Jimmy Gnecco (from Ours) + The Blackjacks + Blackbells + The Glenmont Popes + Struan Shields +The Independent July 14, 2011

Who the hell is Dean and why are we throwing him the biggest, gayest birthday bash in the history of Jammin' Java?

Who cares?

Join us for one night only of non-stop music on two stages! Frontman Jimmy Gnecco from alt rock band Ours fame headlines the night with songs from his latest solo release, The Heart. Local favorite The Blackjacks showcase their authentically dirty rock n' roll. Brooklyn-based Blackbells roadtrip from their borough to ours with their self-titled debut in hand while rowdy rockers The Glenmont Popes serve up their stripped-down, souped-up roots-rock. And we haven't even mentioned Struan Shields and The Independent yet! The party starts at 7 pm and it doesn't end until Dean is a day older.

After three albums fronting alternative rock band Ours, Jimmy Gnecco has recently made the most personal and affecting album of his career. Self-produced and titled 'The Heart,' it's a watershed work which sees Jimmy drop his guard and raise the bar. The prevailing mood is one of beautiful melancholy, but 'The Heart' has dignity and integrity in spades. We all have to reckon with loss and the events that have shaped us sooner or later, and this record is Jimmy Gnecco's compelling attempt to do just that. Its elegant, elegiac songs are slow-growers that get right under the skin. It was with shape-shifting alternative rock band Ours that Jimmy first made a name for himself. A dynamic and urgent outfit that would later draw comparisons with Radiohead, they soon caught the attention of various U.S. record companies.

Jimmy signed to DreamWorks records under the Ours moniker in 1997, and his band's debut album 'Distorted Lullabies' was released in 2001.The critically acclaimed records 'Precious' and 'Mercy' (the latter handled by friend, production genius and long-term Jimmy Gnecco fan Rick Rubin) followed in 2002 and 2008, respectively. Matters beyond Jimmy's control - major label politics, for example - have sometimes slowed his output, but he has always retained his positivity, strong work ethic, and a certain blue-collar mentality, which recognises that respect has to be earned.

If you've read this far, you will understand why Jimmy Gnecco has been able to pour so much of himself into his first proper solo record, 'The Heart.' Out on Bright Antenna records Summer 2010, it's a sterling achievement; graceful, almost hymnal songs such as "Mystery" and "Take A Chance" channel a formidable talent.
http://www.jimmygnecco.com/pages/

The Blackjacks are a Washington DC based band which combines the blues of the grittier British Invasion bands and blues punk of the late seventies with heavy danceable garage style grooves. The band quickly gained notoriety around the DC-VA area for their high energy live shows which showcase their songcraft and musicianship. They were recently signed with the Indie label SMOD based out of New York City, and have released a 5 song EP. A full length album is scheduled for release in Summer of 2008. After winning the 2008 DC101 Last Band Standing Competition, The Blackjacks played the SOLD OUT Chili Cook-Off, opening for Staind, Chevelle, Finger 11 and Live.
http://www.myspace.com/blackjacksmusic

With the release of their debut EP (#18 CMJ Top 200) Blackbells have hit the ground running, quickly finding themselves playing to capacity crowds across the US and Canada with the likes of Atomic Tom, Band of Skulls, Crash Kings, Everyone Was In the French Resistance...Now (Eddie Argos of Art Brut), Hurricane Bells (Steve Schiltz of Longwave) and Marcy Playground, as well as making appearances at both SXSW and CMJ music conferences. The band has impressed music fans and critics alike, including tastemakers The Deli Magazine who gave the band a nod with a nomination for Artist of the Month. Blackbells will continue to tour in support of their debut EP throughout 2011.
http://www.blackbellsband.com/

http://www.myspace.com/glenmontpopes

18 year old singer/song writer Struan Shields hails from Arlington County, Virginia where he's starting to create quite the stir, sharing stage bills with other upcoming talent in the form of pop-rockers Sing Me Insomnia, fellow singer/songwriter Chase Coy, power-poppers The Hint and Shields' good friends; Indie-rock outfit The Downtown Fiction. Struan prides himself on his DIY ethic, choosing to write and record his songs at home and he also keeps a close relationship with his ever-increasing fan base, regularly communicating with them via various social networking sites and even offering a personal phone call for anyone who pre-orders the EP.
http://struanshields.com/

Northern Virginia band The Independent was formed by guitarist and singer/songwriter Dan Goldberger at the close of 2008 as a vehicle for his small, but quickly growing pool of songs. Fusing a myriad of influences into pop songs with a rock bent, The Independent aims to up the ante by making memorable songs that are both engaging and accessible.
http://www.myspace.com/theindependentva

Official Website: http://www.jamminjava.com/