Brandon Jackson

By Chase Rheam Stillwater NewsPress

STILLWATER, Okla. — For more than years, Brandon Jackson has been entertaining crowds in Stillwater and Texas. But he has been involved in music since a very young age.

“Yeah, music's always been a passion of mine, since I was a little kid,” said Jackson. “And I think it was instilled by my father, who ... plays guitar, plays banjo, plays mandolin and his father played fiddle and piano and played in a bunch of bluegrass bands back in the 30s and stuff, so music's been a part of my life my entire life.”

Born and raised in Edmond, Jackson said he first sang with his father in church at age 5 and hasn’t stopped since.

“I played in bands in high school,” said Jackson. “Kind of did that stuff and we’d go out during the summer and play some ... festivals and stuff like that, but there was never really a solo thing. I was always kind of in bands and playing and just kind of enjoying it.”

Eventually he formed his first band in Stillwater - 12 Pearls.

“That was a band that got started here at Oklahoma State right about, I think it was 99,” said Jackson.

While in 12 Pearls, Jackson met Steve Rice. Rice would open for the band with an acoustic set. Rice later went on to another Stillwater band, No Justice. Jackson’s band eventually dissolved and through Rice, he eventually joined No Justice in fall 2004.

“It came to a point where they were wanting another guitar player and vocalist and so they approached me,” said Jackson. “I had been playing with Steve over a year and already knew most of the songs anyway so that’s kind of how that came about. They asked and I went on and joined up and had a blast. It was really good.”

After five years of great music and great shows, Jackson said he chose another path - a solo career.

“Right at the end of August (2009) is when I branched out on my own,” said Jackson.

After a year and a half of playing acoustic shows and staying in front of fans, he is set to release a new album titled “The Good Times” in April.

“It kind of is almost self-explanatory because this, I feel, is really good times for me,” said Jackson.

The album will feature a full band backing Jackson.

Jackson believes that his time with No Justice influenced and helped him to understand more of the country sound.

As for his solo performances, Jackson said he delivers a high energy set, but also has several ballads and a few slow covers.

“I just put everything out there,” said Jackson. “I have fun and I think if I have fun, the crowd will have fun.”

Between all the hard work he has put in with bands and now a solo career, he said he couldn’t see himself having a desk job.

“I do it because I love it and it’s me,” said Jackson. “I couldn’t see myself doing anything else, certainly.”

For more information on Brandon Jackson or his new album, go to www.brandonjacksonmusic.com or facebook.com/brandonjacksonmusic. - Stillwater News Press

by JOSHUA HAYES

There are many, many people who have broken away from popular bands and tried to make it on their own. But the main problem when they try to break off is that either fans can’t decipher them from their former group or when they write their own music, it sounds too much like the original group that they just left.


But for Brandon Jackson, it is the total opposite from that. A long time member of the popular group, No Justice, Jackson decided after 5 years of traveling in the group to branch out on his own and start a solo career in August of 2009. His first solo project, The Good Times, officially released to the public on June 14, 2011 and has become an instant hit. In less than a month on the market, The Good Times has quickly climbed to #2 on the Top Album Sales charts on www.shoptxrdr.com, behind only the highly anticipated debut album “This Indian Land” by Cody Canada and the Departed. From start to finish, The Good Times will have you loving this new sound from Brandon Jackson.



When looking at a new album, most people listen for that song that they either already know or that they quickly love. Being that Jackson is new as a solo artist, many people may not know his name or his music just yet. But very quickly they will find that there won’t be just one or two songs on this album they will like…they will like all of them. The album starts off with a roll-your-window-down-and-sing-as-loud-as-you-can song in “Baltimore” and continues with a familiar Radney Foster song “Folding Money.” The first single on the album, “Just A Good Friend” is an upbeat song about whether or not to take that next step with a close friend. As the album moves along through songs like “Oklahoma County Line” and “The Good Times,” not one song on the whole album will make you hit the ‘next’ button on your radio. You will definitely enjoy this album from start to finish.



The album is definitely something that Jackson is very proud of, as he should be. “I just hope the fans really enjoy the music and want to tell their friends about it! I worked really hard on this project and I wanted to put together a record that people would love to listen to all the way through. There are no fillers, in my opinion every song is a potential single. I'm really proud of it.”



