As we former emo kids mature, it’s easy (natural, even) for our musical tastes to embrace Americana blues. If our teenage years were teeming with complex emotions, our adulthood is ironically longing for those feelings again – and desiring an era of less responsibility, less “real world” weight. The blues is sorrow and heartache, much like emo but in a different, more seasoned way. We’re not young and whiny anymore. We’re older and experienced in life’s many trials.
Knowing vocalist/guitarist Joe Makoviecki for nearly the entire tenure of Stars and Scars, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing his musical journey from yesteryear’s Makoveskus to the present day Jackson Pines. This trajectory from adolescent heartbreak to quarter-life wisdom is evident in Jackson Pines’ February 2017 release Purgatory Road.
While Purgatory Road includes some folk elements similar to Makoviecki’s knee-slappin’, down-home band, Thomas Wesley Stern (see “Loaded in the Sky” and “Hard Times in the Pines”), Jackson Pines is more blues and slightly soul-oriented. Makoviecki’s Wurlitzer hums as his creamy vocals soar around drummer Simone Felice’s soft beats, while bassist James Black’s smooth upright compliments James Felice’s ivory tickling. The title track’s slow, swampy charm juxtaposed with urgent, upbeat melodies in “Now or Never” demonstrate the band’s sophistication and versatility. Indie acoustic songs like “The Deep End” and “Sweetwater” are pleasant singer-songwriter transitions (“classic Joe” to me) between full band tunes. The former is a late 20s/early 30s anthem of sorts, lamenting how “All my friends are going off the deep end / Some are leaving town for better jobs / Some are raising kids in their parent’s house / Whether they meant to or not.” Ain’t that the truth nowadays? How different are our lives than we expected them to be?
I liken Jackson Pines’ vibe to that of Fleet Foxes and My Morning Jacket – effortless in its tranquility. For this uprooted Jersey girl, Purgatory Road quite literally sounds like home. I can imagine myself relaxing in the quiet stillness of the New Jersey Pine Barrens with a gentle breeze at my back, as Makoviecki croons, “These broken syllables don’t mean a thing unless the heart is in it.” Perhaps I’d even burn my social security card and instead rest in the security of branches. If Eddie Vedder didn’t pen the Into The Wild soundtrack, Purgatory Road could certainly be a fit. Give it a listen, and let us know what you think in the comments.
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