Jet Trash

There’s about a million garage bands running around San Francisco these days, which makes it really difficult to separate the cream from the crop at times. Luckily, San Francisco’s Jet Trash somehow showed some promise and rose to the top of the mountain of demos we receive. How? It’s hard to say, but there’s something about all members of the band singing retro melodies at the top of their lungs that is just too much fun to ignore. Jet Trash has been around just a year, but they’ve already hit several of your favorite small clubs around town. Look for a 7″ from the band to be released sometime this fall. - The Bay Bridged

San Francisco garage rockers Jet Trash may be gearing up to release their self-titled debut EP, but it sounds as though they’ve been in the business for a long time. Their seasoned sound can be attributed to the fact that their songs feel polished as heck — they’re tight and bite swiftly like the music of their California brethren Thee Oh Sees and FIDLAR.

It also doesn’t hurt that Jet Trash seem to be comprised of old souls who get a kick out of revisiting ’60s surf rock, updating it with their own refreshing spin. “We’re not here to lament the past — we’re here to have a good time,” bassist/vocalist Marshall Fassino once said in a statement.

In an effort to stay true to that genre of yore, the band make sure to use vintage Fenders and, as guitarist/vocalist Paul Kemp explained, keep the musical complexities to a minimum. “Our whole aesthetic is simple on purpose. Nothing is convoluted. On stage, everyone wears black, no logos. We keep it minimalist. At the end of the day, it’s more honest that way.” He added, “We write our music to be urgent and memorable.”

That’s certainly the case with “What They Want”, one of the highlights off the forthcoming EP. Bedraggled yet anthemic, reflective while still being concise, the song captures Jet Trash’s best qualities. Listen in below.

Kemp explained the song’s backstory to Consequence of Sound:

With “What They Want”, I was trying to say something about California youth culture. About how a lot of my friends growing up in Southern California have always been into surfing and music and making their own art and photography, home recordings and things like that. This youth kind of DIY culture seems especially strong in San Francisco where a lot of people in their mid-to-late 20s seem pretty resistant to all the old traditional pressures of settling down with some soul crushing 9 to 5 career, getting married and driving a minivan around the suburbs. I mean, I had just turned 28 when I arrived in San Francisco and I was nowhere near being ready to settle down. I told my parents that I was moving to the city so I could finish grad school but the truth is that I really just wanted to start a band and make music.

“What They Want” was one of the very first songs that Jet Trash played together when we initially started the band. Our sound really coalesced around that song. We’d crank up our tube amps and get that raw, dirty garage tone. The four of us were crammed in this little rehearsal room just kind of smiling at each other. We knew we hit on something when we played that song. Those ‘60s chord changes soaked in reverb and gritty, distorted vocals kind of became our thing from then on.

In the studio with [producer/engineer] Andy Freeman, he was able to give our raw garage sound more of a professional sheen. He understood how passionate we were about using analog tape during the recording process—we really wanted to be true to the ‘60s garage aesthetic. Andy used a combination a vintage and modern recording techniques, so the EP sounds new and fresh while at the same time giving a nod to its roots. I think the songs can hold their own on a Spotify playlist with our garage contemporaries like Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, the Black Lips and Bass Drum of Death. We’re really excited about playing these songs on our upcoming West Coast tour, and we’re already looking forward to getting into the studio and working on our debut full length.

Jet Trash the EP is due out on July 14th via Burger Records cassette imprint Wiener Records. Pre-order a copy here.

Jet Trash EP Tracklist:
01. What They Want
02. Baby C’mon
03. Blood Moon
04. Tiger Room
05. Photography is over
06. California - Consequence of Sound

It’s raining in much of the country and it probably won’t be hot enough for us New Yorkers go to the beach this weekend, but that doesn’t mean we can’t cheer ourselves up with a bit of jangly surf rock from the West coast. Specifically: A song aptly named “California” by San Francisco’s Jet Trash, which premieres here today.

