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Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks
Alternative / Indie / Melodramatic Popular Song

"LITTLE JACK MELODY AND HIS YOUNG TURKS"

DENTON, Texas
United States

Profile Views:  15002




Last Login:  7/25/2008
View My: Pics | Videos

   Contacting Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks

 MySpace URL: 
  http://www.myspace.com/myspacecomlittlejackmelody  

   Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks: General Info
Member Since6/16/2006
Band Websitelittlejackmelody.com
Band MembersCurrently officially:
Little Jack Melody- singing, songwriting, sometimes bassing
Brad Williams- piano, harmonium
Don Cento- electric guitar

Informally:
Rob Avsharian, drums
and James Driscoll, bass

Past members may include:
Drummers Steve Calhoon, Chopper Bergeron, Chris Michael, Bill Shupp, Joel Fountain, Danny Lueck, Chris Sipe, who am I forgetting?

Keyboardists Mark Spicer, Scott Loehr, Lee Tomboulian, Jerome Rossen, Jim Cocke, Matt Duncan, who am I forgetting?

Tubaist Dave Dorbin

Bassists Mike Davis, Jeff Novack, Jeff Curry, Anthony Caceres

Saxophonists Lee Schloss, Vic Anderson, Mike Stinnett, Jacob Duncan, Eric Morones, Jeff Fort, Neil Johnson, Christian Parkess, Matt Rothstein, who am I forgetting?
InfluencesBrecht/Weill, Randy Newman, Carla Bley, Hubert Selby Jr., Weimar Cabaret, Tom Waits, Nino Rota, Stephen Sondheim, Raymond Carver, Frank Sinatra, Jonathan Swift, streetcorner Salvation Army bands, Banda Sinaloense el Recodo de Don Cruz Lizárraga, W.B. Yeats, Teddy Edwards, Guy Lombardo, Joni Mitchell, the Beats, Astor Piazzolla, Edward Hopper, Francis Bacon, early Leonard Cohen, the old world, harmoniums, 2" tape, Nick Drake, William Blake, Henry Miller, Lewis Furey, Andrew Wyeth, Thomas Hart Benton, Magma, Richard Sinclair, Henry Cow, Robert Wyatt, coffee, more on the way...
Sounds LikeA cave painting of a bison from Altamira; "kilroy was here" in chalk on the side of a moving boxcar.
Record LabelKilroy Records
Type of LabelIndie




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   About Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks
Little Jack Melody adopted his current nom de guerre from a Beat Generation minor player, and fashioned LJM and his Young Turks as a protest group on two fronts: first, with its anachronistic instrumentation of harmonium (pump organ), tuba, tenor banjo, sax/clarinet, and Roaring 20's style trap kit, the band was a Luddite response to the age of digital synths and "the mandate of creating every sound under the sun plus a bunch of new ones that we don't even have names for yet"; secondly, many of his original songs shared the tradition of protest and commentary that characterized the spirit of the cabaret movement in Europe.

Little Jack Melody and his Young Turks became a melting pot of its leader's enthusiasms. Jack found inspiration in the confessionals of Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski and Tom Waits; he was intrigued by the subtleties of Raymond Carver, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill; he was moved by the sheer power and humanity of Hubert Selby Jr., Henry Miller and Carla Bley; he found metaphors in circuses, Salvation Army bands and Melville.

"On the Blank Generation" was released in 1991 and met with conspicuous critical acclaim. Effusive reviews rolled in from "Musician," "Rolling Stone," Kurt Loder in "Esquire," "Keyboard," "Texas Monthly," and National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" did a feature spot on the band and the CD, raising LJM's national profile.

1994 saw the release of "World of Fireworks," which managed to elude critical notice almost entirely. "my charmed life" was unleashed in 1997 and marked a turning point in the band's evolution, a transitional period that saw the departure of tuba, its replacement with upright bass, and a more open-ended approach to instrumentation. "I decided to let the songs call the shots on that CD," LJM suggests. "If it said, 'gimme some field bells,' then we found it some. If the song said, 'I really need a couple of suspended Chinese tam-tam googongs and an analog synth,' then we brought 'em in."

