Jets Under Fire

Appeared: April 14, 2008 at http://www.playbackstl.com

Austin’s Jets Under Fire have released an inviting, smooth and easy indie rock-pop album. The disc’s a mostly mellow collection of 11 feel-good tracks, a comfortable and easy listen.

Kicking off the disc is “Broken Parts.” It’s mellow, an easy introduction to the tracks which are to follow. “We’ve been filled with broken parts/ you know and I know/ we’ve been broken from the start,” sings Jason Poe (vocals, guitar, keys). Up next is the catchy and high-energy “Where Do We Go From Here,” ready made for the pivotal scene in the next big romantic comedy. After the sweet and slowed down “All the Sad Songs” (with Poe’s gentle and seemingly effortless falsetto — nice) is the radio-ready “Just Like the Cold.” You simply can’t listen to this song without falling head over heels; it’s that captivating. The guitar line alone will stick in your head for days, and you’ll soon find yourself humming along to the refrain.

“Emerald Eyes” has a bit of a rustic feel to it, partially because the vocals seem rootsier, more universal. The ethereal falsetto of “Circles,” combined with its hook-y refrain, make this easily one of the top songs on the disc. Up next, “The End” is also uber-catchy, a foot tapper if ever there was one. “Ooh ooh ooh”s kick off the song, itself accented by handclaps and snappy guitar work. “We want something to make us feel/ we want something to let us heal/ we want something to make us real,” sings Poe wisely.

“My love is poison/ my love is blind,” goes the refrain on “Moonlight”; following “Ships on the Sea,” the mellow “Your Own Hands” closes out the disc with a gentle goodnight.

Rounding out this trio are Todd Meador (bass, keys, vocals) and Corbin Peterson (drums, vocals). Though Poe’s voice is often middling and grows somewhat repetitive, the disc as a whole is an inviting and enjoyable listen. And, really, with songs as good as “Just Like the Cold” and “The End,” it’s totally worth more than a few spins.

Grade: B

by Laura Hamlett

Appeared: March 27, 2008

If you haven’t heard of Jets Under Fire, you soon will. This indie band fits Austin to a “T.” Check out this exclusive download of ” Broken Parts” off their new album “Kingdoms.” Once you’ve gotten enough of just one song, order the whole album on iTunes.

Appeared: February 10, 2008 at http://thedailychorus.com

Jets Under Fire will be releasing their new album “Kingdoms” while touring the Midwest in mid February.

Appeared: February 2008 at http://www.cityatnightmagazine.com

East Nashville gets a taste of Texas Feb. 21 when Austin’s Jets Under Fire swoop in to The 5 Spot. The indie trio specializes in big choruses and Brit-inspired guitar-pop, and we predict mainstream success for the band’s forthcoming full length debut, Kingdoms. This could be your last chance to see these guys in an intimate venue.

Appeared: March 28, 2008 at http://blog.soundcheckmagazine.com

If your music collection is mainly comprised of artists you discovered by watching Vh1 and episodes of One Tree Hill, then Jets Under Fire’s Kingdoms will fit nicely between Keane and The Fray in your CD case. If you don’t consider Coldplay one of the greatest bands in the world, though, Kingdoms’ piano-driven rock will seem lacking. While it is well crafted, it lacks the experimentation, emotion and sincerity that make innovative music so appealing in the first place. If you’re one of these listeners, this CD won’t do much but take up valuable space on your ipod.

This critique doesn’t negate a simple fact, though: Jets Under Fire will be huge if the WB ever get its hands on a copy.

By SJ Brown

An ex-Professional American and his mates join up with Springfield’s tissue-pushers at Randy Bacon’s place.

The February 23 Gallery Sounds event at Randy Bacon’s studio/music venue is one with particularly relevant local ties. The headliner is Jets Under Fire, featuring Jason Poe, formerly of The Professional Americans, whose music so influenced local band The Whitest Light (formerly happyendings) that they re-named their band after one of his more popular songs. The opening act is Springfield outfit Starrfadu, which until SSLYBY landed one of its songs on a MasterCard commercial held the title of “Local Band With Song In Most Impressive TV Ad”, with its single “Let It Out” backing a still-in-circulation Kleenex spot. The show is a bargain at only $7, so enjoy the all-ages fun.

