Artist description Chicago IL - Emo Art Rock

Music Style Art-Punk, Post-Emo, Indie Pop

Musical Influences Interpol, The Stills, Hot Hot Heat, Sunny Day Real Estate, Get Up Kids, Motion City Soundtrack, Morrissey, Wilco, 60's Mod Rock, Cursive

Similar Artists The Get Up Kids, Motion City Soundtrack, The Stills, Reggie and The Full Effect, Cursive, Koufax, Bright Eyes, Thursday, Fugazi, Interpol

Artist History Another one of Chicago's "super bands" From the ashes of the former Setting The Standard (1998-2002). Red Jacket started off as Conrad Merced's acoustic solo project, Started July 2002. by January 2003 Red Jacket was joined by members of Captain Cinch, Sideline Heroes and Tendencie. The Red Jacket hails from Chicago, Winfeild, Glen Ellyn, Carol Stream and Wheaton.

Group Members The Red Jacket is - Conrad Merced - vocals/guitars Ryan Schmidt- bass Jim Ratke- drums Scott Heatherly- keys/moog/backing vocals

Instruments acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, drums

Albums I Feel Sorry For You EP

Press Reviews Taken from the 1st issue of "BOND Zine" www.geocities.com/bondbmx. Recently I got the chance to sit down and chill with some of the members of the Red Jacket, a favorite of new record label Capgun Records. This indie/emo/keyboard rock band hails from none other than the Chicago land area. Lead singer and guitarist, Conrad, and keyboardist, Scott, met up with the Bond Crew to talk, eat, and discuss some questions about the band as a whole. The Red Jacket started as Conrad’s solo project after his previous band had broken up. After awhile, he got sick of playing alone and missed the feel of a band. He called up Jim (drums) who had just broken up with his band who brought along Ryan (bass) from his previous band as well. The guys had practiced together but felt something was missing. Soon after, there was a local party where all the guys were hanging out. They met up with Scott who was a friend of a friend. They discovered he played keyboard, invited him to a practice, and the rest is history. The Red Jacket has been influenced by many bands to help create their indie/emo/keyboard sound. The Motion City Soundtrack’s keyboardist, Jesse Johnson, has influenced The Red Jacket keyboardist, Scott, in bringing his own style to the band. The Get Up Kids, The Smiths, The Cure, and Ben Folds are just some of the band’s other influences. One key aspect of The Red Jacket is how they deny the “rock star” image. They aim to create an atmosphere in which the band members are just regular people too. They play shows and stick around to mingle with the crowd; they become part of the crowd. A demonstration of this "attitude" was at Battle of the Bands contest in Oswego. From the outside, Oswego seems like your typical “country town” with some farm land, huge lots for small houses, and a Prairie Fest. Some of the other bands included in the Battle were Chasing You (3rd place) and False Intent, who traveled on Warped Tour (2nd place). All things considered, The Red Jacket was not expecting to place any higher than 2nd so it was a nice surprise when they took 1st place. One contribution to the win could have been their cover song of “Just What I Needed” by The Cars that excited the crowd of all ages. The guys in The Red Jacket are really down-to-earth and genuine. Their passion and dedication to music shines in the way they present themselves, their band, and their music. If youre interested to hear more about The Red Jacket, check out their website for updates on shows, CD releases, and the guys in general.

Additional Info iamxplosive@comcast.net

Location Chicago, IL - USA

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