I have friends that will create mix CDs for road trips. They put all their favorite songs that are upbeat so they can jam out in the car for the entire trip. Brandon Jackson’s new solo album “The Good Times” is a complete road trip album wrapped up in one artist. It is a must-get album for your Texas Red Dirt Roads musical library.



To check out more on Brandon Jackson, visit www.brandonjacksonmusic.com or www.facebook.com and search “Brandon Jackson Music.” You can also buy “The Good Times” in the TXRDR Online store by clicking here. - Texas Red DIrt Roads

How did you get your start/how did your group form?

I spent 5 very successful years in the band No Justice out of Stillwater, OK and a year ago I decided it was time for me to venture out on my own and start creating music my way. I have been performing my whole life, so I knew deep down I could do it and felt very confident that I could be successful on my own. Over the last year I have continued writing and creating my first solo CD, which I recorded this past August. I plan on releasing the new CD in late February or early March of 2011.

Who are some of the biggest influences on your music?

I am a fan of The Foo Fighters, Dave Mathews, Coldplay, Keith Urban, Better Than Ezra, Pearl Jam, John Mayer, Jack Ingram, and so many more artists. They all have had some influence on my writing and performing. I also have a big classical influence due to the fact that I got a Music Business Degree in school. You take all of that, put it together, and that’s where my sound comes from.

What genre do you feel you fit into?

I think I’m a Red Dirt artist. I say that because I feel like that genre has so many influences just like me. The Red Dirt feel is kind of a Rock/Country sound put together. That’s pretty much what I am. I lean a bit towards the rock side of things, but I still have that country feel to the way I sound. Guys in this genre range from very country to very rock and everything in between, and that brings fans from all kinds of music together!

Favorite tour story?

Wow, so many to choose from, and I’m sure many that I don’t even remember. Haha!

Who would be a dream artist to open for or who would you love to have open for you?

That’s tough. I’ve had great opportunities to share the stage with so many great artists already throughout my career. I’ve played with Willie Nelson, Shooter Jennings, Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Jack Ingram, Hank Williams Jr., David Allen Coe, and I could go on and on. That being said, I’ve always been a big Keith Urban fan. I like the way he crafts a song. He may not write a certain song, but he always puts his spin on it, and when you hear it, right away you know it’s him. Not to mention he’s one hell of a guitar player! He also seems like he would be a fun guy to just hang out with.

How would you describe your live show?

Right now I’ve been playing acoustic shows to stay in front of fans and try out my new stuff on them. I love the acoustic show feel. It’s very open and real. Just you and a guitar and that’s it, nothing to hide behind. I think fans really enjoy that kind of feel sometimes. It gets them closer to the artist. Now once I get my band put together behind me and head out on the road to promote the new album full band, you can expect to see a very high energy show. I can’t help but move around on stage when I play. It’s just what I do. I enjoy it and I feel that it creates good energy with the crowd. Who wants to go watch a band that just stands there and sings their songs. I get to perform for a living, and I love doing what I do. There’s no question about that.

What are your plans for the future?

Right now, I’m really focused on getting this new CD out and getting on the road with some talented musicians. I’m always thinking ahead though, so I have some ideas about a cool full band acoustic cd/dvd in the near future. Probably after another studio CD. I have been thinking about putting on a European acoustic tour together with some Red Dirt/Texas artists as well over the summer. Looking at the summer of 2012. We’ll see how it pans out. I would also love to get a spot on a national tour at some point and spend a few months just touring North America opening up for someone. I have so many ideas, we’ll see which ones come to life!

Tell us about your latest album?

This latest album is my first solo CD. I have been playing in bands since High School and have recorded about 4 CDs, but this is the first project that I have done on my own. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out quite honestly, but after a month in the studio, I was blown away with how things came together. I was lucky enough to have a great team around me while recording the CD.

