Arts & Entertainment
Jackopierce - 2 SHOWS - Live at Eddie's Attic!
Doors open at 6:00pm. Tickets will be $30 at the door.
Breaking up is hard to do. But staying together is nearly impossible. The average marriage lasts about six years, and 95% of new businesses fail within five years. Twenty two years of anything, especially Jackopierce, an acoustic duo that got its start playing frat-parties 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 five years before reuniting in 2002 makes twenty years a downright miracle.
But what happened to them over ten years ago?
In late 1997, after a decade-long run that produced six records (two for major label A&M), shows with the biggest acts of the day (Dave Matthews Band, Matchbox 20, Counting Crows, Sheryl Crow, etc), touring on three continents, in nine countries and 44 states, and nearly 500,000 records sold, Jack O'Neill and Cary Pierce decided to amicably go their separate ways.
"I had just had enough," recalls Jack. "I couldn't just take a break - I needed it to be over. I needed to find myself - outside of being the guy from Jackopierce."
After a brief stint with his new band, American Horse, Jack moved to NYC, joined the critically acclaimed Bat Theater Company and did voiceover work. Cary took a yearlong break from music and then embarked on his solo career. Eventually, both Jack and Cary would release solo records, but neither of them would reach a fraction of the success that they had achieved together. Rumors circulated about a possible reunion for years. Finally in the summer of 2002, their old manager, Brady Wood and his brother, Brandt, got together and started making the idea a reality.
"The timing could not have been better," says Pierce. "I was in the middle of a painful divorce, and it seemed as though my life was falling apart. Brady and I started scheming on the phone about the reunion while Brandt was working on Jack."
Calls were made, a Dallas Venue was booked and the ball was in motion. To sweeten the deal, Matt Scannell, Sean Hurley, and Ed Toth from Vertical Horizon (long time friends and touring-mates) volunteered to be the backing band. It was starting to come together. After almost five years of not talking, Jack and Cary were about to get on the phone and discuss making up, making music, and making a lot of Jackopierce fans very happy. The shows were sold-out weeks in advance - with hundreds left in the streets with no tickets. Had Jackopierce actually grown in popularity during their hiatus? Offers started pouring in and they took their show on the road once again. But this time it was just like their humble beginnings: no band, no bus, no crew - just two guys and two guitars - the way it used to be. And it was working. The fan base was continuing to grow.
Older and wiser - both are now fathers. Priorities have changed. "We both admit that we did not realize or appreciate what we had," says Jack. "There is a lot more gratitude - for each other and for the gifts we have to write and play music."
"We have been blessed with the ability to strap guitars on our backs, get on a plane, and go play a show anywhere in the country," says Pierce. "That is the career I always hoped we would have."
Jackopierce released their first album in 12 years, "Promise of Summer" in 08. And have since released two live albums, "Mile High: Live from the Soiled Dove in Denver" and "Live from Atlanta" as well as "Acoustic Summer." They are now touring in support of their new release, "Everywhere All The Time."
