groove-driven country-pop-rock

9 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Country Rock, COUNTRY: Modern Country



Details:
Like its legendary namesake, Jackalope Junction's music is an arresting cross-breed....a mix of rock energy and roots-music groove with the pop appeal of modern country music. Songwriter and lead singer Dave Isaacs assembled the first JJ lineup in 1997, and burst upon the local consciousness shortly thereafter with a top-10 finish in the 1997 Long Island Music Festival. The band's first CD A Sense Of Direction was released in the spring of 1998, prompting Long Island Entertainment to rave, "Jackalope Junction has produced an album of emotion, elegance, and unforgettable songs." National acclaim was not far behind; Independendent Songwriter Web-Magazine wrote "...a departure from the obvious fare, this CD sparkles like a gem in the desert...clearly destined for a larger, global audience" and selected JJ as one of the 12 best bands in the U.S. in their August 1999 issue. Inside Connection praised the band's "innovative" sound and "huge crossover appeal", calling Isaacs "one of the finest writers [Long] Island can claim as its own." The Renegade Newsletter raved, "Jackalope Junction is impossible to classify, and that in itself is what is so good about this band."

JJ's 2001 release Just Drive garnered positive reviews from media across the country, and received airplay on over 75 radio stations nationwide. Respected Nashville music critic Robert K. Oermann wrote "promising......nicely written and performed with heart" in a review of the lead-off single and title track in Music Row Magazine. In the local press, Newsday gave Just Drive straight A's for songwriting, performance, and sound quality, calling the CD "a good showcase for one of Long Island's best songwriters."

Notable performances have included renowned clubs like NYC's Bitter End, Denim & Diamonds, and Le Bar Bat, Long Island's Stephen Talkhouse and Jones Beach Theater, the 2000 Woodstock Reunion, the 2001 Florida Citrus Festival, and opening slots for country superstar Martina McBride, country-pop rising star Jessica Andrews, alternative country legends the Flatlanders, and classic rock veterans George Thorogood and the Steve Miller Band. Two songs from the Sense Of Direction CD can be heard on the soundtrack to independent filmmaker Michael Lee Barlin's award-winning feature "The Pig Farm" which had its debut screening in New York City in August of 2001 and has been released on DVD in Europe.

In a review of a recent live performance, Good Times Magazine states, "Jackalope Junction takes all the colors of country and creatively blends it with rock, blues, and pop, creating a beautiful kaleidoscope of musical adventures. Sounding at times like every great country performer you've ever heard, and at times like nothing you've ever heard before, this band is undeniably destined for big-time success."