Jackopierce

Breaking up is hard to do. But staying together is nearly impossible. The average marriage lasts about 6 years and 95% of new businesses fail within five years. Twenty years of anything, especially Jackopierce, an acoustic duo that got its start playing fratparties in the late 80's, is hard to believe. Add-in the fact that Jack O'Neill and Cary Pierce did not speak for nearly 5 years before reuniting in 2002 makes 20 years a downright miracle.
To celebrate their 2 decades together (and apart), Jackopierce will release a new CD, Promise of Summer, on August 12. The 11-song disc contains 10 brand-new songs and includes a remake of the JP classic, "March". The album will be available for digital download in mid-July on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster and most other digital sites. CDs are available now for pre-order through www.jackopierce.com.
Promise of Summer is full of all the things that hundreds-of-thousands of fans have loved about this duo: gorgeous harmonies, acoustic guitars and songs that take you somewhere else.
The songs range from acoustic pop, (the title-track, "Promise of Summer"), to Mellencamp-tinged country-rock ("Everything I'm Not"). Heartache is ever-present on a Jackopierce record. Songs like "Come On July" and "I Gotta Know" find Jack O'Neill drawing from the same muse that gave fans songs like "Late Shift," "My Time" and "Wildflower." But Jack's longing for his once home state of Texas produced one of the standout tracks from the CD. "Texas" is one of those songs that sounds so familiar, it's as if you've been listening to it for years. When Jack sings "If I could just get back to Texas - if I could hold you in my arms tonight - the way we used to do when we were young and restless," it just takes the listener to another place.
After working with some of the biggest producers in the business including T Bone Burnett (Counting Crows, Wallflowers), Stan Lynch (Don Henley, Mavericks), John Alagia (John Mayer, Jason Mraz), amongst others, Jack suggested that Cary take the helm.
"Cary has been producing for almost 15 years," says O'Neill from his home in New York City. "It started with Jack Ingram's first record when we were all at SMU (in Dallas). He's become quite a craftsman - both in writing and producing. I'm proud to have his name on there. He does great work and no one knows the Jackopierce sound better than Cary. Plus," Jack chuckles, "he cut us a deal!"
"The best part about producing this record," says Pierce from his Dallas home, "is that I'm a Jack O'Neill fan. He's a great writer. "My Time," "March," "Iron John," "Late Shift" - man! And new songs like "I Gotta Know'", "Come on July" and "Texas" are awesome! He's got an old soul. He's from a huge, Irish, military family from Pittsburgh. There's just a depth to him that no one can really get to."
A real surprise treat for longtime fans of the band is a fully produced version of the JP classic "March." "It's definitely one of Jack's best songs," says Pierce. "We really wanted to showcase that song in a way that would draw new folks to it. The lyrics are amazing and timeless. Jack is a 3rd generation Army kid. I think he's read every war book ever written. The lyrics 'every generation makes the same mistakes, but still we send our sons away to do the same' are universal. Almost everyone can relate to that in some way."