Created in the grand Californian tradition of garage pop, “California” is a fun little surf ditty with lovelorn lyrics and an airtight hook that manages to remain rough around the edges. It’s got echoes of Surfer Blood, Beach Fossils, Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin, masters of sweet and sour all. Listen below as you dream of sunshine and ice cream cones. It’s really going to happen, I promise. - Death+Taxes Magazine

San Francisco’s Jet Trash has debuted two new songs off its forthcoming self-titled debut EP (out July 14 on Burger Records imprint, Wiener Records). The first, “What They Want,” premiered Friday Consequence of Sound, who compared the band to hometown contemporaries Thee Oh Sees and Fidlar. The Second, “California,” also premiered on Friday at Death and Taxes, who compared Jet Trash to Surfer Blood, Beach Fossils, Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin. All in all, it’s pretty fine company for the brand-new group, who is beginning to generate quite a buzz in the music press. - With Guitars

Whether its the impatience of the internet world or the general short attention spans of our times, everyone’s always looking to pronounce something as “over.” And while the sheer mass of west coast beachy garage-pop bands almost forces one to make that pronouncement about west coast beachy garage-pop, something like this fetching ditty comes along to delay the declaration.

Jet Trash are a four-piece from San Francisco whose surfy licks gleam like sunspots off the Pacific Coast highway, separating them a bit away from the dominant Castle Face crowd and towards Twin Peaks‘ brighter take on the trash.

So yes, we can delay garage-pop as “over” for another week. But anyone who’s been to a concert lately and realized that they and 75% of the audience will have 40 shots of the band on their phone by the end of the evening might agree with the sentiments of Jet Trash’s new single, Photography Is Over. We decided to jump even that gun and ask the band what other favorite items they consider obsolete. Check their list while listening to Photography Is Over from their upcoming debut EP, out digitally on July 14 and on a Wiener cassette not long after.

Jet Trash’s Top 10 Obsolete Items

01. Nintendo 64 – Two words: Golden Eye
02. VHS tapes – The best way to view The Sandlot.
03. The “Talkboy” from Home Alone 2 – Didn’t work as well as the one in the movie, but damn those things were fun.
04. Our lead singer Paul’s flip phone – It can hold 20 pictures.
05. CD Walkman – How else would you listen to No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom?
06. Cross Fire – You’ll get caught up in it.
07. Google Glass – The only piece of technology to be obsolete the day it was released.
08. Saturday morning cartoons – Kids today will never appreciate Captain Planet.
09. AOL Instant Messenger – Listen close, and you can almost hear the dial-up modem.
10. Pogs and Slammers – What, just us? - CMJ

The San Francisco garage surf rock band, Jet Trash has released a new single entitled, Photography is Over. This band has just emerged in the last couple of years, but they're enjoying some nice attention for their upcoming debut self titled EP due out on July 14th on Burger Records imprint, Wiener Records.

Jet Trash know what it means to be a quintessential West Coast band. They proudly carry the torch of their predecessors The Sonics and The Ventures, joining the ranks of aforementioned Bay Area contemporaries Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees in cranking out modern indie-rock updates on classic ’60s garage-surf. Armed with vintage Fenders and reverb-soaked tube amps, the band’s energetic lo-fi anthems have a youthful immediacy, their massive hooks curling like breaking waves. It’s a sound that has already won the hearts of Jet Trash’s hometown, The Deli SF voting them one of the best up-and-coming bands of 2014 and The Bay Bridged dubbing them “the cream of the crop” of San Francisco locals.

It's nice to see new local bands doing well! Enjoy this summer time rock track that's perfect for jamming while heading to the beach on (rare) hot days in the Bay Area! - The Deli Mag

San Francisco’s Jet Trash just dropped some dive pub punky pop with powerful lead guitars that bring some beach getaway affections that remain dreaming forever of west coast, Ocean Beach escapism on “What They Want”, off their upcoming self-titled EP debut available July 14 from Burger Records‘ cassette imprint Wiener Records. - Impose Magazine

Jet Trash took their name from a line in a Tom Waits song though they have very little in common with him sonically. The San Francisco quartet have arrived with a gleefully relentless rush of a song that should kick off every single one of your summer road trip mixes.

With “Baby C’mon,” Jet Trash pays homage to their garage rock forebears (and contemporaries), but they imbue the track with enough of their own style and swagger to guarantee your undying devotion.

