Teddy wears T-Shirt by Union military vest by Bephie Finding

The Jack Moves by Jill Jones Photographs Sam Massey The Styling Beth Gibbs Originals

(based out of Newark, NJ) or their audience have a clue about drive-ins, but Zee Desmondes and Teddy Powell of The Jack Moves do however seem to know a helluva lot about emotions and how to craft a rich musical landscape, skillfully layered in the origins of . Their production transports the listener to a time when some of the best soul music was created. There is no denying their aptitude for delivering killer ballads and catchy riffs looping through the tracks that conjure up the iconic sounds of yesterday’s “Philly, Motown, and Minneapolis” all at once.

For older music connoisseurs like myself, I immediately hear subtle references to The Philly Sound – Zee wears T-Shirt by Union Eddie Holman, The Delfonics, and . beanie by About The Tower Motown’s Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson make an appearance as well as the melodic and lyrical phrasings of mixed with the grit of Curtis Mayfield. They’re all tastefully ensconced in Hip Hop beats, lush string, and punchy horn arrangements, The Jack Moves are playing on my ultimately creating an eclectic original sound that is car stereo as I drive for miles up the Pacific Coast fresh, new, and totally their own. Highway with no particular destination in mind. There’s something about a good soul tune, where Renowned online Hip Hop and alternative music the lead singer with a confectionary falsetto is calling website Okayplayer premiered The Jack Moves debut you “girl,” “baby,” “mama,” and talking about “making LP to its worldwide network of “in the know” music love,” with you being “the only one” – your ears just aficionados whose sophisticated palettes are very filling up with old school pillow talk: “I love you’s” to discriminating. Authenticity and truth are paramount the nines. The Jack Moves got mad scintillating game. to receiving the ultimate seal of approval from such an esteemed community. Other reputable music Wasn’t it Teena Marie who said, “Ooo la-la-la, it’s the outlets such as NPR followed suit, giving the album way you feel when you know it’s real?” Because every numerous accolades. girl knows a truly good love song ain’t never lied. Having recently come off of a tour with Ben Neither does the self-titled The Jack Moves album. It’s Harper and now working on their new album, they a dreamy escape and trip back into the good old days agreed to meet with me and discuss their journey, of first loves, soulful sentimental romance tunes, red- process, and vision. I sat down with the vocalist, light house party jams, and steamy drive-in make out multi-instrumentalist Zee Desmondes and DJ, sessions. Days seemed simpler then. beat-creator and drummer, Teddy Powell, along with their manager/producer, Jean-Pierre Plunier. I doubt that these two young millennial musicians

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Who turned you guys onto this kind of music? in Brooklyn, Gabe Roth. And he has Daptones records: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings! I saw some of his stuff and how they TP: I don’t know. Listening to Hip Hop, I guess. I heard it would record it all to tape. And I was like Oh! Then I kind of got growing up – listening to Hip Hop and finding the original hooked on doing things like that. We were like that for a long samples. time, right up until recently – kind of obsessed with trying to do things to tape and stuff. ZD: Just getting further down that rabbit hole and finding really rare stuff; it’s really good, and you kind of get addicted But now, it’s all kind of leveled out. When we first started it to it. It was all kind of natural. It wasn’t like let’s do this really was all off the computer; kind of what’s easiest to do. Then esoteric work; it was more like we just got kind of obsessed I tried to mess around with tape. Then I kind of realized it’s with it. It was all kind of accidental. Cause we used to make silly to have preconceptions about what sounds better when Hip Hop music together, mess around, and then we started maybe you should just be open to all of it. You know people trying to play some of the music we were finding: a lot of rare are like, “Tape. Nothing sounds like tape,” and I don’t think 45s and stuff. Now a lot of that’s on the Internet. But back then it’s true. There’s things we recorded on our phones recently, it was even harder to find. We didn’t even have the records; [working on this new] stuff that sounds better than a lot of we just had the CD compilations. We just liked playing around things we recorded in the studio. and covering the songs. We weren’t even really sure how to write stuff like that at that time. It just kind of grew from that, JP: Maybe you’ll get to hear some! We did a bunch of stuff in and we would make something and say, “Oh, that doesn’t here just writing. Ok, turn on your phone and boom. And now sound so bad.” Then eventually we made a cover and decided we’re like how did we get to that? to make a little 45 – biked it around the city and gave it to whoever would take it at the different record stores.