By Matt Lemmon

Appeared: November 21, 2007 – www.springfieldgo.com

happyendings has changed its name to The Whitest Light. Here’s why.

Micky, Brannon, Ian and Brandon are the same, and so is their music. Only the name has changed.

Remember happyendings? You know the group-the positive, catchy, regionally popular Springfield pop-rockers from the early ’00s who signed a big-label deal and, for all intents and purposes, dropped of the face of the earth. Well, you’re never going to hear happyendings ever again. So sorry.

What you will hear-and soon-is The Whitest Light, the new name the group recently adopted. The guys plan to release their Bob Rock-produced album, Losing Generation, which they grappled away from J Records, sometime in early 2008 under the new moniker. The name, according to guitarist Micky Hardy, who we reached in L.A. (at the Apple Store, no less), is a tribute to Jason Poe, formerly of The Professional Americans. Poe is one of Hardy and lead vocalist Brannon Powers’s favorite artists, and The Whitest Light is one of his most notable songs.

Before the full album-which already has a video, for the single “Miracle”-is released, the group will release a new EP featuring reworked songs from Losing Generation. The full album (Hardy says they haven’t decided whether to change the title or not), will likely feature acoustic versions of a couple of the tracks. And even though The Whitest Light is moving forward with plans for an independent release, Hardy says another major-label deal could be in the works. Their former A&R rep at JRecords left that company to run another major New York label. Hardy says the band is in talks with that studio (though he wouldn’t say which one it is). The band also has a new manager, New York-based Debbie Wilson, who Hardy says found Gavin McGraw.

But live shows are where The Whitest Light made its (old) name; but they haven’t played a show in almost a full year. To get back in the swing of things, The Whitest Light is cranking it up on December 6 at Randy Bacon Studio & Gallery. “We’re chomping at the bit to get back to it,” Hardy says. “It’s pretty crazy-we’ve pretty much gone through a mid-life crisis as a band. We’re finally getting off the ground.”

The name change, Hardy says, was an attempt to sever ties with the recent “negative past.”

“We kind of wanted a fresh start. We didn’t want people [in the industry] to say ‘I remember these guys,’ and have a misconception,” Hardy says. “It’s extremely difficult because we’d built seven years on a name, and especially in the Midwest it became a good thing for us. Having to start over is tough. But if fans like [the music], the name isn’t going to be a big deal.”

By Matt Lemon

Appeared: April 13, 2007 – www.eartaste.com

“All these hours working late. All these moments making haste. Always rushing – always behind.” Is it cool to start a Friday dance party with these words? Why not? Remind us of the week we just left behind so we can get on with the weekend! “Let me stop, let me breathe, let me stare at the trees!” The music keeps me moving, and builds as the words build to the climax. Excellent appetizer to begin a night filled with music.

Appeared:  January 12, 2006 on http://iguessimfloating.blogspot.com

Anyone that loses their job and decides to be a professional musician for the remainder of their days, in my book, is a cool cat. That doesn’t mean that every striving musician out there with a day job should give it up for the “cool cat” title, because it is possible to lead two lives. That’s what Jason Poe is doing.

Well, leading two lives in the musical world anyway. Jason Poe is the frontman of the Austin, TX band, The Professional Americans. However, his side and solo project, Jets Under Fire, is the real gem behind his musical mind. While Professional Americans sound something like Fall Out Boy, his solo work is piano driven with specs of Ambulance LTD and Coldplay-esque influences here and there. His first official release came out a few years back to a warm welcome by local fans and has been picking up steam on both MySpace and Purevolume (2,000+ plays a day). With a fanbase that is continuing to expand, I can only hope that his Ben Gibbard routine of having two successful bands results in Poe sticking with his side project. Give him a listen and you’ll probably agree.