JOKESTER
Rock
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"JOKESTER"
Texas
United States
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7975
Last Login:
11/23/2008
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| JOKESTER: General Info
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| Member Since | 7/6/2007 | | Band Members |
Tom Roebuck - Vocals
Vince Garcia - Guitar/ Vocals
Jeff Land - Guitar/ Vocals
Ed Anglin - Bass Guitar/ Vocals
Ken Robinson - Drums
| | Influences |
MOXY, Bad Company, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Judas Priest, The Scorpions, UFO, Montrose, Pink Floyd, ZZ Top, Sammy Hagar, Van Halen, Babylon AD and many, many others...
| | Sounds Like |
The debut opens with the Boston-styled pop rock of “Out of Control,” “Long Gone” and “Shady Lady.” Hints of the Doobie Brothers, Eddie Money and Journey emerge in the radio-friendly, hook-heavy tunes. Jokester even throws in a rocking remake of Three Dog Night’s “Never Been To Spain.” Jokester wanted to make an album that would’ve made the late Godfather of rock radio, Joe Anthony, proud. Our vote it that they’ve accomplished it.
Hector Saldana
San Antonio Express-News
“Out of Control” opens the CD, and sounds like it would fit right in with the playlist of local classic rock station KZEP. “Long Gone” highlights Roebuck’s emotional voice, which molds itself to fit differently for each song. “Shady Lady” begins with twin lead guitars and then crunches along with piles of power chords, breaking off for a little lead guitar pyrotechnics in the middle. “Just Be Your Friend” kicks out the jams, sounding like a lost Stones record mated with Loverboy. I know I am giving a lot of classic rock reference points here, but I find that’s the easiest way to describe what Jokester is doing! Their style is a throwback to the writing and playing of some the classic rock bands that still are in favor in San Antonio. “I Can’t Remember” is a killer song from beginning to end and wrapping up the CD is Jokester’s rendition of the Three Dog Night classic “Never Been To Spain.” Starting off much like the original with plenty of reverb-and-delay-drenched guitar, Jokester adds its own spin to the song, building up to a rousing crescendo. Overall, a solid debut effort for this band that seems on it way up in the world.
Steve Elliott
The Edge Magazine
SA band shows its Moxy
Jokester album is no joke
Somewhere former San Antonio radio pioneer Joe Anthony has a smile on his face as wide as the Alamodome. After all, this was more than a meeting of minds. This was the passing of the torch. And it couldn’t have scripted any better in one of those VH1”Behind the Music” specials.
San Antonio’s Jokester, an emerging force on the regional rock scene, released their self-titled debut album. True, with the advent of digital technology and the affordability of pressing compact discs versus vinyl records, everyone but grandma is releasing an album these days. But Jokester’s inaugural effort is, well, no joke.
Offering an impressive, refreshing collection of original tracks, all of which stand on their own, Jokester is a throwback to the Anthony days on San Antonio radio before stations such as 99.5 lost their manhood. In the late 70’s and early 80’s, Anthony turned the Alamo City onto bands such as Triumph, Krokus and Saxon, groups that blended knockout guitar punches with melodic vocals. It appears Jokester has rediscovered that fire, but there is nothing outdated about its final product.
Perhaps more impressive than the material on Jokester’s debut CD is the gumption with which the band marketed its release. The one question bands desperately want answered when shopping a record is: How do we get the big boys to take notice?
Jokester’s answer: Drag them up on stage.
Inside a smoke-filled Copper Dollar, a standing-room-only crowd waited in anticipation. The main attraction: Earl Johnson and Buddy Cain, better known as the tandem guitar team from Moxy, another band made famous in these parts by Anthony. Gasoline cost 75 cents a gallon last time these guys were in town.
Jokester pulled a rabbit out of a hat with the choreography of their special night. Foregoing egos for results, a refreshing change in the music business, Jokester actually opened their own show.
