Piqued Jacks
- billeklof4167
- Sep 21, 2015
- 3 min read
Rock group from Texas and Itlay . . .They appear in our first issue in an article written by John Sullivan. The group has toured extensively . .and had headlined a CMJ festival. You can sample their music on reverbnation and youtube. We'll provide more information, below . . .
(click a title or url to access music players or music videos . . .)
I've always believed that some of the best hard rock and heavy metal music hails from Europe. Germany, Switzerland, England, Sweden and Denmark have all given us some of the best music to date. That's not saying that America isn't a breeding ground for some major ass-kicking music as well. It's just that Europe has always given us a run for our money. And now, up to the plate steps Piqued Jacks from Italy. Italy? Not a country I would have put on my list until now. Piqued Jacks is a band made up of 4 guys who grew up together in a small village in Italy. They have been referred to as a "band of brothers". Whether it's because they are bonded by blood or because they are a close knit family of friends who grew up together and their relationship as friends is similar to that of a brotherhood. Either way they are quite an impressive quartet. Andrea, also known as E-King is the vocalist and pianist. Francesco, also known as Penguinsane is the guitarist as well as provider of backing vocals. Matteo, also known as ThEdOg is the drummer. Francesco, also known as Littleladle is the bassist. They came up with the name Piqued Jacks back in 2006 when a very clumsy bassist dropped his guitar. This caused the audio jack to get bent in the output and when it was pulled out it resembled a man's genitalia after a few viagra hits. I guess that would be the opposite of a "Sad Sack". The band says their name describes their music and personality. Many bands out there have names that were derived in unusual ways and here are two examples: AC/DC got their name from a sewing machine after Malcolm and Angus' sister Margaret suggested it. Steely Dan named themselves after a metal dildo. Piqued Jacks put out 2 ep's between 2010 and 2011 and received quite a bit of airplay on the Italian radio network Rai 1 and Radio Rai 1. They also hold an annual spiritual retreat in Tucson breaking down musical barriers for a new ep. Soon after that Grammy nominated producer Brian Lanese invited Piqued Jacks to come to Los Angeles to record their ep titled Just A Machine and it was released in 2013. After promoting the ep in Italy they moved to my birthplace of Austin, TX and toured independently across Texas from 2013 to 2014. They received quite a bit of attention from radio stations throughout the United States including Earmilk and Balcony TV. The ep Just A Machine is very impressive as it shows the diversity and creativity the band expresses throughout each song. It's pretty relevant considering their musical influences early on are The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters and Coldplay and later came along The Killers, The Mars Volta, Queens Of The Stone Age and Biffy Clyro although the guys in Piqued Jacks credit their own creative minds to helping round out their unique blend of techno, alternative/melodic metal, progressive hard rock and funk rock. In 2014 Piqued Jacks returned home to work on their debut album titled Climb Like Ivy Does. The meaning behind the title of the album is " to fight for what you love without giving up and also without forgetting about your roots". Another interpretation: Keep chasing your dream no matter how long it takes because if you give up you give up on life and when the ivy stops climbing the dream dies like the roots of the ivy. Two singles were released from their debut album titled Upturned Perspectives and No Bazooka and for two weeks they were placed on the home page of the CMJ Network. Matt Noveskey of Blue October also encouraged the Heart Singles. The album was released in January of 2015 and the Atlas Tour kept the band busy as it carried them throughout 12 of the 50 United States and currently landed them back on their home turf in Italy and the Marea Festival as well as the MusicaW Festival. Climb Like Ivy Does can be heard on SoundCloud and Reverbnation as well as select videos on YouTube. Piqued Jacks are a great example of what can be accomplished when creative minds come together and the end result is a masterful creation of sound, energy and vision.
John Sullivan-drummer for The King Is Hypnotized.
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