Brent Jackson of The Junction: An Open Book

Canadian indie rock band The Junction has just released a new album titled Another Link in the Chain. If you haven’t heard of them then I suggest you read on because this is a small band with a larger then life sound.

Mike Taylor, Brent Jackson, and Matt Jameson Photographed By: David Waldman

I was lucky enough to catch up with the lead singer Brent Jackson over some sushi prior to their CD Release Party at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Canada. It was a great experience and Brent was a pleasure to interview, mainly because he’s not shy and full of insight. He is an open book eager to share his take on music, life, and love.

It was in grade 9 that Brent and drummer Mike (’Mikey’) Taylor discovered that they were into the same bands by comparing what they had penciled onto their notebooks. From there they walked to and from school talking about music and decided to jam. Brent explains that they weren’t really taking it seriously until grade 11 when they started dating girls.

They met their bassist Matt Jameson at a battle of the bands and the three have been rockin’ out ever since.  “We’ve had members come and go and he’s the only one that really stuck.” Together they have been producing music for almost 10 years which not many bands can say. They have remained loyal to each other and their music which explains why Another Link in the Chain rocks! In my opinion it’s their best album.

Between bites of sushi and sips of green tea Brent continued to talk about The Junction and the trials and tribulations they’ve experienced. For starters they were originally signed with Universal but because of the labels lack of support and their corporate structure the relationship “crumbled”. Brent explains that they were “lost dogs in this huge place”. They didn’t get the backing they needed and higher-ups weren’t returning their phone calls.

“They didn’t even have the balls to tell us that there was no money left, they straight up just didn’t talk to us. So we said f— this, we’re not getting responses so we’ll just show up. We’ll just go in there and raise some hell.”

Luckily what resulted was a clean break. However, the band was back to square one: unsigned, a little disillusioned, and on the verge of breaking up.

More of this exclusive interview below plus the music video for  My Love Was There and Another Link in the Chain giveaway!

“Either we break up and figure it out or find it in ourselves to keep going. Personally for me it wasn’t dead in my heart. We hadn’t peaked yet.”

The band decided to stay together and continue producing music. Brent realized that when you hit rock bottom you really have no where else to go but up. So he decided to take everything in around him and approach life with a ‘nothin’ to lose’ attitude. From there he began writing new songs which have since ended up on the new album. When you listen to Another Link in the Chain or if you check them out live this energy and optimism pumps through each song at full force.

Although this is a Canadian band they spent three months in New York to produce Another Link in the Chain with acclaimed producer Gus van Go (The Stills, Priestess, Diamond Nights). They all hit it off and Gus dug their sound. He wanted to work with them and even though it meant a slight pay cut for Gus he still did it. He saw their potential and he definitely helped unleash that in this album.

Enjoy the music video for My Love Was There. It’s a killer turn and I assure you you’ll be tappin’ your toes and humming it for the next few days.

To hear more from their new album  Another Link in the Chain check out The Junction’s MySpace Page!

I want to know what you think of the new album. Comment below for your chance to win Another Link in the Chain.

Giveaway Rules/Guidelines:

1. Must be a U.S. resident with a valid email address

2.Comment below and tell me which song you liked best from their MySpace page.

3.Retweet this post to improve your chances.

*The winner will be picked at random!