When did you have an idea you wanted to commit to this We are both Aquarians, full time? so we are super out there. TP: Probably after we put the first 45 out.

ZD: Yeah. Cause it was really like no plan, and we got a nice How do you think your generation ranks when it comes to response. We sold out of it. All of these record stores started music these days? writing blogs and a distributor wanted to take some. Then it got over to people in California. This Chicano crowd started ZD: There’s so much it seems. There’s so many people making collecting the record because it became so rare; now it’s like music, and they’re in all the different genres. There are people $200 for a 45. They always ask us to reprint it. playing Jazz now that are probably better technically, better than the greatest jazz players before. Maybe. Maybe not. That whole thing we recorded in my mom’s garage down I’m just saying there are jazz people that I don’t even know by the Jersey Shore. And then after that, it became kind of specifically, who are virtuoso players and whether their annoying because Teddy lived up by New York. Some of the recordings are as timeless and classic as John Coltrane… It people who would play with us, you know, they were from that just seems like there are people of all genres; there’s so many area too. So it became kind of necessary to get some place people making music. Soundcloud, Spotify, YouTube, it’s where we could work, and people could come through. insane.

We are all just kind of impulsive – moving into the place we are still at in Newark. It was just like no plan at all. It was like So how do you two stand out? a crazy building that needed a lot of work on it. And then we were in there, and we still didn’t really know what we were ZD: (laughs) I don’t know. Sometimes it’s overwhelming to doing. even think about it.

We were still into soul music, and trying to figure out how to TP: I guess we got our own sound. We sound different than make shit sound the way the old records sounded. A lot of that other bands. stuff is kind of hard to figure out – like all of the harmonies.

I think you do. I think you’re more hardcore – with the reach Were you doing it digitally or doing it analog? back to the old and bringing it new.

ZD: Yeah, we were using the computer at that time. ZD: Yeah. And maybe that’s like even a security blanket – just like being good at your unique thing. It’s kind of interesting about experimenting; you realize when you try to go out into It’s great you got that sound just from digital. different genres that you’re wandering out of your comfort zone… out of your little pond, you know. It can be intimidating, ZD: Yeah. And then I started to realize, like there is this dude but also it’s freeing.

23 Zee wears jacket by Guilty Parties jumpsuit by Kapital beanie by About The Tower

Teddy wears jacket from JP’s Vintage W-taps jacket, T-shirt by Neue Pollution jean’s by Acne Studios

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And how were your families when you decided to play things that I liked. One time, this guy came up to make this move into music? me and said, “Dude, you got to play something that’s not going to put me in a …” ZD: I was more of a surfer. My brother was a pro surfer. My mom is an artist. My dad was kind of pressured into Sad mood his career path, so he’s always kind of had my back. (Everyone laughs)

TP: My mom passed away a couple years ago, but ZD: A lot of times I like lyrics, and obviously I can sit my dad passed away when I was younger. I grew up there and understand them. But sometimes I don’t skating(skateboarder), dropped out of school in ninth even really listen to the lyrics, I am more like listening grade, and went to San Francisco. to the melody or the emotion or feeling of it. Like even if it’s a sad song, you know when you feel like someone in the song is saying something sad, but they are kind So you have always been quite independent. What’s of transcending their pain and they’re putting their your ideal vision with this new album? How do you soul into it? That’s kind of what I am hearing more than come up with the songs? like “she left me on Sunday…” like the specifics of it.

ZD: I think we kind of started off messing around – little pieces that may have been building up over But when you’re writing – how much input do you the year. You know, like you’ll sit down with a voice share? recorder and have a couple of lines. I have a collection of those little pieces. Coming here with JP and we ZD: We are both Aquarians, so we are super out there. just kept messing around, bringing those pieces from the past into a little jam and seeing where that goes. JP: There are dots to connect for sure, and that’s what’s If something felt good, it would move onto the next up with trying new stuff and being kind of fearless to stage. And if something was whatever, it would just see what goes and what doesn’t. We’ll see in the end. stay in that beginning phase. Right now we have 18-19 songs. It may end up being 10; it may end up being 18 if some are interludes or intros. But at the end of the day, there’s nothing that’s off- limits. Ah, this is Rock or this is Classical or this is weird That whole thing we recorded 90s, nothing is off-limits. It’s about – can it make you in my mom’s garage down by feel like you are on some really good tea? ZD: Me and Teddy, obviously we like to sell music. But the Jersey Shore. we also like country music, even that crazy Rap coming out now. It’s all got its place in my time or whatever mood I’m in. I can appreciate all of it. And I like some What is influencing your writing these days? Is this of it a lot. I like the energy that some of it has. Even if new album going to equally have the love song it’s not some of the most cerebral poetry. direction?

