A. J. Jackson

Last updated

A. J. Jackson
AJ Jackson Live.jpg
Background information
Birth nameAlexander Jackson
Born Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Origin Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres Alternative rock, indie pop, indie rock
Occupation(s)Musician, Record Producer, Songwriter, Singer, Filmmaker
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals, piano, bass
Years active2007–present
Labels Parlophone Records, Elektra Records, Atlantic Records, OnThe Records

A. J. Jackson (born Alexander Jackson) is an American filmmaker, musician, songwriter, record producer, and perhaps best known as the lead singer for the band Saint Motel. [1] [2] [3] He is known for his enthusiastic stage performances. [4] [5]

Contents

Early life

Jackson was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. [6] He first started playing piano and writing his own music at about age seven. He studied at The Blake School (Minneapolis) and later attended film school [7] at Chapman University. [8] [9]

Music career

Jackson started playing in bands around the 6th grade moving from bassist to guitarist and singer in high school. [10] He met Aaron Sharp while attending university in Southern California and they created Saint Motel around 2007. Saint Motel released its debut E.P. ForPlay in 2009 with Jackson as the lead singer and main songwriter. [11] Jackson's songwriting for the EP received praise from The Washington Post . [12]

Saint Motel released the full-length album Voyeur , whose tracks reached the top of the Hype Machine Charts in 2012, and an EP, My Type, which includes two international alternative top 40 singles written by Jackson, "Cold Cold Man" and the platinum-selling single, "My Type". [13]

In 2015, Jackson led Saint Motel and dancers at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, [14] as one of the stops on the band's US tour. [15] [5]

In 2016 the band released its second full-length album, saintmotelevision , featuring the single "Move" which Jackson stated he wrote while they were on tour in Germany. [16] Inspired by new technological possibilities, Jackson helped make this album the world's first complete virtual reality and, later, augmented reality full-length album in 2016 and 2017. [17]

In 2019 the band released part one of its three part album The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack featuring "Van Horn", which Jackson said he found inspiration for writing from the town of the same name in Texas while they were on tour. [18]

Film career

After graduation Jackson became a freelance filmmaker directing and editing commercials for companies like Scion, Hyundai, and Elle Magazine, as well as music videos for bands like Royal Teeth and Futurecop!, including his own band Saint Motel. [19] [20] When the band's debut album ForPlay was released they had created a music video to accompany each song of the album. Jackson's film clients include Barry Manilow, Band of Skulls, and Jason Mraz. In 2008, Jackson and his comedy partners in sketch comedy group, Craptastic were nominated for a MTV Movie Award for a "Cloverfield" parody called "Broverfield" [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Jayhawks</span> American country and rock band

The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and country rock band that emerged from the Twin Cities music scene in the mid-1980s. Led by vocalists/guitarists/songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olson, their country rock sound was influential on many bands who played the Twin Cities circuit during the 1980s and 1990s, such as Uncle Tupelo, the Gear Daddies and the Honeydogs. They have released eleven studio albums, with and without Olson, including five on the American Recordings label. After going on hiatus from 2005 to 2009, the 1995 lineup of the band reunited and released the album Mockingbird Time in September 2011; Olson left the band for the second time after the tour to promote the album. After another hiatus in 2013, the 1997 lineup led by Louris reunited to play shows in 2014 to support the reissue of three albums originally released between 1997 and 2003. Since then, the band has continued to tour and record, releasing the albums Live at The Belly Up in 2015; Paging Mr. Proust, co-produced by Peter Buck, in 2016; Back Roads and Abandoned Motels in 2018; and XOXO in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3T</span> American R&B/pop music group, formed 1994

3T is an American R&B/pop music trio featuring the three sons of Tito Jackson and Delores "Dee Dee" Jackson, from whom they inherit their Dominican ancestry. The band members include, from eldest, Tariano Adaryll Jackson II ("Taj"), Taryll Adren Jackson and Tito Joe Jackson ("TJ"). Their late uncle Michael Jackson mentored the trio, and signed them to his label MJJ Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Wilk</span> American drummer

Bradley Joseph Wilk is an American drummer. He is best known as a member of the rock bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, and Prophets of Rage (2016–2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smile Empty Soul</span> American rock band

Smile Empty Soul is an American rock band, originally from Santa Clarita, California, United States. It was started in 1998 by Sean Danielsen, Ryan Martin (bass), and Derek Gledhill (drums). Following the departure of Gledhill and Martin from the band in 2005 and 2017, respectively, Danielsen remains the only founding member still active as well as the band's primary songwriter, frontman, and leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motion City Soundtrack</span> American rock band

Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1997. The band's line-up consists of vocalist and guitarist Justin Pierre, lead guitarist Joshua Cain, keyboardist Jesse Johnson, bassist Matthew Taylor, and drummer Tony Thaxton. Over the course of their career, the group has toured heavily and released six studio albums, the majority on independent label Epitaph Records. The band's sound, usually described as pop-punk and/or emo, makes notable use of the Moog synthesizer. Pierre mainly handles the band's lyrics, which often touch on themes of anxiety, alienation, relationships, and self-destructive behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvin Harris</span> Scottish DJ and record producer (born 1984)

Adam Richard Wiles, known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer and songwriter. His debut studio album, I Created Disco (2007) was preceded by the singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls", both of which peaked within the top ten of the UK singles chart. His second album, Ready for the Weekend (2009), debuted atop the UK Albums Chart; its lead single, "I'm Not Alone", became his first song to peak the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt and Kim</span> American music duo

Matt and Kim are an American indie electronic duo from Brooklyn, New York City. The group formed in 2004 and consist of Matt Johnson (vocals/keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums). The duo is known for its upbeat dance music and energetic live shows which often incorporate samples from other artists. Although they started their career playing shows in lofts and other close-quarters venues, they have since performed at numerous festivals, including Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Firefly Music Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Band Perry</span> American country music group

The Band Perry were an American band composed of siblings Kimberly Perry, Reid Perry, and Neil Perry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Motel</span> American band

Saint Motel is an American indie pop band from Los Angeles, whose music has been described as everything from dream pop to progressive indie. The band is composed of singer, songwriter, and producer, A. J. Jackson, Aaron Sharp, Dak Lerdamornpong (bass) and Greg Erwin (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travis Mills</span> American rapper, singer, and actor

Travis Tatum Mills, previously known by his stage name T. Mills, is an American rapper, singer, and actor from Riverside, California. Following his name change from T. Mills to Travis Mills, he began hosting an eponymous show on Apple Music 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skrillex</span> American music producer and DJ (born 1988)

Sonny John Moore, known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, and singer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as its lead vocalist in 2004, and recorded two studio albums with the band—Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has a Bodycount (2004) and Heroine in (2006)—before leaving to pursue a solo career in 2007. He began his first tour as a solo artist in late 2007. After recruiting a new band lineup, Moore joined the Alternative Press Tour to support bands such as All Time Low and the Rocket Summer, and appeared on the cover of Alternative Press's annual "100 Bands You Need to Know" issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R5 (band)</span> American pop rock band

R5 was an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in 2009. The band consisted of Ross Lynch, Riker Lynch, Rocky Lynch, Rydel Lynch (keyboards/vocals), and Ellington Ratliff (drums/vocals). They released their first EP Ready Set Rock on March 9, 2010, but it was removed once Ross got his role on the Disney Channel show Austin and Ally. They then released the EP Loud on February 19, 2013. Since releasing their debut album, Louder, on September 24, 2013, which peaked at 24 on the Billboard 200, followed by their world tour. Their second album, Sometime Last Night, was released on July 10, 2015, and debuted at 6 on the US Billboard 200, and reached the top 20 in five other countries. They have also released five EPs, eleven singles, and a documentary. In 2018, the band ended and Ross and Rocky formed the duo The Driver Era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rüfüs Du Sol</span> Australian alternative dance group

Rüfüs Du Sol is an Australian alternative dance group from Sydney, that consists of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vic Mensa</span> American rapper

Victor Kwesi Mensah, known professionally as Vic Mensa, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, he was a member of the regional hip hop groups Kids These Days and Savemoney prior to releasing his debut solo mixtape, Innanetape (2013). As a solo artist, Mensa has been signed to Virgin EMI Records, Def Jam Recordings, Capitol Records, and Roc Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banda Uó</span> Brazilian tecnobrega band

Banda Uó was a Brazilian tecnobrega band composed of Davi Sabbag, Mateus Carrilho, and Candy Mel. The band was formed in 2010 in Goiânia. The group was initially composed of Davi Sabbag, Mateus Carrilho and Flora Maria. They released their first music video, a tecnobrega cover of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", called "Não Quero Saber", with help from students of Universidade Federal de Goiás and PUC Goiás.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galantis</span> Swedish electronic music act

