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Jetscreamer Biography

jetscreamer
  • Years Active: 2000s
  • Genre: Rock & Alternative

In the late ‘90s and 2000s, Jetscreamer's forceful, Texas-fried blend of alternative rock and blues-rock has inspired some unlikely, highly intriguing descriptions, things like Sonic Youth-meets-John Lee Hooker, My Bloody Valentine-meets-Stevie Ray Vaughan-and-Canned Heat, and Nirvana-by way of-Led Zeppelin-and-Lightnin' Hopkins. And all of those comparisons are, in fact, valid when you're discussing the Texas trio, whose work is as swampy, bluesy, earthy, and gritty as it is noisy, dissonant, and distorted. Jetscreamer's sound owes a lot to alternative rock, grunge, and punk, and their alt-rock influences range from Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine to the seminal Nirvana. But at the same time, Jetscreamer obviously realizes that rock music didn't begin with modern alternative rock, and they also have plenty of pre-‘80s influences, including Led Zeppelin, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, the MC5, and Canned Heat. For that matter, their swampy tendencies also owe something to blues greats like John Lee Hooker and Texas legend Lightnin' Hopkins (both of whom could be very dark, moody, and brooding when they wanted to). So even though Jetscreamer's sound is modern and contemporary by the alt-rock standards of the ‘90s and early 2000s, their musical roots run deep. They turn to different eras for inspiration, and they do so in a way that is freewheeling yet logical and coherent. Jetscreamer was formed in Denton, TX in 1998, when singer/guitarist Will Kapinos joined forces with guitarist Samantha Moss and drummer Alex Maples. The threesome quickly became a fixture on the Lone Star music scene, where they developed a local following in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and frequently performed in other Texas cities as well. In 2002, Jetscreamer recorded their debut album, Starhead, which Bella Union Records (a British label run by Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde of Cocteau Twins fame) released in the United States in June 2003. Although recorded in Argyle, TX, Starhead was mastered in England at London's famous Abbey Road Studios. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi

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