TP: There are love songs, but it has more of a party So you’re not music snobs? vibe to it. I think maybe (laughter from Zee and JP) like nastier songs. ZD: No, not at all.

JP: More sex vibe. TP: I don’t even listen to music anymore. I just don’t know anything about the new groups; I might know Cardi B. I was a big 90s Hip Hop dude. This guy (to Ok. The first one (album) was very romantic and kind Zee), he knows all the bands. of a vulnerable place to be in, very exposed. ZD: I have always been curious. It’s so much easier now ZD: Sentimental. I like ballads, naturally. I could listen too. Before you used to have to go to CD stores, and to ballads whether I’m happy or sad. I can listen to a hopefully they had a sampler, and you had to look at sad song and feel fine and happy. Yeah, it doesn’t really the cover. bother me. You know, Teddy used to DJ at this bar, and sometimes I would come up and take over. I would just

25 Teddy wears T-Shirt by Neue Pollution beanie by About The Tower

Who does all the styling and your marketing? pushback from a friend regarding the video. Music connects, and there are no borders. ZD: We made all our own videos. Music must always be a free agency.

In this era and climate of labels, diversity, and Essentially, it comes back to does art imitate identifiers, I broach the topic of sexuality while life or does life imitate art? In today’s volatile discussing their dark and provocative Paul and knee-jerk reactionary responses to what Schrader-esque video for “Doublin Down.” is real and what is fake, it would seem that the The video is a raw voyeuristic lens into an realness and truth of our lives are the most urban story on the effect of silo thinking, street alien to ourselves and hold the deepest fears. culture allegiances, and betrayals. To remove or omit one element of the sexual bargaining and tacit transactions that exist within urban ZD: An old friend of mine was like, “Hey, your cultures would portray a false narrative that video is like these half-naked Black girls (who the band clearly does not operate from. The selected their own wardrobe, btw, for the cast is a collective of diverse friends, close video) in it, and I’m not really into that.” You relationships, and local characters within the know, I had to like test. And I had to call him band’s circle. A community they and their out on it. I’m not comparing it to classical music have nurtured and fostered. It speaks to artwork, but I don’t think there’s anything Newark; it speaks to every melting pot within wrong with making art that involves sexuality. the United States; it speaks to global cities. Do you consider the “Doublin Down” video Zee explains to me how he received a bit of misogynistic?

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No, I don’t. I think that with filmmakers and art, music, etc that it needs to be able to have the expanse to be an observer or a storyteller.

TP: It’s a way different climate today than when that video was made five years ago.

JP: We had a part of this conversation this morning. How do we try to address what is going on in the world and keep a certain lightness to it?

ZD: When you think back to soul music, that seemed to be the opposite of it – something striving towards transcendent, hopeful, and positive. Without being too preachy, it could be as simple as a love song. That, for me, would be like something that music has always helped me do in life – kind of helped me get through things or guide me. I would hope that our music would have some kind of quality like that. As well as visually, because you know I want to see things. I want to be excited by people today. As much as we’re competitive and whatever, you still want to be inspired by something. And we are by certain things. You just try to do your part.

www.thejackmoves.com

Zee wears Jacket by Acne Studios T-shirt and necklace Zee’s own Trousers by Carhartt

27 It’s silly to have preconceptions about what sounds better when maybe you should just be open to all of it.

Teddy wears Tee-Shirt by Union military vest by Bephie

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Zee wears Jacket by Guilty Parties jumpsuit by Kapital beanie by About The Tower

Photographs: Sam Massey Styling: Beth Gibbs Talents: Zee Desmondes and Teddy Powell

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