I recorded at Reel Time Audio in Denton, TX with Eric Delegard. I had worked with him before on a couple projects and felt like he really knew my sound. I felt at home working in that studio, but I also knew Eric wouldn’t let me just record anything. If it’s crap, he has no problem telling you so. Not to hurt your feelings, but he wants to make sure he gets your best things laid down. He won’t settle for just OK. I also had some amazing musicians playing on the album. Nick Diomedes on drums and Bach Norwood on bass, are a couple of products of the well known music department at The University of North Texas, and my longtime friend Sam Caire who played lead guitar and sang harmony vocals is very musically gifted. He spent a little time in Nashville trying to get on with someone before coming back to Oklahoma and becoming a doctor! He also has a co-write on the CD. I also brought on board an amazing composer, Neal Clarke, out of Oklahoma City to play keys and strings. Truly just a speck of his musical talents, but I was honored to have him play on the album. All of these guys make this CD truly awesome.

This project is truly my sound. It has some rock influences as well as some country/red dirt feels to it. It sounds great and I had a blast recording it!

- Unrated Music

If you are familiar with the Red Dirt/Texas scene then the name Brandon Jackson should not be new to you. What you might not know is that Brandon has been performing since the age of 5. “The very first performance I ever had I sang a duet with my dad at church,” Brandon says. “He plays guitar, banjo, and mandolin, so I grew up singing along with my dad and sister around the house. In ninth grade I started learning how to play the guitar and put a band together. We would play the school talent show and art festivals around Oklahoma. I continued to perform with bands and in the theater throughout high school and college. I pretty much grew up on stage performing, and have never stopped.”

Brandon is also one of the many talented artists who have benefited from the Stillwater music scene. “I first started playing in the Stillwater music scene while I was in college. I was in a rock band called Twelve Pearls, and played shows at venues all up and down the Strip as well as fraternity and sorority parties,” Brandon explains. Brandon also had a weekly acoustic gig with fellow Twelve Pearls member Jordan Doolen at the original Wormy Dog on the strip in Stillwater. He later started playing acoustic shows with Steve Rice who he had met a couple years earlier when Steve opened up acoustic for 12 Pearls. “He had just joined No Justice and had an acoustic night on Monday nights,” Brandon states. “He asked if I wanted to join him one time and we played that acoustic show together for the next 6 years.” That meeting led to Brandon joining the regionally successful band No Justice in 2003. “I spent 5 years in the band and enjoyed it greatly, but I reached a point where I just really felt like it was time for me to continue on and try making it on my own,” Brandon says. Brandon co-wrote several songs on the self titled No Justice album released in 2006. He continued to write throughout his time with No Justice. “I had several songs that I had written that I really thought were great tunes but didn’t really feel like they would make it on a No Justice album, so I started thinking about my next step,” Brandon states.


Brandon Jackson performs acoustic set at the Wormy Dog in Stillwater, OK (Photo by Devon Strickland)
After leaving No Justice in 2009, Brandon starting writing songs for his first solo album. “Most of the time I write on my own, but have done some co-writing,” Brandon explains. “Usually when I write a song I start with the music. Music is by far my strong suit, lyrics are not so much. I have to really work to get some great lyrics down. In the past when I’ve hit a road block on lyrics in a song, I’ve handed it over to another songwriter to fill in the gaps.”

In August of this year Brandon went into the studio to record his first solo album with producer Eric Delegard. “I was pleased and surprised at how the songs took on a life of their own in the studio,” Brandon says. “I had no preconceived notions of how it would sound and it was cool to hear the songs grow up from the song I wrote on my acoustic guitar to the big full sound they had at the end. It has some real rock sounding songs and some great country sounding songs. It is truly my music.”

Brandon’s album that is expected to drop in February will be titled “The Good Times.”

“I wanted the title of the album to be a song from the album,” Brandon says. “It also represents how things are now and my optimism about the future.”

Brandon will then be hitting the road with a full band to promote the album release. Until then he travels throughout Oklahoma and Texas playing acoustic shows. “Acoustic shows for the most part are more intimate and they make it easier to interact with fans during the show and take requests,” Brandon says, “while full band shows tend to be just that, a show. You have a set list and you give the crowd an experience through your music. Those shows tend to have a little more structure so you can take the crowd on a musical ride so to speak.”

Brandon hopes the fans like his sound and can relate to what he worked so hard to create. “If one of my songs can give a fan something that creates a moment in their life, brings back a great memory or just gives them something they understand and can relate to, then I feel I’ve done a good job,” Brandon says. “I can think of certain songs that take me back to a time in my life the minute I hear it. There is nothing cooler than that.”

- Nashville Music Guide