• Steven Michael Jackson
that's right ... I'll admit it & I
just realized I have a
monkey too - must be the
name
• Born - 1975 Huntsville, AL
• Schoolin' - Auburn University
(journalism)
• 1st record owned - "Mr.
Telephone Man" by New
Edition
• 1st CD - Iron Maiden &
Alabama on the same day
• Favorite Road Food - Taco
Bell bean burritos, sweet tea
• Other Bands Steven
performed with (on bass) -
'91 Jack's Brat (upper
middle-class kids who
thought we could be punk)
'94 The Hurts (college kids
who discovered the
Replacements wrote
sensitive songs too)
'96 Mister Shankly (we
thought we could pull off
songs by the Smiths etc ...)
'97 Passing Through
(thought we could out-drink
any other jam band on the
road)
EXTENDED BIO
BELOW >>>
"I was playing punk music in biker bars before I had even thought about driving a car," says the Alabama native. And while his punk roots may explain his gritty live performances, they don't account for his folky sound and a writing style that is deeply entrenched in the past - and more worldly than one would expect from a young
writer. "I guess I just absorbed the sounds of traditionally-influenced writers," says Jackson. "I used to sit in the back seat of my parents Buick and sing real deep and twangy - making fun of the country music they listened to. I was into the Sex Pistols and Ramones then, but I remember really connecting with some of the songs I heard riding around in that car. You could still hear people like Willie Nelson, Don Williams and Patsy Cline on commercial radio."
Then in true rebellious nature Jackson spent college years playing power-pop and psychedelic soul music before reconciling his roots. (FYI: In the bands Jack's Brat, Mister Shankly and Passing Through)
What results from the journalism major’s musical ramblings is an intimate writing style that tips its hat to the past while bringing it up-to-date. And with a powerful, voice and a tendency to jump from observationist ballads to high-energy rock- and bluegrass-influenced songs, he is often compared to Tom Waits, Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett.
Jackson calls his music "Acoustic Americana." "The songs are stories," he says. "They're stories about people and places. Some of them I know, some are inventions of things I know to be true. It's about hometowns and leaving. It's about religion and whatever the opposite of that is. It's American music. And it's inspired by the music of this country like blues, bluegrass, folk and rock.
"... the kind of performer who makes people sit up taller, leaning forward to catch each nuanced lyric and note ... [his voice is] an expressive instrument that can trumpet its intentions or drop to an agonized whisper in the space of a single song, or even a single line." (Kevin Oliver, Southeast Performer Magazine)
"Jackson's voice gathers and swells like a summer storm, his weathered baritone marvelous and rough. ... brawny and heartfelt as Springsteen's" (ESP Magazine)
“... an eclectic style that draws from folk, country, pop, punk and rockabilly ... emotive, grit-and-gravel baritone and high-energy guitar playing.” Steven Uhles (The Augusta Chronicle)
"... Springsteen/Tom Waits style of roots rock with a folk base ... great, gravely vocals that spill a bit of purity in every note ... a ton of substance and beauty ... splendid creations of real feeling and emotion." Michael Allison (TheGlobalMuse.com)
"For anyone who’s still waiting for a return to form from the Counting Crows, and it could be a while yet, this is your prescribed tonic." (Mark whitfield, Americana-UK)
“... superb playing, often wringing a big, full sound out of his acoustic guitar, and subtly adding percussion with his hands and feet. His voice varies between a whisky-and-cigarettes whisper ... and high, quavering tones.” Gregory Nicoll (Southeast Performer Magazine)
"It's a rare opportunity to find a performer with his combination of musical maturity, vocal color, lyrical sophistication and stage presence." Hank Weisman, president, Savannah Folk Music Society
"His soft personality and sense of humor kept the crowd lively and entertained ... I don’t know if anybody left without one of his CDs." Chris Benner (Director of Promotions, WJTL Oglethorpe University)