Jet Trash‘s self-titled debut EP will be released on July 14th via Wiener Records (a Burger Records imprint). - KCRW

We’re getting some spectacularly warm and muggy weather here in San Francisco, which isn’t always true of June in this area. It’s a most welcome accompaniment to the start of summer. From right here in the Bay comes an indie rock and garage pop band named Jet Trash, and they encapsulate these hot breezy days quite perfectly with their song California. They remind me of a blend of Best Coast with surf rock acts like Beach Fossils and Surfer Blood on the jangly yet dreamy tune. Jet Trash is releasing their self titled debut EP on July 14th via Burger Records, and I’m more than happy to have found myself another talented SF Bay band to feel proud of. - I Heart Moosiq

Here's a preview of what's to come from San Francisco’s Jet Trash, who put their spin on 60's garage-surf music with a gritty ditty called "Baby C'mon" from their self-titled CD. - KCRW

Even though San Francisco’s summers get an unfairly bad rap, that doesn’t prevent us locals from enjoying many of the best parts of the season. Days at the beach, barbecues, road trips, street fairs and festivals: sure, you might need to carry a light sweater on some of your summer excursions, but the long days can’t be beat for outdoor fun.

With solstice on the mind, we’ve compiled this mixtape of songs for the season, collecting new and recent releases by San Francisco Bay Area bands that feel like perfect additions to any summer playlist. As one might expect, you’ll hear some beach-ready garage rock and surf-inspired sounds, like those of Ice Cream, Jet Trash and Union Pacific, mixing jangly reverb and big, hooky melodies.

That knack for pop carries through a number of the songs here, including a new electronic track from SF/NY band Painted Palms’ forthcoming album Horizons, and one from buzzed-about band Panic is Perfect. Two of our favorite local songwriters also make an appearance here. Ezra Furman has a growing cult, likely to expand further with the release of Perpetual Motion People in July; meanwhile, Christopher Owens recently surprised the world with a new record, Chrissybaby Forever.

At the same time, several offerings are slightly moodier — think, perhaps, music for summer nights. Air Surgeon is another great band from the Death Records universe, and “dream wave” band the Silhouette Era has the equally reliable Breakup Records seal of approval. Anthony Ferraro has been recording for some time as Astronauts, etc., and his long-overdue debut LP arrives in September.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a Bay Area summer mix without including some psychy sounds, with highlights coming from Paint the Trees White, Lemme Adams, and Fine Points. Adams describes his band’s sound as “heavy surf rock,” and the group just unveiled the wild new Black Flamingo EP. Fine Points is a name you might not be familiar with yet, but the band is led by members of Sleepy Sun, and its debut offering sounds very exciting.

Enjoy the mix, and have great start to your summer! - KQED

Jet Trash hail from San Francisco, an area perhaps best known for its golden generation / flower children vibes.

Sure, Jet Trash nod towards that period but there's something deliciously evil, ever-so-slightly dark about the band's sound.

Working with Burger Records and receiving no small degree of acclaim, the band are ready to release a new EP.

Self-titled, it was recorded at the Bill Putnam-designed studio Coast Recorders in San Francisco by veteran producer/engineer Andy Freeman.

Clash is able to premiere new cut 'Blood Moon' and it's a frenetic yet melodic introduction to the illicit charms of Jet Trash. - Clash Music

We just recently highlighted this SF quartet, but this latest taste of their upcoming EP is worth hoisting on you again. “Guitar tones” might not be the most initially exciting phrase to throw out there, but Jet Trash certainly have a grasp on the sounds of six strings as summer sunset shimmer. And Blood Moon adds a choppy energy to it that implies they might have a crafty live show too.

You’ll probably find out soon enough as Burger subsidiary Wiener will release Jet Trash’s debut EP on cassette soon, and it’ll be available before that digitally on July 14. Check out Blood Moon below. - CMJ

There's a lot of good music incubating in the Bay Area, namely in the '60s garage rock revival (read: Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall), and the latest up-and-comers to blossom out of San Francisco are Jet Trash. The quartet like to describe their sound as "Anti-Bed, Bath & Beyond Music," but to those who have yet to hear them we'll give you a more descriptive term—sunny, '60s surf rock. These guys prefer analog over digital, and that endearing lo-fi static hums through their songs. Today, we're excited to premiere "Tiger Room" of the four-piece's upcoming self-titled debut EP. Stream the gritty summertime anthem above.

