The Jack McCoys

1998 - 2003

Left to right: P. Ouellette, D. Madri, RTP, C. Cundari, & M. Savage
Photo by: Suzanne Shannon

The Jack McCoys began as an experiment on a cold, overcast Saturday in late November 1998. In a second floor apartment in Somerville, MA, Dan Madri and Matt Savage set up a 4-track, a drum kit, and a guitar amp, and, 8 hours later, had written and recorded the basic tracks for 13 songs. Though it would take another year to finish the recording, it would eventually compel them to assemble an act interested in performing the songs live. So, a fistful of new material, and the same stubbornness that had seen them through 5 years on the Boston club scene with their previous band Godboy, they set out in search of recruits. Enter Tyler Pollard, Phillip Ouellette, and Christian Cundari, musicians from assorted Boston bands (The Control Group, Slept, The Nasties) who had crossed Matt and Dans path over their years of playing the club circut. These were trusted friends and indisputable talents, rehearsals started right away. Almost overnight, the Jack McCoy's found themselves recording "A Map Of Where It All Went Wrong". The project incorporated 7 of the original 13 songs, and 9 newer efforts. The resulting 45-minute collection, captured on 1/2 inch 8-track, maintains a mid-fidelity punch that helps accentuate the energy fuelling the performances. This edginess would spill over into the sessions of the bands follow-up recording, "All The Weeping Cameras". While individual tracks here may lurch from driving post-rock ("Sinking in Sentences and Paragraphs") to soulful rock ("A Star Is") to feedback tinged twangyness ("Fossils and Artifacts"), the album emits a consistent musical sensibility and retains sincerity throughout. One may also note a more liberal willingness to experiment both with sonic possibilities and lyrical themes. Both albums were recorded by Jack Younger at Basement 247 Studios. The third, and final Jack McCoy's album, "In Gray Light" was recorded by Nick Zampiello & Marc Schleicher at New Alliance Studios. The Jack McCoys disbanded shortly after the completion of the album, leaving Dan and Matt to begin writing for their next project, an acoustic group called Joy.