Jackstraw
Jackstraw’s style—vigorous and muscular as a freight train and sweetened with Appalachian twang—packs a rowdy bluegrass punch. In the tradition of the legendary White Brothers, Jackstraw’s sturdy harmonies bring electricity to a classic sound. The band, made up of Darrin Craig (rhythm guitar, vocals), Jon Neufeld, (lead guitar, vocals) David Pugh (mandolin, vocals) and Jesse Withers (bass, vocals) were reared on acoustic music played by their parents in living rooms and kitchens from Kansas to Rhode Island, Colorado to Chicago. They came together in Portland, Oregon, forming Jackstraw in 1997, and have become a staple of the Northwest’s flourishing acoustic music scene.
Six records later, the band has toured throughout the United States, playing roadhouses, listening rooms and clubs as well as festival stages. Along the way, they have shared bills with many bluegrass greats such as Del McCoury and Tim O’Brien and included legends like Danny Barnes (Bill Frisell, Robert Earl Keen, Bad Livers) and Tony Furtado (Earl Scruggs, Alison Krauss) as temporary band mates.
Audio
From “Sunday Never Comes (2011)
Buy at CD Baby (Coming Soon)
From “Rubber Wheels” (2005)
Buy at CD Baby
From “Live at the White Eagle” (2005)
Buy at CD Baby
The Scuttlebutt
Although from the Pacific Northwest, Oregon pickers, Jackstraw, play like they grew up in the mountain south. Their sound is as Appalachian as a bowl of soup beans and cornbread. -April D. Wolfe, Common Folk Music 2011
For nearly 15 years, Jackstraw has been a sturdy foundation of Portland’s thriving roots music scene. With a sound firmly planted in stringband traditions, the group’s music is still somehow resiliently pliant, shrugging off museum-piece austerity for a personable, daisy-fresh sound. Their sixth album, Sunday Never Comes, is an easygoing affair that features the band’s newest member, banjoist Cory Goldman from Water Tower Bucket Boys, and songwriting contributions from the group members as well as likeminded local songwriters like W.C. Beck and Caleb Klauder. With precise, nimble picking and a continually forward-thinking outlook, Jackstraw breathe young life into old-time bluegrass via their tightly strung, hollow-bodied wooden instruments, and imprint a fresh Pacific Northwest stamp on a well-worn, pleasingly familiar sound. – The Portland Mercury, Dec. 2011
Jackstraw’s dual frontmen, Darrin Craig and David Pugh, are able singers and pickers, but more important, they share a clear musician vision on Sunday Never Comes. Jackstraw is classic without feeling precious; highly instrumental but not jammy; funny but never cute. The band can tackle songs of vastly different emotional weights and keep them safely under the same aesthetic roof: “Hurts When I See You” is a haunting, lovely waltz that stands in stark contrast to the title track, which mixes sepia-toned sentimentalism and gallows humor as it trades train-whistle verses and galloping instrumentals. … To be clear, there’s nothing particularly new about Jackstraw making a great modern roots record. This one is just particularly great. -Casey Jarman, Willamette Week (Portland OR) Nov 30, 2011
Jackstraw impresses me with their tight-knit, skilled musicianship, their crackling energy and repertoire which includes both traditional gems and fresh new tunes. A young band like this helps set the tone for new bluegrass in the 21st Century. Pete Wernick, Hot Rize
Their shared passion for soulful acoustic music makes them blood brothers. Curtis Waterbury – CitySearch.com
Playing out of Oregon, Jackstraw proves to any listener that you don’t have to be from the south to pick irresistible tunes guaranteed to make you want to get down. Ray McKrow – The Spectator – Valdosta, GA
Press Materials
All press materials can be found at jackstraw.net/press-kit/