A live album, "Noise and Smoke" was recorded at a club in Denton and released in 1999. Harnessing the live energy of the band, complete with between-song banter and various spontaneous serendipities, the CD comes close to representing the genuine article.

The band's personnel has been in a near-continual state of flux, with Young Turks coming and going with maddening regularity. By latest count, there have been at least 28 full time members of the band, and a full reckoning of occasional subs might yield a head count of another 25.

At present, Little Jack is experimenting with a scaled-down approach to his music. "Right now I'm playing bass, Brad Williams is on all sorts of keyboards, and Don Cento has joined on guitar," Melody reports. "First time I've had a guitarist in the band, and it's really pretty cool. Maybe that's why every other band in the world has one. Man, if I'd only known…"

Here's a couple of videos by the great Suzie Kidnap. First, "My Charmed Life," a day in the life of Little Jack Melody and his Young Turks-- playing, driving, breaking down, playing, driving, getting lost. Repeat. Followed by Kidnap's poignant take on "On the Blank Generation (The Cake Song)," the title cut from the first LJM CD.


   Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks's Friend Space (Top 20)
Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks has 588 friends.
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Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks's Friends Comments
Displaying 50 of 94 comments  ( View All | Add Comment )
Linda





Jul 20 2008 9:26 PM

Wonderful music Jack. Thanks for the add.
katie





Jul 19 2008 11:43 AM

I wish all of your music was a movie, because it's all so beautiful it could fit together like one.
:}
Eureka Springs Events!





Jul 17 2008 8:14 AM

We are looking very forward to having you guys play our Dance in the Park After Dark Friday Night! Have a safe trip here!
FLOWER POWER LIVES!





Jul 14 2008 8:29 AM

Have You signed Melanie's Petition Yet?
Check out this petition!
Photobucket
PEACE WILL COME (ACCORDING TO PLAN)
Anthony Caceres





Jul 13 2008 10:52 PM

Happy Belated B-Day Hope all is well!
Julia who??





Jul 12 2008 12:48 PM

Happy happy birthday from one old Crab to another :-)

Many happy returns, bro -- you're the cat's meow.

xo

jo
The Grown-Ups





Jul 11 2008 10:12 AM

Hey, thanks for remembering THE GROWN-UPS!
Julie





Jul 11 2008 6:52 AM

happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy birthday little jack melody, happy birthday to you....
and many more....
still your little sister,
julie
Sonny Strait





Jun 16 2008 10:29 PM

I'm so glad I can now put your songs on my profile page! "Congress of Wonders" is rockin' my profile as you read this!
黒川あつ子 ( Atsuko )





Jun 15 2008 2:40 AM

Hello!
Thank you for the adding me.
Your melodies are very beautiful and piano sounds,too!

Best wishes.

Atsuko
Gayla Screams





Jun 7 2008 9:51 AM

Hey! My band is playing a water park tour this summer...if you want to go/bring the fam, let me know, I will make sure you get on the guest list!
katie





May 23 2008 5:01 PM

Ahhh :(
It makes me VERY VERY sad that you will not let me add your wonderful songs to my age.
:(
Americana Concerts





May 8 2008 12:20 PM

Just want to say THANKS for being our friend!

Be sure to check out our blog to see what shows are coming up next in our Americana Concert Series!
Donna Farrell





May 6 2008 8:52 PM

Was just thinking of you and your fantastic muse-ic and wanted to drop a line to say hola! Are you ever down in the other "D?" If so, you must come see us at the yoga studio for a sun salutation and a cuppa chai. Jeff sends his greetings and a warm handshake.
Did you know he will be FIFTY years old later this year? What, oh what, can I do to help this old man celebrate this milestone?
GRrrRRRRrrrRRR





Apr 28 2008 4:58 PM

wow!!! Ur music is amazing and you just dont here music like this anymore!!! Thank You!!!!
Gayla Screams





Apr 24 2008 6:08 AM

OK! The weekend of the Denton Arts And Jazz Festival is almost upon us! I am so excited about seeing you guys perform! YIPPEE! Can't wait!
Julia Olivarez & The Neuromantic Quartet





Apr 16 2008 8:59 PM

Brother Jack -- Hope all is peach-toned and perpendicular. Did I tell you that I acquired another harmonium, and a toy piano? Because one just can't have too many instruments that one can only play when the building is empty.

