For better or worse, Milwaukee's JackRaasch has been accused of wearing its influences on its sleeve. And it's true; listening to the lo-fi, folksy pop duo, there are more than a few early Modest Mouse moments, right down to the coy, meandering song titles like "Long Regret Without a Cigarette."
Still, Sean Raasch and Tyler Nelson are their own enterprise quite capable of crafting a unique brand of earnest indie rock. Muses aside, there are no copycat cover songs here. In fact, Oasis's "Wonderwall" is the only song Raasch knows how to play on guitar besides his own.
But unlike the bitter rivalry that exists between the brothers Gallagher, the brotherly dynamic Raasch and Nelson share is overtly benevolent and based on mutual respect and understanding. This is where the music of JackRaasch -- the name combines Sean's last name with Nelson's middle name -- comes from.
"We will always be a two-piece," explains Nelson. "We communicate really well with each other. When we first started, people were always asking to (play) the bass but that would just complicate things, and I think it would drastically change our sound and song structure. I mean, we don't even need a set list at this point. And we never play songs the same way more than twice. Our improvising is what keeps us different, and me from zoning out."
Zoning our hardly seems a worry, at least on the listener's side of things. JackRaasch seems to embody the loose, playful quirk of bands like Built to Spill, but without all the excess jamming. Songs like "Love Won't Last Long in June" feel simple and sloppy on purpose, but culminate with sincere, if bittersweet, lyrical choices.
Adds Raasch, "There's just something beautiful about a natural, pure sound. I think we like the fact that if people dig us it'll be based on the songwriting alone. I hope that shines more than anything."
Raasch and Nelson are preparing for three upcoming dates, including their 25th -- yes, they've counted -- show, which goes down at the Cactus Club on Saturday, Feb. 16.
Prior to that, you can catch the band at Stonefly Brewing Co., on Friday, Feb. 8 -- which happens to the day after Sean's birthday "so it might be a bit wild," Nelson warns. The band then returns to Stonefly on Friday, Feb. 22.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
