Raleigh, NC roots-rockers Jack the Radio are releasing their album Creatures, today, July 10, 2020 – listen HERE. The band recently released the title track for “Creatures” (featuring soul singer Tamisha Waden) along with the fantastical animated music video – watch it HERE. The video will be making its network TV debut with DittyTV tomorrow, July 11 on ELEVEN at 11:00pm CT, with a re-airing on July 12 at 11:00am CT. Singer, George Hage will be performing songs off the album during a special live stream from The Pour House in Raleigh on Friday, July 10 at 8:00pm.
"We’ve put the better part of three and half years into making this the best album we could,” says Hage. “From the songs to the lyrics to the artwork and packaging, we’re excited for people to finally experience it with us."
The video provides a teaser for the companion comic book, Jack The Radio: Creatures Anthology (published by A Wave Blue World), which came out June 24. “The artwork for the video was plucked right from the pages of the comic book that’s based on the album,” says singer / songwriter / artist George Hage. “The song is based off the classic story of A Christmas Carol, and the video, like the tale, captures Jack on his journey of self-discovery as he is faced with his past, present, and future. The song is about finding peace and balance in the world and Jack’s quest for that balance.” The idea of the comic book was born from Hage’s passion for art & design. He’s not only created artwork for Jack The Radio but has also done work for Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters), American Aquarium, and festivals such as Hopscotch Music Festival and IBMA’s World of Bluegrass among others. The collection of cosmic-country-fried sci-fi short stories catalogs the adventures of the ever-resilient character, Jack the Radio, and includes comics and pinups from 30+ professional artists from around the world.
Jack The Radio recently premiered their lyric video for “Getting Good” featuring Lydia Loveless with Cowboys And Indians Magazine – watch it HERE. The video for the song, a country tongue-in-cheek tale about the bright side of failure, features behind the scenes footage from the recording studio. Jack The Radio also released their first single “We’re Alright” (featuring Tamisha Waden), watch the lyric video HERE. It was featured on DittyTV’s Ditty Dozen Spotify playlist the week of June 1, 94.7 QDR Homegrown Country show, WNRN's Fresh Roots, New Blues show, and the band performed it on WNCN-TV’s (CBS 17) My Carolina Today. The song was written about the increasingly polarized state of our country and the desire to reconnect and support each other regardless of our cultural or geographic differences. This particularly hits home with Hage who grew up in the south as the son of Puerto Rican and Lebanese parents. "I was exposed to a lot at a young age with my family speaking a combination of English, Spanish, Arabic, and Armenian," says Hage. "I knew I was different to the other kids I went to school with and because of this I experienced the good and the bad, the love and the hate in people. My hope now is the same as it was then that our country's differences must be what brings us together."
Creatures was recorded at Warrior Sound in Chapel Hill, NC with engineer Al Jacob and blends rock and blues sensibility with Americana, folk, and country to create a tapestry of swampy southern-tinged sounds. All of the songs on the album were written by George Hage with a common thread that weaves its way through telling us to stand strong as we ride out the highs and lows of what life throws at us. And with the state of the world today, it’s even more poignant to relay this message and to remind us that we are all creatures of this earth and we can overcome anything.
Other tracks on the album include “Trouble” (featuring Jeanne Jolly) which was featured on Visit Raleigh, about persevering during times of struggle, “Don’t Count Me Out,” about an unlikely hero saving the day, “Let’s Be Real” with its message of “…life ain’t kind It’s messed up but we’ll be fine,” and “Paint The Sky” about how the moments in our lives will live on in the memories of our family and friends long after we pass on. It’s currently on Blueridge Outdoor Magazine’s “Trail Mix Vol.VI” now – listen HERE.
Over the years, Jack The Radio has shared the stage with The Avett Brothers, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Cold War Kids, George Thorogood, Rayland Baxter, and American Aquarium to name a few. Their music has been featured in countless commercial, film, and TV projects including Modern Family, Boardwalk Empire, Graceland, Beverly Hills 90210 as well as in sports programming for NASCAR, NFL, and PGA among others. Jack The Radio is George Hage (Vocals, Guitar), Danny Johnson (Guitar, Keyboard, Lap Steel, Vocals), Dan Grinder (Bass), and Kevin Rader (Drums, Vocals).
