Damn Jackals Release Myspace-premiered "Freezing Blues" & Punk/Glam Rock-inspired That's It EP Ahead of Crooked Castle, Vol. I-II Full-length (self-released)
Damn Jackals frontman and guitarist Beau Croxton explained that Myspace-premiered "Freezing Blues" is about "the type of cold, loneliness that reduces the heart to burning carnage and leaves the subject so crippled with emptiness and anger that he is rendered utterly unrecognizable." Croxton formed Punk/Glam Rock-inspired Damn Jackals along with friend and producer Mike Goehler over the summer of 2014 and before long, the two aspiring musicians converted his upstate New York home into a no-frills DIY recording studio soon dubbed "The Crooked Castle;" by 2015, Beau Croxton & Mike Goehler had already recruited guitarist Willie Mosto, keyboard and guitar player Paul Truitt, bassist Forrest Hackenbrock, and drummer James Esposito—effectively transforming the 2-piece collaboration into a fully-formed 5-piece band, plus an in-house producer, based out of Brooklyn. Damn Jackals additionally includes a 3-piece horn section made up of touring trumpet player Carter Yasutake (David Byrne & St. Vincent, Charles Bradley), trombonist Jason Disu (David Byrne & St. Vincent, LCD Soundsystem), and sax player Noah Dreiblatt (Blitz The Ambassador.) Damn Jackals and their three hornsmen wrote and recorded their just-released debut, That's It EP at Croxton's home-studio, as well as their appropriately-titled forthcoming double-LP, Crooked Castle (Vol. I & II.)
Damn Jackals readily list their greatest sources of inspiration and influence as "early 70's Bowie/T. Rex Glam Rock and Classic Punk styles of Johnny Thunders, Iggy & The Stooges, and Television, punctuated by distorted, wailing synth, guitar lines, and Croxton's fuzzed out vocals," as well as Captain Beefheart, coffee, Patti Smith, leather, The Dead Weather frontwoman Alison Mosshart, New York City, and "Cars" hit-maker Gary Numan. Upon my first listen to "Freezing Blues" and Tell All Your Friends PR-sent That's It EP, I was almost instantly reminded of the stylings of This Is It and Room On Fire-era The Strokes, The Black Keys, Foo Fighters, recently re-formed Jet, and The Witzard mainstays Peanut Butter Lovesicle. Damn Jackals' 5-track That's It EP is currently available to purchase from Apple Music, Soundcloud, Spotify, and similar-minded digital streaming platforms with full-length Crooked Castle (Vol. I & II) coming soon after. Damn Jackals have two upcoming shows scheduled: an Indie Shuffle-presented gig at Brooklyn's Our Wicked Lady on 7/15 and a gig with Crushed Out at New York venue Mercury Lounge on 7/28 and assure that there will be a "handful of Manhattan and Brooklyn shows in support of their release."