redjacket is:
Lisa Bianco – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Holly Rock – Drums, Backing Vocals
Jairo Ruiz – Bass
The importance of staying true to oneself should not be second-guessed. Singer/ songwriter, guitarist, Lisa Bianco considered what it means to follow your own path when she read the story of a Native American tribal chief named Red Jacket. “When European settlers tried to force the Native Americans
to abandon their culture and beliefs,” says Lisa, “Chief Red Jacket resisted them. He believed in preserving his culture and being true to his people. As a musician, I could relate his story directly to my own attitude about music, so I named our band redjacket. Our sound is true to what we are.” Influenced by artists as diverse as Nirvana, Liz Phair, REM, Sonic Youth, Pearl Jam and Neil Young – with Lisa’s voice capturing the mystique of charismatic singers such as Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin and Chrissie Hynde – redjacket maintain a distinctive aural identity. This NYC rock trio invites you to be part of the redjacket experience with the release of its ambitious new EP, Hunted Rebirth.
Frustrated with not finding like-minded musicians, Lisa took some of her songs into the studio in 2002 and, under the name redjacket, recorded a CD to use as a demo. “I named the CD Metaphors,” she says, “because songs are always metaphors for the message you want to convey.” Lisa enlisted her friend, bassist Jairo Ruiz, to play on Metaphors, which led to him joining the band. “redjacket allows me to be fully expressive and creative,” says Jairo. With Jairo on board, drummer/percussionist Holly Rock soon completed redjacket’s line up. “I was looking for a serious, long term project to join,” says Holly. “When I heard the song “New Way To Run” from Metaphors, I knew I wanted to be in this band. Once we played together, it seemed like we were on the same path and we should follow where it led.”
Recorded at New Jersey’s Control Booth and Frankensound studios, with the assistance of local producer/engineer Kevin Booth, the four tracks on redjacket’s Hunted Rebirth present four unique facets of this endlessly creative band. When contemplating a title for the disc during a ride home from recording, Holly suggested Hunted Rebirth. “I felt that the record represents the rebirth of the new band,” says Holly. Lisa adds, “I thought about how Holly, Jairo and I all come from very different backgrounds and tastes in music, but together we create something we all love. Hunted Rebirth represents redjacket at this moment, as we refine our sound as a band, as individuals and as friends.
Launching with the rhythmically driven title track, “Hunted Rebirth” the song reflects a search for renewal in terms of one’s life and goals. Both “Five Four” and “Point of View” possess the adhesive, emotional pull of early REM songs like “Gardening At Night” and “Talk About The Passion.” Says Lisa, “Five Four” is about the physical passion of sex. The song’s time signature is in 5/4, and the lyrics, “We’re dancing in 5/4,” also conjure a visual image.” “Point of View” is about the thin line between love and hate that exists in relationships. “Sun Glare” features a southwestern guitar intro, followed by multi-layered garage guitar over a foundation of hypnotic drums. “That song’s about being blinded by a negative perception of self and being unable to reach your true potential,” says Lisa. “Conversely, it’s also about living and beginning to value the small things in life.” Jairo believes the variety among the songs truly showcases the bands' skills. “We go from rocking out to subtle melodies and back again,” he says.
redjacket has a strong presence on the competitive NYC circuit, playing venues like CBGB, Continental, Arlene Grocery, Bitter End, Hard Rock Café and Acme Underground. Live show highlights include redjacket’s regular participation in NYC’s Anti-Folk Festival, a semi-annual, week-long live music event held at the popular east village venue, Sidewalk Café; and a two-month tour of selected Long Island Borders Books stores in December 2002/January 2003. The band also played in front of a crowd of 400 for the Peoples' Agenda for New York at the NY Society for Ethical Culture in October 2002. redjacket has also successfully participated in various competitions, having been selected to perform at a USA Songwriting Competition showcase in October 2003. In December of that year, the band placed among the top three finalists in the Hard Rock Café battle of the bands for the tri-state area, which was part of a national competition. The band has given interviews and on-air performances at local radio stations such as WBAI (NYC) and WSIA (Staten Island). As a testament to its local popularity, redjacket was voted Best New Heatseeker Modern Rock Artist on booking agent Mike McHugh’s New Century Productions website.
With Hunted Rebirth now available (see www.redjacketmusic.com) 2004 promises to be a great year for redjacket and its growing fan base. “redjacket always strives to offer an experience for the audience that goes beyond just playing you our songs,” says Lisa. “We want the connection to provide a moment of togetherness and bring people beyond the physical and tangible.”