Soap bubbles!

jo
starhead





Apr 6 2008 10:11 PM

Lisa Markley





Apr 6 2008 6:43 PM

lyrics Little Jack Melody, music Jeffrey Barnes (piano Paul Slavens, vocals by their humble servant Lisa--more songs please!!!)
ai:Dan





Apr 6 2008 1:10 PM

so are you the one who sings the song on the benadryl commercial?
callennn;





Apr 1 2008 8:11 PM

umm. i am not sure exactly what channel but i am sure that in the commerical there is a guy standing there..and the scenes are changing around him.
it is a great song that is playing!!
callennn;





Apr 1 2008 3:13 PM

can you get the song from the new benadryl commerical??

THANKS
Massimo Scattolin





Mar 31 2008 10:14 AM

Ciao Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks
- Una canzone è davvero bella quando le sue note giungono dritte al cuore!
- A song is really beautiful when his notes come straight to the heart!
- Una canción es realmente hermosa cuando sus notas vienen directamente al corazón!

Buy the CD
MASSIMO SCATTOLIN: A solo per te - Classical Guitar
click to order
Comedian LC Monty Jr.





Mar 30 2008 5:40 PM

passin thru to thank you for the add

feel free to drop by anytime

Have a real good up and coming weekend
Curtis Eller





Mar 28 2008 12:57 PM

"Wirewalkers & Assassins"
The new CD by
Curtis Eller's American Circus

Order it online here:
Curtis Eller's American Circus
www. curtiseller. com
Jason Paul Perkins





Mar 21 2008 9:08 PM

hey take a second and check out my new songs

http://www. myspace. com/jasonpaulperkins
3 Men 1 Bullet





Feb 27 2008 6:39 PM

What a time we had.
A waste of time.
Still love ya like a brother.
Well, maybe more like a cousin.

The Ron
A History of Dallas Music





Feb 18 2008 8:29 PM

You were There.
BILLY D





Feb 16 2008 5:43 PM

With much LOVE ,a dream has come true...As promised Im letting those who may have asked know......Please let me announce to my friends that my solo effort " DreamSong " is now at CD baby and you can try out the entire work for free...I think you will enjoy it as it is a new and different pop rock concept album,
Maybe the first of its kind done exclusively with guitar synths ...An eclectic soundtrack of those forgotten previous lives. Wishing you the best of music and creativity ! Love makes dreams come true.
BILLY D: DreamSong
mike davis - producer





Jan 25 2008 10:37 AM

it is. a bit more work to be done. going back a week from today for coloring/shading.
mike davis - producer





Jan 25 2008 9:45 AM

backstreet girl is sublime.

m.
Jeff Curry





Jan 10 2008 11:07 PM

Yeah Buddy! I put LJM videos up on me page! I miss you guys. I'm going back to the States on Wednesday. Getting a new bass to rock with yes sir.
Michael J. Tillman





Nov 28 2007 11:51 AM

Thanks for the add. Been listening since 90-91? back in Deep Ellum.
BURMA SHAVE





Nov 6 2007 7:29 PM

greetings from the dirty south,
enchanted land of moonshine,
cockfights and tent revivals.
my name is burma shave and i
play in a two-piece trash rock
band that we like to call
bathtub gin. i'm so glad that
i found your profile on here.
i've liked your music for a
long time. i first say you at
sxsw '93. it was down on 6'th
street at a place called
hondo's. i was there watching
a band from my home state
called donkey. i was hanging
out talking to mark rubin of
the bad livers and he told me
i should stay and watch you,
because i shouldn't miss it.
he was sure right. saw you
later in atlanta at the star
bar and in chattanooga at
the nightfall concert series.
loved all of your performances.
hope to see you again sometime.
thanks for adding me to your
group of friends. cheers!
Donna Farrell





Oct 7 2007 6:20 PM

Thanks for the kind words. I agree on the preference of folkish vs blues-ish. I've entered "Came a Child" in a songwriting competition. Throw some salt over your shoulder for me.