The House Jacks

The House Jacks
The House Jacks at The Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, March 2008
The House Jacks at The Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, March 2008
Background information
OriginSan Francisco, United States
GenresA cappella, vocal jazz, pop
Years active1991–present
LabelsTommy Boy, Warner Brothers, Artelier, Hot Lips, A Cappella Records,[1]
MembersNick Girard
Austin Willacy
Mark Joseph
John Pointer
Gregory Fletcher
Past membersMatt Sallee
Deke Sharon
Tristan Bishop
Rob Penn
Marty Mahoney
Andrew Chaikin
Kevin Fudge
Garth Kravits
Bert Bacco
Wes Carroll
Antonio Medrano
Elliott Robinson
Jake Moulton
Roopak Ahuja
Troy Horne
Websitewww.housejacks.com

The House Jacks is a professional a cappella quintet from San Francisco, founded in 1991 by Deke Sharon.[2]

The House Jacks describe themselves as a "rock band without instruments",[3] their live shows typically include not only singing but also vocally imitating instruments such as trumpets, guitars, harmonicas and strings[4] as well as taking audience-requests for songs and rendering them in musical styles unlike the original versions.[5]

The group primarily performs original material (unlike most contemporary a cappella groups who focus on cover songs) and is considered the first professional a cappella group to have a dedicated vocal percussionist.[6]

The group routinely tours the United States, Europe and Asia,[7] has recorded numerous jingles[8] and has garnered numerous recording and community awards (see below). The group was signed to Tommy Boy records (then a part of Warner Brothers) from 1994-1997, and Artilier Records (Germany) from 2000-2005.

They can be heard in the background music on NBC's The Sing-Off in the opening video, commercial transitions and elimination sequences.[9] They have also created comedic bits and jingles for the radio personalities Mancow Muller and Rick Dees.

The group performed at the 53rd Monterey Jazz Festival on September 17, 2010.[10] and have performed on stages from Carnegie Hall to the Gewandhaus.

They performed the Monday Night Football Theme "Are You Ready For Some Football" with Hank Williams, Jr. for the 2011 season.[11]

Rolling Stone wrote about their inclusion in Ford automobiles, demoing the twelve speaker Sony sound system [12]

Their version of "Since U Been Gone" was adapted for the audition scene in Pitch Perfect (Deke Sharon was on site music director, arranger and vocal producer for the film, as well as "Male Voice #1")

  1. ^ "The House Jacks - A Cappella Records". A Cappella Records. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
  2. ^ "The House Jacks return". TheUnion.com. 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
  3. ^ Malkoff, Amy. "Multimedia Review: The House Jacks, 7/1/09". CASA News Feed. CASA. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  4. ^ Heavrin, Edward. "House Jacks jams with student body". The Horizon Online. IU Horizon. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  5. ^ Thomas, Melinda. "Concert Review: The House Jacks At The Grass Valley Center For The Arts, 4.30.10". CASA News Feed. CASA.org. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  6. ^ "A Century of A Cappella". Learn About A Cappella. www.a-cappella.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  7. ^ "Tour » House Jacks | Music Without Instruments". House Jacks. 2012-01-21. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
  8. ^ "House Jacks Play Girl Scout Benefit in Wheeling - OV Parent - Ohio Valley's parenting site". ovparent.com. 2011-04-29. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
  9. ^ "Sing-Off » House Jacks | Music Without Instruments". House Jacks. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
  10. ^ Gustas, Nicole. "The House Jacks at the Monterey Jazz Festival". www.blogmonterey.com. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
  11. ^ "MNF « ESPN Front Row". ESPN. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
  12. ^ Scott Steinberg. "House Jacks Pair with Sony for New Soundtrack | Scott Steinberg". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-28.