Friday, July 04, 2008

 

Saturday in the Park article in Sioux City Journal

Snakebeard Jackson is proud to open up Saturday in the Park festival in Sioux City at noon on Saturday, July 5th. This is a great midwest music tradition and we invite you all down I-29 to join us for it. The Sioux City Journal printed the following article linked HERE about Snakebeard's slot at Saturday in the Park...full text below:

Snakebeard Jackson: S.D. "it" band ready to reach nation



Ask the six members of Snakebeard Jackson what they do for a living and you may think you're hearing the start of a joke.

There's an insurance salesman, an organic farmer, a painter, a restaurant manager, a wildlife biologist and a music history student. But if things keep going as they have been for this Americana band, these full-time jobs may soon be a thing of the past.

In other words, these part-time musicians are no joke.

"We're willing to work hard at this," explained Snakebeard singer/guitarist Sean McFarland. "We play for fun more than anything, so it's not too important, but one day when we're making a living doing this, it will all have been worth it."

Not that things are bad for Snakebeard Jackson. In fact, the band is doing very well. The reality is it's hard work for a band from Sioux Falls, S.D., to branch out and catch the ears of booking agents, A&R reps and label executives. To make up for a lack of connections, the men of Snakebeard Jackson are playing as many gigs as they can in an attempt to land new fans across these lands.

"We're just getting starting, I'm positive of that," McFarland said. "If we can just get in front of people and play like we do, we're sure to make it to the next level soon."

For example, a few hours after Snakebeard kicks of this year's Saturday in the Park Festival at noon, the musicians will pack their gear and themselves into a van and drive a couple of hours into South Dakota to perform an evening gig.

More ears, more fans, the band feels. They might be right.

Snakebeard came together rather organically three years ago when McFarland and guitarist Joey Fokken started jamming together regularly in a garage. Soon an upright bass player (Travis Jamison) joined in, then a mandolin player (Josh Rieck), then a drummer (Matt McFarland). Before they knew it, a band was formed, rounded out by the washboard rubbing and conga shaking of Jesse Wilkens.

With an eclectic grouping of instruments, the men of Snakebeard were not quite such what kind of sound they'd produce. At first, McFarland said things leaned toward the "mellow and folky" side. That was until Matt McFarland (they are cousins) could no longer be contained on the drums.

"We told him we didn't want him to do too much, kind of keep it quite back there," McFarland said with a laugh. "He'd played with punk and metal bands, so trying to hold him back wasn't working."

Instead, the group embraced the driving drums, as they did each other's influences. The end result is a fusion of rock, bluegrass, country and blues -- each style representative of a member's favorite genre -- that makes Snakebeard Jackson unique.

"Touching on all of these elements wasn't something we intended. Everything just naturally led up to it."

A sound was found. The next thing to do was hit the studio.

With an EP already under their belt, the members of Snakebeard spent a portion of 2007 at Minnesota's Pachyderm Studios, the same place where artists such as P.J. Harvey, Soul Asylum, They Might Be Giants and Indigenous had laid down tracks. They left with their first full-length album, "The Burl," which was independently released in October. The Sioux Falls (S.D.) Argus Leader named it the Best Sioux Falls Album of the Year.

"We've got four of the members in the band who are strong songwriters. It's becoming pretty evident that we're all bringing quality to the table," McFarland said, adding the group is now working on a new record for a winter release.

The strength of "The Burl" lead Snakebeard to increase it's fan base and land more shows. Openings spots for the likes of Shooter Jennings, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Tesla and Kansas followed. The group's live performance was taped for South Dakota Public Television's "No Cover No Minimum" and gigs at summer festivals (including on during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally) were booked.

According to McFarland, their brand of Americana rock may be coming up at the right time. It actually might be hip, he figured.

"We've been joking around that bluegrass is like the new punk rock. All the hipster kids that wannabee on the edge, smoke cigarettes and wear black are coming to our shows. There's an energy when we play. I'm as surprised as anyone else that there's a punk sort of energy in bluegrass."

Snakebeard Jackson

Who: Noon

What: Rock/bluegrass/country fusion

SITP trivia: Snakebeard Jackson is no stranger to Sioux City stages. In fact, when performing in this Iowa town the members of Snakebeard frequently share a stage with local rockers Mat D. and the Profane Saints. Mat D., you may remember, opened up the 17th annual SITP festival last year.





<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?