------Feature • ------The Chips Will Be Flying By Deborah Kennedy Johnson was infamous at the time for not lending his cords to other projects, but he made an exception for A cynic might think that a chainsaw solo could Jackyl, and the resulting track, “Locked and Loaded” get old. After all, how many times can one man chop is a triumph of southern-fried, sleazy fun, according to up a stool on stage and throw the pieces into a crowd AllMusic. before fans tire of the lumberjack act? Next up for Jackyl was a greatest hits release – That’s a rhetorical question, of course, because Choice Cuts – and another studio album, the aptly ti- Jackyl fans continue to clamor for Jesse James Du- tled Stayin’ Alive. Then, in 2000, Dupree put out a solo pree’s signature bit, and, considering the fact that he’s record, Foot Fetish. It was a relatively quiet period been rocking the saw solo since the 90s, chances are for Jackyl, if a band that regularly destroys furniture good they’ll never stop. in their live shows can ever be described as “quiet.” Which is great news for Dupree and his mates – Jeff Worley on guitar, Roman Glick on bass and Chris Wor- ley on drums – who are now looking at their 21st year in the business and their seventh stu- dio album, Best in Show, released just this past July. And the great news for local fans is Jackyl will be at Piere’s Friday, November 30. Wood chips will almost certainly fly. Jackyl came together in 1990 in Kinnesaw, Georgia. JACKYL Back then the band Friday, Nov. 30 • 8 p.m. was a quintet, with Dupree and the Worley Piere’s Entertainment Center It wasn’t until the ter- boys joined by Tom 5629 St. Joe Rd., Fort Wayne rorist attacks of Sep- Bettini on bass and tember 11, 2001 that Jimmy Stiff on guitar. Tix: $15 adv., $18 d.o.s. thru Ticketmaster Jackyl garnered a great Word got around to or Piere’s box office, 260-486-1979 deal of national atten- Geffen Records that tion again, this time for Jackyl’s live shows were, for lack of a better phrase, their song “Open Invitation,” which invited Osama buzz-worthy, and the guys signed a deal for their first bin Laden to kiss the band’s collective nether region. album, a self-titled 12-tracker that became a quick hit Dupree has been quoted as saying the song “is written with fans but a thorn in the side of the establishment. in the key of ‘ANGER’ that such a thing can happen The Man, which at the time included Kmart, rushed to in this country. It’s not directed toward any religious ban the album on account of a few very adult-themed group or race of people,” but instead is targeting only songs. those responsible for making that day so memorable Jackyl responded in typical Jesse James style, and tragic. meaning they played a concert in a Kmart parking lot Since then, the guys haven’t stopped rocking. in protest. It wasn’t an empty gesture. The band used They released Relentless in 2002, another greatest hits the concert footage for their video for their wildly album in 2003 (because you can’t have too many) and popular song “I Stand Alone.” When Moonshine and Dynamite Collide in 2010. The A few years after the release of Jackyl, Dupree band’s most recent effort, Best in Show, dropped this and company put out Push Comes to Shove, and the past Father’s Day, the same day ’s album quickly went Gold on the shoulders of hits like son, Nigel Thomas, and his group put out Up to No “Headed for Destruction,” “My Life” and “Rock-A- Good. Ho.” Soon, Jackyl had gigs all around the country and Twenty years of Jackyl. Twenty years of chain- the globe, touring with road buddies Aerosmith, Kiss, saws. Jackyl fans clearly have something to be grate- ZZ Top, Damn Yankees and meat-eater and aspiring ful for, but it’s the members of the band who are truly secessionist, Ted Nugent. thankful. In an interview with L.A. Music Blog, Du- All good bands have a great year. For Jackyl that pree said he considers Jackyl fans a sizzling sample of year was 1994. In addition to their first Gold album, the “real” America. 1994 marked Jackyl’s unforgettable performance at “We’ve never been a band that’s thrived on wheth- Woodstock and the inclusion of one of their songs er or not we’re the flavor of the day on the charts or (title unprintable) on The Beavis and Butthead Experi- whatever,” he said. “We’re a band that has sustained ence soundtrack. The world was their wooden stool, if our existence based on the fact that we connect with you will. real America, people that bust their knuckles every Speaking of, the band’s third album, Cut the Crap, day working for a living. They want to come out and came out three years later and featured the high and they want to jam. They want to do it loud, proud, hard, mighty vocal stylings of AC/DC’s . and honest.” November 22, ’12------www.whatzup.com------7