach those ethnic areas as well. So we feel that diversity helps us relate to many different people.

MZ - What types of genres does the band go after? RI - Mainly progressive rock, some Latin, rap, jazz - we love jazz. We like to experiment with different types of music.

MZ - Javarus, when I hear about your high-energy stage performances, you have my attention. What do you guys do that is unique or different from other bands?

JF - I think the first thing we do is try to make sure the audience is having a good time. Feedback from each other is very important so we want to acknowledge each other as much as possible. Make sure the vibes we are getting are positive. And those good vibes go back to the crowd and we play off of each other in the band too.

MZ - Jack, your first CD "From the Basement" was your first independent CD release. Musically speaking, how would you compare your first release to the music you perform today?

JB - Totally different. The listener can tell where we came from as artists, but they can tell now that we are in a new place. The music is a lot more involved, and we are a lot more open minded about ideas on what we want to do and where we want to go in the future. We are also trying to be more musically critical of ourselves. We want to make sure we are giving ourselves fully, and giving the audience the best possible product.

MZ - Great, in terms of your music, how would you describe your genre in your first release compared to today?

JB - I would say that "From the Basement" was our first attempt musically and stylistically to capture a lot of our ideas, influences and genres. We weren't quite sure how to make it all mesh. Now we are at the point where we have that unified sound with different genre influences that we love. You can hear that now in our music as you go from song to song. We now have a better understanding of how to do all that as a band.

MZ - What's made that difference for you guys?

JB - I think it's just maturity.

MZ - Time with each other?

JB - Yeah, time with each other, time as musicians, songwriter's and performers. We continue to study, listen, and learn about this thing we call music. And taking what we learn and are influenced by, and make it our own.

MZ - Band, do you write songs as a group in total, or does someone have an inspiration and you go off on that? Or both?

JF - Inspiration. Ricky and Jack will collaborate and come to us with songs. We have scheduled time to get together to write new stuff.

MZ - So you all feel like you are contributing to the songs?

PL - Before the song becomes its finalized form, the whole band works through it and it gels to become the final song.

GJ - One of the reasons that I wanted to manage this band was due to their ability to collaborate. It's rare to find a band that has the breadth and depth. Usually instrumentally, you can have one or the other, but they have both. One of the things that I've been really overly impressed about is, as a manager, I can pull myself out of that role. I don't have to concern myself about their songwriting abilities. I don't have to worry about when it comes time for the band to play a show. They perform their music and I am out of it. I'm able to work on everything else a manager has to do for the band. When I hear how they communicate and see their relationships and interactions, it blows my mind. That's one of the things I still can't get over. I am really impressed with how they are able to gel and pull together.

MZ - Peter, your guitar style reminds me of Clapton and Jimmy Paige. Compliment. Who are some of your guitar influences and why?

PL - Clapton and Paige most definitely. I've always loved their styles, originality, and stage presence. When I was little, I would listen to their CD's and try to mimic what they were doing while playing in front of a mirror. I'd always get better when trying to do what they were doing.

MZ - Are you able to mimic them at this point?

PL - Pretty close, but not quite.

MZ - Earlier, we were talking about Al Dimeola, one of my favorite latin/jazz guitarists. Who are some of your favorite guitarists on today's music landscape that you enjoy hearing or watching?

PL - Jeff Buckley's recent CD "Grace" has really influenced me. He has an amazing sound and is original. Never heard anything like it. His music makes me think and feel good.

MZ - That's what I look for in new artists as well.

MZ - Dave, I understand Paul McCartney & Ray Brown inspire you. What do you particularly enjoy about these fine bassists?

DM - I really like how their bass lines support the sound. They are extremely melodic and at the same time unobtrusive. When I practice, I strive for coming up with bass lines that are similar to their styles. I don't think that a bass player has to be technically very fast and all over the neck to be a great bassist. I want to develop melodic themes that support the songs really well and help keep the foundation solid and flowing.

MZ - What are some of the personality characteristics you look for in band members, so that the band functions well as a whole?

JF - Originality

GJ - I like the fact that each person is their own self, and they support each other. It's that characteristic in each of them that I love. As a band manager, we can have our issues, but when it comes to getting down to business, they all do whatever it takes to make this a success. I look for the freedom each person has, and their personalities and how that relates to their musical style. Moreover, how that integrates into their ability to express themselves. Music is creative expression, and is an outlet of our souls. It comes from a passion within. The band clearly does all of this.

MZ - If I had to ask each of you, one word to describe the characteristics that you are looking for, what would it be?

Band - "Chemistry, enjoyment, fun" JB - Before the one word thing, the one thing that I want to say that's interesting about this band, is this. When we first got together, no of us really knew each other, except for Peter and Ricky. Things just fell into place. So, what I'm saying is that I wasn't looking for any specific characteristics. For example, when Dave joined the band, we knew there were going to be some changes and we all understood going into it as a band. We all just kind of welcomed that.