After a couple of sets of strong originals and some well-chosen covers, Roebuck, Anglin and Gerard remained on stage as Johnson and Cain joined them for a set of San Antonio Moxy favorites. Roebuck’s vocals resembled the original Moxy sound so much many in the crowd were in awe, and seemingly everyone, swept up in the moment, sang in harmony, growing to a crescendo with the chilling choruses of “ Sail on, sail away…”
At the end, the remaining members of Jokester came back on stage and joined the others for an encore. Said Cain as the crowd roared and waited for more, “That’s all we’ve had time to rehearse.” Johnson added privately after the show, “I could have gone back out and done those songs again.” And not a soul would have minded.
The brilliance of Jokester paid off. These guys, who do a remarkable job covering some of the Moxy hits on a regular basis, forged a special bond with a band that has already left its mark on the music industry. Making the members of Moxy part of their special debut release event was a bonus for both camps as Jokester received a valuable endorsement from an accomplished recording act and Moxy uncovered a group that can reconnect them to San Antonio and Texas.
Said Land about sharing the stage with one of his favorite bands: “Its one thing to see your favorite band in person. Its another thing to stand up on stage with them and play their songs. How many people ever get the chance to do that?”
Very few.
This merging of the minds, this mentor and protégé compilation, is precisely the example of unity that Anthony often promoted. Long ago he envisioned a rock industry where successful bands would clear the path for deserving newcomers. Sure, bands such as KISS and artists such as Ozzy Osbourne have bought into this concept somewhat by discovering or aiding bands such as Van Halen and Pantera, respectively. But with the helping hands of Moxy, a longtime San Antonio rock legend, one Alamo City band has now benefited tremendously from Anthony’s master plan.
If the Godfather were here today, this is undoubtedly what he would say: “Okay, San Antonio, sit back and pop a top on a cold one. This is brand new by a band called Jokester. Its gonna be big.”
He’d probably be right,
W. Scott Bailey
W. Scott Bailey is a writer for the San Antonio Business Journal
| | Record Label | Independant | | Type of Label | Major |
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| About JOKESTER |
Formed in late 1993, Jokester’s strong melodic riffs with lyrical storylines have been painting the musical landscape for going on 15 years now. Hailing from deep in the heart of Texas, near San Antonio, this band has made a name for itself around the country and the world with fans from as far away as Canada, Germany and Sweden as well as here in the U.S. Jokester released its self-titled debut CD consisting of six original songs and an inspirational remake of the 1969 1 hit by Three Dog Night “Never Been To Spain.”
With such influences as Sammy Hagar, Moxy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Scorpions, Judas Priest, Van Halen, ZZ Top, UFO and many, many others…this band likes to rock. Started in 1993 by Vince Garcia, Jokester is made up of longtime members Garcia on lead guitar and vocals, Tom Roebuck on lead vocals, Ed Anglin on bass guitar and vocals, Jeff Land on rhythm guitar and vocals and Ken Robinson on drums.
Over their career Jokester has shared the stage with rock legends such as UFO, Moxy, Legs Diamond, Budgie, Saxon, The Michael Schenker Group (UFO), U.D.O. (Accept), Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, Bachman Turner Overdrive and The Outfield.
“We love to jam and just hang out with each other. That is what makes the music work…we are all the best of friends. I wrote the majority of what is on the CD. I wrote these songs prior to playing with Tom, Jeff and Ken. Ed and I have played together for almost 20 years now. These guys have taken my vision to another level. They each have put their own personal style in their parts and it shows. We all play with passion and I think that comes across on the CD.”
Vince Garcia
“When Vince approached me and asked if I would be interested in joining the band and sing for them I was a little apprehensive until I heard the original stuff Vince and Edgar had put together. I really liked the songs and was moved at how much emotion and melody was in Vince’s playing.”
Tom Roebuck
“We are very proud of our CD and all the work that went into it. We feel like it is an extremely radio-friendly piece of music that happens to be gaining some momentum around the country and the world. Not bad for an independently recorded, produced, marketed and manufactured CD. This band is and always will be a melodic hard rock band like those that inspired us. We are constantly getting compliments on the CD…it really is amazing how people have taken to this music. Nothing can compare to seeing the crowd sing the lyrics to the songs along with us as we play. We are first and foremost a live band. Performance is our strong suit.”
Jeff Land
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