Jack at his friend's house on Brinkerhoff Street in Plattsburgh

Jack’s eclectic love of music is inspired by Van Morrison, the Pixies, Primus, and Jimi Hendrix. He describes his latest project, Loomis, as a mix of Nirvana and Sublime’s Forty Ounces to Freedom. He co-created the music label Lucrative Minds in 2002 with his friend, Brian Osborne. He started his own solo career and began rapping in freestyle battles. 

Jack grew up in Albany and moved to Chatam, New York when he was young. His parents split up when he was an infant. “To be honest, I’m glad they’re not together. Separately they’re great people,” Jack says. At 16, Jack's mom kicked him out, so he moved in with a friend who lived close to his high school. “Graduating high school was important for me.”

“Frank Black of the Pixies has to be my number one inspiration. I can’t tell you how happy I am that they got back together,” Jack says.

As childhood friends, Jack, Zack Calhaun, and his brother formed an unnamed band in high school. Jack played the bass. One of his favorite shows was performed at a parade on a pontoon boat on the Fourth of July in 1998; they mostly covered the Rolling Stones.

His musical inspirations fuel Jack’s musical diversity. “Frank Black of the Pixies has to be my number one inspiration. I can’t tell you how happy I am that they got back together,” Jack says.

Jack's mother introduced him to Van Morrison. As a dance instructor, his mother always had music playing in his house. “I love these bands because I can relate to their music,” he says. “Certain people have messages that stick with you so much that you can feel it in your spine.”

After graduating high school, he followed his ex-girlfriend to Poughkeepsie where she attended college. Jack enrolled himself in a community college. It was then that he started writing movie scripts, particularly thriller movies. “That’s what I do- I’m a writer,” Jack says.

“Certain people have messages that stick with you so much that you can feel it in your spine,” Jack says.

While visiting a friend who attended Plattsburgh State University, he decided Plattsburgh would be his next move. “I’m grateful to be up here. I’ve met a lot of great people,” Jack says. This is when Jack’s music career took off.

“I was at a party on Pike Street in Plattsburgh and I jumped into a free styling circle. Everyone had on a face like, ‘He doesn’t actually suck,’” Jack explains, tugging at his navy blue cotton polo collar that accents his blue eyes. This is where he met members, Swek and Ben Rhymin',’ of the rap group North East Compact, whose CD appears in Peacock Music. Ben Rhymin' is now signed to the Lucrative Minds label.

Loomis, named after Dr. Sam Loomis of the Halloween thrillers, consisted of Jack on guitar and vocals, James Roberts on guitar, and Chris D’Andrga on drums. They have had the same struggles other bands have. “We sometimes forget that people have lives outside of the band and we’re all very set in our ways,” Jack explains. The ability of each band member to be direct and open often led to heated arguments over their dedication to the band, as well as gigs falling through. But Jack says that as soon as they start playing together, their worries are put on the back burner. “Playing with the band is both a great stress reliever and a great stress builder,” he says.

“There’s a lot more opportunities in the northeast than people think. I think it’s so overlooked because it’s such a tough market and we don’t know how to work it,” Jack explains.

Under pressure, Jack projects the problems with the music industry today. “It’s about playing the same song over a million times. It’s the same pressure that drove Kurt Cobain to kill himself. No one wants to be a puppet,” Jack explains.

“It’s about playing the same song over a million times. It’s the same pressure that drove Kurt Cobain to kill himself. No one wants to be a puppet,” Jack explains.

Tension between the band mates tightened until it burst. Roberts wanted out. “I think it was just too much for him. He’s a young kid.” The demise of Loomis hindered Jack’s desire to play music for two weeks. “I knew that I would never give it up. Something that I was putting all my energy into was crushed.” No artist can ever truly hate art, so Jack eventually reunited with his love.

Jack is not all sour on the industry. “It’s the best feeling in the world when people come up to me and tell me how much they relate to my music. It’s such a universal language,” he explains. As much as tension from promotions aggravate Jack, he remains focused on continuing to both spread and play his music. “Sometimes it’s better than sex; although sex does have it’s moments.”

Now Jack’s focusing on his solo demo. “It’s both acoustic and electric,” he says. Drummer Chris D’Andrga will be making some guest appearances. “Most of the songs are about cop outs—people afraid of their own potential.”

What type of new music do you listen to? Let us know!

Check out samples of Jack's diverse sound below:
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Music Sample 1
(warning - explicit lyrics)

Music Sample 2