The Introduction
WeAreJackStrong
WeAreJackStrong proposes that all of us are coping with burdens that keep us from being all that we want to be. Some burdens are bigger than others, and some methods of coping are more effective than others. Our songs talk about how to view our burdens and how to approach coping with them. To do this, we created a surrogate - an imaginary character named Jack Strong. He was born in 1910 to a difficult family living in difficult environments, and predictably grew to be a difficult person. He had an epiphany later in life and wanted to be a better person - as good as he could be, and he dedicated his life to changing. We think that in this way, we are ALL Jack Strong. Our songs talk about his journey to becoming who he wanted to be, and our hope is that from those songs, our fans can gain some insight while they enjoy our "new classic rock" music. This is the best way for us to show our appreciation.
Mission
Create great music that connects with our collective personal struggles and inspires and equips us to overcome them. To be a source of motivation, a constant reminder that one can overcome anything that holds them back.
Check Us Out
These links will take you on a tour so you can get more familiar with us. please be sure to leave us your email address below so we can keep you up to date. We release new songs, videos, and merch on the regular.
"We'll have to bring you back - you guys are fantastic"
- Jeff Ousley, Navajo Live
"You guys are SO tight... great, fresh material"
- Jay Cain, On Point Productions
The Players
Gregg "Gogo" Oliver plays bass and sings. He's out front with the audience and makes the experience of seeing us special night after night. He takes great care in communicating the stories we sing in a personal way.
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Dan Scott plays guitar and sings. Although all three of us create the songs, Dan has the main instrumental task, and as such his contribution to the songs is the one that carries the most weight with the audience. His style has so many elements - he simultaneously provides a background and the spotlight to make the songs special.
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Chas "Thunderhoof" Benedict plays drums and sings. Besides setting tempos, he is an accountability partner. He makes sure we stay in check so that our performances are balanced and perfectly support the story for each song.
The Show
We are more than a song factory. We are creating music that speaks to the humanity in all of us. Our performances are a personal experience, an intimate act of sharing.
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The message we share is the message of our human experience. The stories can be about loss, loneliness, enlightenment, chaos, or hope. Our message is of love and perseverance, struggle and betrayal, joy and regret, and how we as people make it through and sometimes even thrive. Our performances are public confessions - personal, absorbing, and provocative.
Everything we do is handmade by us and done in public. This is why our audience connects deeply and engages completely with us. The three of us, playing songs we write together to express our thoughts and feelings about the human experience that connects us all. An outpouring of our distilled experiences to share our humanity, to commiserate, to give hope, to comfort, to inspire, to elevate... to connect. Raw, authentic, and personal.
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We do this because we are compelled to. This is our contribution, our art... to tell the truth as completely as we can. When it hurts, we know we've done it right.
"The music is elevating despite the fact that we're all grown up... It took me beyond, and reminded me of Paul McCartney and Roy Orbison meets Puddle of Mud and the Strokes."
- Alex Marquez, San Diego North County FB Live