WASHINGTON, November, 2, 2011 —The most common theme written about the Static Jacks' first album "If You’re Young" is how mature the young band seems. This extends to their sound and overall presence whenever they talk about music in a general sense. At this point, it appears to be the defining quality of this developing band.
Knowing this going into their show at the 9:30 Club, it’s hard to make a similar connection once they take the stage. The Static Jacks are a youthful looking band and sound like it every time they stop to chat with the audience. It’s something hard not to take notice of. Once they start playing though, those comments about the band become apparent.
There are a few reasons why this reaction is true and should be noted all the same. Ian Devaney is the Static Jacks' lead singer and is the most noticeable reason for the band’s seemingly mature style. His singing voice and the way he talks to the audience almost makes a listener feel like he's two completely different people. The vocals he employs are assertive bordering on forceful. It’s like if Glen Danzig decided to start singing like Morrissey.
His vocals are assertive and the focal point for the band, but never overshadow the rest of the musicians. He does give the band a distinct voice and sets up them apart from any other rock acts they might be lumped together with. It does take awhile to get used the vocals, but that has as much to do with their unique quality with anything else. It feels like Devaney is making a conscious attempt not to sound like any other musician on the block who's currently making noise.
This helps audience take notice of the Static Jacks and get the band's set off on the right foot. While the focus may be on Devaney’s vocals, it sets everything up for the rest of the band’s sonic attack.
The Static Jacks' sound is just straightforward rock with a hint of pop. Aside from the faint use of keyboards there isn’t anything that could be considered a gimmick to hang their hat on. There’s no real genre they could be easily associated with. They’re just a basic rock band.
It helps that the songs for the most are simple and sweet, with easy-to-recognize hooks. Nothing is complicated about how or what the band plays. Because they sound like just a rock band instead of something tied directly to one of rock’s subgenre, their sound often gets mistaken for maturity or a band that's developed beyond its years.
This isn’t really the case. The reason for the "mature" talk surrounding the band is that their sound, coupled with Devaney’s vocals, makes them feel like a band taken out of the best of ‘70s and ‘80s rock, sounding vaguely like the Cure or the Smiths with some natural Springsteen influence. In essence, what they are is timeless.
Of course their stage presence is anything but timeless. The thing that really betrays the band’s age is their energy in front of a crowd. Despite sounding mature beyond their years, they still look like a really young band. This doesn’t hurt them, though, as they move around the stage with a spark that fills every note they play. Every instant the band is up on stage feels like a fun filled moment for them.
The Static Jacks are a young band coming into their own. They haven’t quite gotten there yet. The live set they performed though, which covers almost all of their current recording material to date, is one that shows promise.
Stephen Bradley is an avid music listener. Read more of his work in Riffs at the Washington Times Communities.
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