2008 Woodie Awards
Seaweed Jack rocks out with a style all their own
Iain Bernhoft
Issue date: 11/5/04 Section: A & E
- Page 1 of 2 next >
If Jack Black of Tenacious D is considered the prophet who proclaimed the gospel of "a hard day's rocking," then Seaweed Jack must surely be counted among Mr. Black's rock disciples.
Practicing as a band 12 to 15 hours a week and "writing like crazy," they have rapidly ascended over the past year in the local music scene and are riding a wave of hard work and creativity.
Seaweed Jack was founded last spring by sophomore friends Geoff Doolittle (vocals, guitar), Anthony Stassi (drums) and Jack Sheehy (bass). They were joined on guitar by Ted Van Brunt and Pete Murray, and quickly made a name for themselves by winning Battle of the Bands and drawing a big audience at Madonnastock.
They laid down a 10-track CD at the end of the spring, a slightly uneven collection of the band's initial songs. Two of their songs will appear on the soundtrack for "Pea Stains and Other Disasters," an independent film showing at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
There have been significant changes in Seaweed Jack's lineup since last spring. Van Brunt and Murray left to pursue other interests and were replaced by freshman Brian "Stacy" White. This has been accompanied by a shift in the band's sound toward harder, more driving territory (evident in such songs as the thunderous "Man Down"). It has also ushered in a period of remarkable creativity - Doolittle and Stassi estimate that Seaweed Jack will have roughly 15 new songs by the time they return to the studio in December.
Indeed, if you haven't caught a Seaweed Jack show this semester, it's because they haven't been playing many, choosing instead to concentrate on writing. They did recently play their first-ever acoustic show at a Crosby Coffeehouse, however. Sheehy described it as "educational," helping the band learn their sound and work on levels.
One cannot describe the sound of Seaweed Jack without immediate reference to Modest Mouse. Doolittle's vocal style seems particularly indebted to Isaac Brock, in his rapid switching between singing and screaming and his fast-paced, erratic delivery. A self-professed Modest Mouse fanatic, Doolittle says ruefully that he sometimes goes for months without listening to his favorite band in order to cultivate a songwriting style more his own.
Practicing as a band 12 to 15 hours a week and "writing like crazy," they have rapidly ascended over the past year in the local music scene and are riding a wave of hard work and creativity.
Seaweed Jack was founded last spring by sophomore friends Geoff Doolittle (vocals, guitar), Anthony Stassi (drums) and Jack Sheehy (bass). They were joined on guitar by Ted Van Brunt and Pete Murray, and quickly made a name for themselves by winning Battle of the Bands and drawing a big audience at Madonnastock.
They laid down a 10-track CD at the end of the spring, a slightly uneven collection of the band's initial songs. Two of their songs will appear on the soundtrack for "Pea Stains and Other Disasters," an independent film showing at this year's Sundance Film Festival.
There have been significant changes in Seaweed Jack's lineup since last spring. Van Brunt and Murray left to pursue other interests and were replaced by freshman Brian "Stacy" White. This has been accompanied by a shift in the band's sound toward harder, more driving territory (evident in such songs as the thunderous "Man Down"). It has also ushered in a period of remarkable creativity - Doolittle and Stassi estimate that Seaweed Jack will have roughly 15 new songs by the time they return to the studio in December.
Indeed, if you haven't caught a Seaweed Jack show this semester, it's because they haven't been playing many, choosing instead to concentrate on writing. They did recently play their first-ever acoustic show at a Crosby Coffeehouse, however. Sheehy described it as "educational," helping the band learn their sound and work on levels.
One cannot describe the sound of Seaweed Jack without immediate reference to Modest Mouse. Doolittle's vocal style seems particularly indebted to Isaac Brock, in his rapid switching between singing and screaming and his fast-paced, erratic delivery. A self-professed Modest Mouse fanatic, Doolittle says ruefully that he sometimes goes for months without listening to his favorite band in order to cultivate a songwriting style more his own.