Catching Up w/ The Jack Moves

We love putting ya'll up on the sounds we dig around here, so we got something special for you this week. One of the groups that's been in heavy rotation on our store/office speakers has been New Jersey-based group The Jack Moves. While we had the pleasure of some early access to their self-titled debut album, today the LP is available to the masses. We had Gibbs speak to the group on some topics to bring a little more knowledge to the masses.

Yo Jack Moves…Thanks for taking time out your busy tour schedule to come by Union take part in our little Style out... Q1) So Everloving is just about to drop your second record after your self titled debut. This one’s called “Free Money”. What’s that all about, cause I ain’t never got no free money? Teddy: Remember when people use to call each other money back in the day? It’s sorta like that. Zee: Exactly sorta. Everyone’s lookin for that ‘Free Money’ in their lives. That hundred dollar bill on the ground. But I disagree with you, Chris, you tapped into mixing New York street style with love for black culture and true fashion and added in West coast vibes. Seeing that connection is free money! That’s why Union’$ poppin! Everyone’s got unique shit going for them. Someone’s juts got to see it and believe in it.

Q2) Thank you. So it seemed like on the first record the whole vibe was like a perfect slice of 1973 era soul oldies like the Escorts and the Whatnauts. Here in California there’s a strong connection to that sound especially in the xicano community. This record has jumped into what seems like some brand new vibes. What inspired you to make that creative leap? Teddy: Punanni and I was a Mexican in my previous life Zee: If I can add to Teddy’s observation, maybe staying open minded, taking risks on new ideas and growing. I’m inspired and in complete admiration of all the greats that came before us but the best way to honor all that isn’t in replication but in putting your own unique twist on shit. Safety’s cool but if you want a shot at doing something new and great, like you said, gotta take the leap, roll the dice!

Q3) Some of the stuff like “Money Clouds” or “You’re Gonna Miss Me” sounds like it would fit right in on a playlist with like Anderson Paak and The Internet and some of this sounds like a crazy Curtis Mayfield meets CCR hybrid. Then there’s this is channeling of Gil Scot Heron.. Does any of that sound like I’m hearing this right? Teddy: Yeah your hearing it right but you forgot Jimmy Buffet. Zee: The record is a kind of reconciliation of all the vastly different sounds we feel. From Danzig to Smokey Robinson. Ravel to Merle Haggard. Barrington Levy and Blur party with young Zee and the Outsidaz. So yeah you’re onto us… that and what Teddy said…

Q4) You guys are New Jersey based and I read somewhere you guys first met at a skatepark ( Teddy/pro skater rumors?)… Also heard that you guys used to make beats and were heavily into that era of hip hop. I even heard you did a mean Slick Rick! Any truth to this? Break it down for me. Teddy: Yeah I met Zee at Tompkins park in the LES. I wasn’t pro but I was on my way when I decided to throw that thing out the window. R.I.P. Harold Hunter. Yea I made beats for some of the Wu. G unit. Nipsey Hustle Zee: ILL BEATS…but we heard that about you too, Chris.. I’m not gonna front tho.. I’m pretty good at impersonating anyone. It’s just fun to mess around and mimic people with that wild flow. Like Slicky Rick or Quim Cardona

Q5) Now how we know each other is through one of my favorite people in the whole world. My man JP Plunier who is, pardon the pun, a Jack of all Moves…except he is more like a master of all trades…He is kind of, well all over the map, producing The Growlers, the early Ben Harper going from making platinum Jack Johnson records to obscure European and African artists. Did you guys jump into one of LA’s legendary studios and bring in the heavy session guys? Teddy:. Nah, JP’s the man I love him. He’s crazy. Plus he skates for my brand Callate. We recorded the album at his house out by Mt. Baldy in one of his little back rooms. Had a lot of fun and a lot of Bordeaux wine making this album. ZEE: That was part of the creative flip on this record. No fancy studios. We basically just hung out in JP’s living room recording demos to the phone and having fun. We also had some demo ideas we had been messing with for the past year or so. Then we took the best stuff into his back house and recorded into a rig he and Andy (his partner in their label, Everloving) put together. Pretty freestyle really. Some heads from NJ jumped on a few tracks back in Newark too. After we finished mixing and everything, JP took the record into his meditation/altar chamber and made us say some strange Latin chant. Then he poured vegan blood over the tapes and threw dinosaur feathers around. There were pictures of Ian Curtis, James Brown and Beaudelaire and Teddy swears their eyes were following us.