Galantis are a Swedish electronic music act currently consisting of producer Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson. Formerly, it was a duo, alongside rising musician Style of Eye, until he decided to part ways with the project shortly after their sophomore album The Aviary in 2017. However, he made appearances in live performances and music videos as part of the project up until 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhu (musician)</span> American musician and producer (born 1989)

Steven Zhu, known mononymously as Zhu, is an American electronic music producer and singer who has been active since the beginning of 2014, signed to Mind of a Genius Records. Until mid-2014, Zhu remained anonymous, asking to be judged by his music alone. His debut album, Generationwhy, was released on July 29, 2016 and first premiered at Coachella during his closing set in the Sahara Tent. Zhu's Coachella performance was praised, with a writer for the New York Observer suggesting that he could be "the next Daft Punk".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Type (Saint Motel song)</span> 2014 single by Saint Motel

"My Type" is a song by American indie pop band Saint Motel. It was released as the lead single from their EP of the same name in August 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Garden (band)</span> American experimental rock band

The Garden is an American experimental rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 2011 by twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears. The duo released their debut album The Life and Times of a Paperclip in 2013, with several smaller releases following. In 2015, the group released their second studio album Haha along with the lead single "All Smiles Over Here :)" to critical acclaim after being signed to Epitaph Records. The brothers have toured across the US, Europe, United Kingdom, China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and in 2019 and 2023, they appeared at Coachella.

<i>Saintmotelevision</i> 2016 studio album by Saint Motel

Saintmotelevision is the second studio album by American indie pop band Saint Motel. It was released on October 21, 2016, by Elektra Records.

References

  1. ↑ Brodsky, Rachel. "Video Premiere: Royal Teeth, 'Wild'". MTV . Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  2. ↑ Forman, Bill (July 8, 2015). "Saint Motel follow in the steps of Silversun Pickups and Benny Goodman". Colorado Springs Independent . Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  3. ↑ Miller, Bruce R. (October 5, 2015). "Review: On solo stint, Nate Ruess keeps the fun. in Sioux City performance". Sioux City Journal . Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  4. ↑ Fairbanks, Robin (April 7, 2015). "Finish Ticket Steals The Show At The Crocodile!". Seattle Music Insider. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Pilgrimage Festival is a blend of Southern musical influences". The Crimson White . September 29, 2015. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  6. ↑ Ryan, Patrick (May 17, 2015). "On the Verge: Saint Motel is just our 'Type'". USA Today . Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  7. ↑ Schillaci, Sophie (April 10, 2015). "Saint Motel on Bringing 'My Type' and Fresh Underwear to Coachella". Entertainment Tonight . Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Discovery: Saint Motel". Interview Magazine . September 16, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  9. ↑ Lush, Brian. "Shaky and Sweaty". Rockwired. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  10. ↑ McLernon, Lianna (February 4, 2020). "Q&A with Minneapolis-Native A/J Jackson of Saint Motel". Minnesota Monthly . Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Music gift: Saint Motel's 'ForPlay' EP". Los Angeles Times . December 10, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2010.[ dead link ]
  12. ↑ Jenkins, Mark. "Editorial Review: Saint Motel". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  13. ↑ Barnabi, Maria Elena (September 30, 2014). "La Nostra Canzone Del Giorno: My Type Dei Saint Motel". Cosmopolitan Italia . Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  14. ↑ Marquez, Liset (April 12, 2015). "Coachella 2015: Saint Motel bring flashy style to main stage". Los Angeles Daily News . Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  15. ↑ Chebil, Sasha (February 23, 2015). "Saint Motel deliver exuberant live performance". The Daily Californian . Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  16. ↑ Minnich, Sondra (March 22, 2016). "Exclusive Interview: Saint Motel's AJ Jackson Talks Performing MSG, Pre-Concert Rituals". bandsintown . Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  17. ↑ Shouneyia, Alexa (May 11, 2017). "Saint Motel Is Turning 'saintmotelevision' Into First-Ever Virtual Reality Album, Premieres Visual for 'Destroyer': Exclusive". Billboard . Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  18. ↑ Pace, Lilly (October 16, 2019). "Saint Motel Break Down 'The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Part 1': Exclusive". Billboard . Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  19. ↑ Munoz, Matt (June 10, 2015). "At bigger venue, KRAB fest should be Free 4 more Alls". The Bakersfield Californian . Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  20. ↑ Fusilli, Jim (October 31, 2009). "That Music-Making Business". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  21. ↑ "MTV Movie Awards 2008". MTV.com . May 22, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2008.[ dead link ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.