MZ - So you love the uniqueness that each member brings.

JB - Right, it is just what it is, whatever that may be.

RI - I would say "sincerity" because this band is just full of love. We all love each other like brothers. We are not just band mates. We all go through our hard times, but we are all willing to work through it because we love each other.

MZ - A great place to be.

MZ - Jack, I've heard your drumming and you are an awesome drummer. Carter Beauford, Dave Weckl, Michael Portnoy, and Rod Morgenstein are some of my favorite drummers. Your style is similar. Have any of these drummers inspired you, and if so, to what degree?

JB - Michael and Rod, not as much as Carter and Dave. Just haven't gotten there yet. Weckl and Beauford most definitely. I listen to a lot of that and I try to do most of my learning from them. When I first got into music, I would listen to Carter like it was my job. That's all I wanted in my ears. Now Weckl's style is starting to pull me in another direction. I try to play around things instead of "in things". I'm starting to listen to a lot of Tony Williams for more of a jazz feel. Definitely a lot to learn there.

MZ - That's great. With the diverse backgrounds you guys have, your background really pulls it all together. MZ - Jarvis, what inspires the lyrics & melodies you write?

JF - Mainly just life experiences. So many random things happen to me, and really good things too. So, what I write lyrically, is an expression of those experiences.

MZ - Lyrics that are "real" are the ones that move me as a listener.

MZ - Ricky, what was your first guitar?

RI - My first guitar was given to me by my grandmother when I was about eight. It was a no name classical guitar and I played it like crazy until I finally wore the thing out. The guitar I play today is an Alvarez Yauri DY40. I play a very similar style like Dave Matthews, and I think my Yauri compliments my style of playing better than any other guitar.

MZ - What is most important to you in a guitar? RI - The feel and sound. Strings not breaking because obviously I'm a hard hitter.

MZ - Band, what great things are happening to "Jack's House" in the coming months?

JB - We're doing what we do. We are excited to just keep on plugging away. That's the most important thing for us right now. We just keep centered and think about today and tomorrow. Know what we have coming and know what we need to, to prepare for it. This is how we keep centered and focused. We want to go as far as we possibly can and not give up. I would love to be able to feed my family off of this.

MZ - So, in development of the band, and doing different shows, are you guys going to be on the college circuit or are you there now?

JB - Definitely, we are there now. We just played at UVA, William & Mary, and UMCP. VA Tech will be soon as well as some colleges in PA. We are doing all that we can to build up that fan base and do as much as we can to get our music and sound out there to let people know what we are all about.

MZ - Band, where do you guys want to be two years from now?

JF - I want to be performing in shows five or more days a week. National distribution for our next album. Known east to west.

RI - We just want to reach as many people as possible. Our eventual goal is to be mainstream, but it's not safe to rush that. We want to affect as many fans as possible on the way up. Hopefully in the next few years we will be able to do that.

MZ - I like that approach, it's a balanced approach.

MZ - Band, many readers of this BSA newsletter wonder when they need professional management. You are managed by Gregg Jackson of Oracle Vision Management. I've been very impressed with his people skills, attention to detail and quality, professionalism and honesty. In your minds, when does a band or solo act know when it needs this type of management?

RI - When you are ready and when you are lost. Since we are younger, we need a lot more direction, so we don't get swallowed up in this business. We had to get prepared for having a manager, as it was a big change. We didn't have anywhere to go. We were working as hard as we knew how and it wasn't enough.

JB - Yeah, it's basically just knowing when you have your stuff together personally, or as a group, you have a professional attitude. All the pieces are there, but you can't do it alone anymore. This is when you need to reach out for that help and guidance.

MZ - Gregg, you are the owner/founder of Oracle Vision Management. What are your business principals that help you continue to build your business and secondly, what services do you provide your clients?

GJ - My business is serving the artist and I build my business on what I do for those artists. Absolute integrity, honesty, and delivery. I value myself on my faith and there is nothing that can separate me from my faith and how I was raised. I implement my integrity into my business. My grandfather and mother have instilled these values in me. I really think that artists get a bad deal in the industry, and I want to affect a few people along the way and ensure that artists are treated like humans and not like a piece of contract paper. As a manager of a band, my responsibilities vary widely and I get the job done, until another person becomes part of the team to provide that function. Right now, I'm doing everything from making flyers, promotion and publicity, support, bookings, insurance, etc. Okay, yes, I'm in this business to make money, but I also want to take bands that have a passion and move them forward. I do look for artistic quality, professionalism, passion, and artists with vision. I'm willing to take a little bit of a longer route to ensure things are done for the right reasons. I stand behind my artists.

MZ - Thanks for that Gregg. I look very forward to the show tonight. Thanks to the band for taking the time for this interview. Band - Thank you Mike, great meeting you, etc.

Interview by Michael Zampi

www.zampi-productions.com