Spit Jack on the Taz Michaels Show

Spit Jack Interview by Skyler Lendway. Photo by Brianna Christenson.

The first half of the Taz Michaels Show was rocked to its foundations tonight by the musical stylings of local band, Spit Jack. Having lost guitarist Tom Theohary to an annual vacation, the guys weren't able to perform live. Instead, vocalist Michael Toohey, drummer Mike Forester, and bass player George Eget brought tracks from their soon to be released EP, 'Whiskey Eyes.' The boys came with swag in hand, and before the left dolled out a Spit Jack Fun-Pack to one lucky listener – although, regrettably, not a member of the Toohey family.

The tracks from 'Whiskey Eyes' were a mad mixture of both laid-back and hectic jams, with rapid drum-lines driving thrashing guitar riffs. While some semblance of inspirations, such as Motley Crüe and Black Flag, were evident, the group kept the songs fresh with serious and frequent pace changes, making for one rocking experience. However, as Mike Forester explained after the session, the inspiration is quite simple: “Basically, 'can you ride fast to it?'” Every man in Spit Jack has a day job somewhere within the snowboarding industry, and they agreed beyond doubt that their common interest is music that is good for going downhill, fast. And their new EP, due to release Wednesday, March 28th at Metronome, is no exception. “For this album, we imagined driving 80mph down I-89 in a Camero,” Eget explained. “We don't usually try and pump ourselves up, we just have an image of it in our heads. It's eerie.”

Spit Jack is, more than anything else, a group that doesn't worry about their music. They didn't care about sending a message, and they don't go in for the “costumes” sometimes associated with the punk genre. For what they said, it sounded like the overall goal was just to indulge in the celebration and, well, rock. When I likened it to a 'function over fashion' scenario, Forester laughed. “Exactly! George doesn't wear the bullet-casing belt because it's punk, but because if you get on his stage he's going to wrap it around his fist and hit you with it.” With the EP release only a week away, the guys are ready to do plenty of celebrating. They urge listeners to check out their Facebook front for special events, or look for more information on their website at:

spitjackband.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpitJack