Text by Nancy Neon / FFanzeen, Jan
2019
Images from the Internet
Images from the Internet
Kenne Highland of The Gizmos and The Boston Groupie News' Editor-at-Large explains what sets The
Jackets apart from the current barrage of garage rock bands: he describes them
as having "the gymnastics of the Monterey Pop era Who and Love It To Death Alice Cooper spider
eyeliner, while playing The Kinks at Kelvin Hall feedback-inducing solos while crowd
surfing." My introduction to The Jackets came with "Wasting My Time," 3 minutes and 53
seconds of pure Dionysian frenzy.
The band is based in Bern, Switzerland. The lineup is Jack
Torera aka Jackie Bruschte on guitar
and lead vocals, Samuel "Schmidi" Schmidiger on bass and vocals, and
Chris Rosales, from Southern California, on drums and vocals. Jack’s and
Schmidi's vocal interplay is distinctive, adding an extra layer of interest to the
band's vocal arrangements. At the Cambridge, MA show, October 5, 2018, Torera's
vocals were described by Jeff Kabot of The Superkools and The Downtowners as a
"grittier Chrissie Hynde" or in a "Grace Slick mode.” As Michael
Passman, garage maven and photographer in Austin, TX, remarked "Jack can
scream!" Torera mixes up a potent elixir of rhythm and lead guitar prowess
that hooks the fans. She is constantly in motion, kicking, gesticulating wildly,
and even executing arabesques like a garage rock prima ballerina.
The Jackets 'songs are rebellious
and defiant-Youthquaker anthems of autonomy. The Jackets
cite their influences as The Music Machine, The Monks,
and The MC5. The trio does deliver a kick out the jams level of impact,
mixing ‘60s punk with ‘70s punk into a potent, irresistible, and addictive
cocktail. I have never seen such a fierce band that is also full of good humor,
high spirited fun, and full blast excitement. .No band has ever answered the
"Where Have All The Good Times Gone" question so definitively-The
good times are here and now with The Jackets.
Torera has a magnetic presence and binds the crowd
together and pulls them into a tribal dance like a shaman. John Keegan, writer
and photographer of The Boston Groupie
News counted the show's highlights as "Keep Yourself Alive,"
"Hands Off Me," and "Freak Out.” For me, it was my first and
favorite: the wild, frenetic "Wasting My Time,” the angry admonition to a
bad boyfriend, "Hang Up,” the exhilarating "Don't Turn Yourself In,”
and the autonomy anthem delivered as a pure punk assault, “Be Myself."
Michael Passman describes The Jackets
as "raw fuzz like The Cynics, but loud like Billy
Childish"(who helped make Toe Rag studios in London famous). Passman adds,
"The Jackets’ record label,
Voodoo Rhythm, is the best label as far as great bands go, including Jackets’ friends and tour mates, The
Darts."
It has been two weeks since The Jackets
show and I am still asking myself " Why did the
band make me feel like a wild, uninhibited teenager again, and what made seeing
The Jackets like hearing rock 'n'
roll for the first time? " Mike Stax of The Loons and Ugly Things magazine responded, "The Jackets
strip rock 'n' roll down to its basic, essential
components. Then they build something fresh, something that is unique to their
personalities and need for self-expression. It feels new because it is unique
and free of cliché and gimmickry"
The Jackets’ drummer,
Chris Rosales, explains the rock'n'roll kinship that brought together: The Jackets, with The Loons and The Darts
with whom they toured and who helped bring The Jackets to the US,” of which Rosales says, "The connection is
good ole rock and roll. As far as my connection with Mike Stax, I first met
Mike when I was a regular at Greg Shaw's Cavern Club in the ‘80s. As for The
Darts, we met in France a few years ago. Nicole Laurenne invited us to tour
with The Darts and we just did it. Then there is the ”Little Steven Underground
Garage” connection. So put that all in a pot and stir it vigorously, and that
is how The Jackets came to the
USA.
When asked what it was like to tour with The Jackets, Nicole, The Darts' singer, who was also brilliant and
a personal fave in The Love Me Nots and Motobunny, said "Touring with the Jackets is the most comfortable, easy
tour we've done to date. They are not only top-notch musicians but sweet and
genuine people with a strong work ethic. They love Indian food as much as we
do. We miss them so much. We know they burned Boston right to the ground."
Buy The Jackets records, but
absolutely do not miss experiencing them live because just as Kabot says,
"Just when you thought it had all been done with three chord garage rock,
The Jackets have not just
reinvented it, they own it!.”
Jack Torera (guitar, vocals);"Schmidi" Schmidiger (bass);Chris Rosales (drums) |
Nancy Neon:
Who or what made you want to be a singer?
Jack Torera: It was more of an accident when a friend
convinced me to join their punk band when I was 19 to play guitar and sing. Shortly
after that, we had a gig and it was like an explosion for me. There was this wild,
raw thing that came out of me onstage that I didn't know before.
Nancy:
And who influenced your vocal style?
Jack: Playing in many bands and many concerts over the
years. I never had an idol or a certain style I wanted to achieve. I just do
what I do in my own way and that is good.
Nancy: What
artist or songwriter made you want to create your own songs?
Jack: Not a specific artist or songwriter. It was more
the DIY movement and the culture from ‘60s garage punk bands... the idea that
"everybody can play music" as long as it is authentic and direct from
the heart. I always wanted to play my own songs. For me, that is what makes a
band a real band.
Nancy:
What songwriters made the most positive impact on your writing style?
Jack: A great inspiration for songwriting is Arthur Lee
of Love and Sean Bonniwell of The Music Machine. I never get bored of their
songs because they are varied which I like, and always sound authentic.
Nancy:
Which musicians inspired you to play music?
Samuel "Schmidi" Schmidiger: I am originally a
guitar player. My main guitar influences are Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, and
Reverend Beat Man[Reverend Beat Man and
his band The Monsters are The Jackets’ label
mates on Voodoo Rhythm Records - NN]
Nancy:
What bass players do you admire?
Schmidi: John Entwistle of The Who definitely inspired me
as a bass player. I admire Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and
Robert Butler of The Untold Fables and Miracle Workers that introduced me to
the world of Mosrite basses.
Nancy: How
did you get your start as a drummer?
Chris Rosales: I started playing in my garage in the ‘80s.
I had a record player next to my drum set turned up to the highest volume on
one of those ‘70s portable record players. I would play along to The Seeds and
The Doors because I was into the ‘60s garage rock revival of the ‘80s. The
Seeds' drummer, Rick Andridge, had a very basic style that was easy to copy,
like the beat on "Can't Seem To Make You Mine." From The Doors' drummer,
John Densmore, I learned the Bossa Nova and single and double stroke drum rolls.
The Sonics' drummer, Bob Bennett had a huge influence on me with the way he
played that bass drum. But it was probably Ringo Starr, Mickey Dolenz, and my
Dad – who was a jazz drummer in the late ‘50s – who influenced me aesthetically
to want to sit behind a band and play drums.
Nancy:
The Loons and The Darts helped bring The Jackets to the US. You are also tight with The Woogles and have
recently toured with them. How did you get hooked up with The Woogles?
Chris: I met The Woogles in the early 2000s in Switzerland
when I was playing in the Get Lost with members of The Miracle Workers [The Miracle Workers had their debut album, Inside
Out on Bomp! Records and were based in Portland,
OR and in Los Angeles, CA – NN] The Get Lost played a few gigs with The
Woogles and we hit it off. I also got to know their drummer, Dan Electro while
I was producing a podcast in the 2000's on the garagepunk.com network where he
was also a podcaster.
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