"I've always loved the ‘60s garage sound," vocalist/guitarist Paul Kemp admits. "It's loud and primitive and filled with youthful abandon. It's the kind of brash rock & roll that really does it for me. I don't care if it's trending or not. It's a timeless sound, and I think we're doing a pretty good job of putting our own modern spin on it. The four of us have a natural chemistry and we’re always coming up with new ideas.
"When we were working on the new EP at Coast Recorders in San Francisco, our producer Andy Freeman encouraged us bring out the more precise and danceable elements of our songs. Especially in 'Tiger Room'—he seemed really excited about the hooks and melodies. So Andy cleaned up the guitars and tightened up the drums and captured a more polished side of our personality.
"'Tiger Room' was partly inspired by this short story I loved as a kid called "The Lady, or the Tiger?" The thing that always intrigued me about that story is that it's wildly ambiguous ending. It's about a prisoner who is forced to choose between two doors. Behind one door awaits a beautiful woman and behind the other door awaits a savage tiger. The author never tells you how it ends. Our songs have that mysterious quality about them. They're a little dark and cryptic but that's what draws you in."

Jet Trash is slated for a July 14 release and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. - PureVolume

Taut, loud, and extremely energetic, San Francisco’s Jet Trash is everything you want from a young rock ‘n’ roll band. Part garage rock, part post-punk, it’s as if the Count Five and Gang of Four were involved in an unholy commingling, and Jet Trash’s raucous debut EP will have you pogoing in no time. Here’s a DIY indie rock band that remembers how to actually rock, which these days is a breath of fresh air.

“We wanted our EP to sound like a vinyl record that was being played way too loud,” guitarist Paul Kemp tells opMatters. “We wanted to make a bold statement about California youth culture. We come from a vibrant scene in San Francisco that’s filled with DIY kids who record their own music, book their own shows, design their own flyers and do everything on their own terms. Our EP captures the energy of a summer filled with surfing, skateboarding, road trips and bonfires.

“Our producer Andy Freeman was able to take our vision and run with it. He knew how important it was to capture a vintage analog sound. Coast Recorders, where we made the EP, is a legendary studio in San Francisco. We cranked up our Fender tube amps and played our very best. It was exciting to hear the songs come together. We picked six songs that showcase our range. There’s trashy garage rock, ‘60s surf pop and even some dark post-punk undertones. The whole thing sounds cohesive and it hints at things to come in our future. The four of us have all been writing really well together. We can’t wait to get into the studio and record our first full-length.” - PopMatters

We’ve been almost criminally negligent in keeping you up-to-date on Jet Trash — San Francisco makers of foot-stomping, head-bobbing, epically fun rock ‘n’ roll — our last headline on them is from over a year ago, and for that we’re truly sorry.

In our defense, the band has been putting out a lot lately in prep for their recorded debut, and it’s been hard to keep up. Most recently (and in a familiar instance of our transatlantic neighbors recognizing a Bay Area band’s brilliance before we do), the band has premiered “Blood Moon” with the U.K’s Clash. Listen below.

Jet Trash is getting ready for the release of an EP with Wiener Records, their first for the venerable label, and also their first EP ever. Check them out at Milk Bar tomorrow (Wednesday) for the EP’s release and at Bottom of the Hill next month. - The Bay Bridges

Most folks are familiar with the California sound. Originating in the 1960s, the tremolo was heavy and evoked waves hitting the shore, the melodies as idyllic and bright-eyed as the people, who melted their days away in the rays. Keeping that style fresh and not simply rehashing Brian Carman's opening riff of the Chantays' "Pipeline" can be a challenge. But San Francisco's Jet Trash nail it.

Their six-track self-titled EP is as refreshing and satisfying as a patio pint or a quick dip on a 30-degree afternoon. Each track has tight hooks, lost-my-baby lyrics simultaneously sung and shouted out, and truly groovy bass runs. It's pure, unadorned '60s surf with a bite, absolutely shameless rock'n'roll. Think fellow Californians Thee Oh Sees or Ty Segall, but with less mess. It should be cliché (one track is simply called "California"), but somehow Jet Trash keep it new (and gnarly).

Being an artist with a throwback sound is nothing new, as artists like the Sam Cooke-channelling Leon Bridges and psychedelia revivalists Michael Rault and Jacco Gardner prove. Jet Trash can be added into that mix of musicians that hold an appreciation for the past, but offer it through a modern lens. They ooze authenticity, something that fellow surf rockers like Seattle's La Luz or Alabama's Man-or-Astroman? have only emulated. There must be something in those Pacific waters. Surf's up, mm-hm. (Wiener Records) - Exclaim!

Listening to the six tracks on Jet Trash's debut EP (no title other than "EP"), one already gets a feel where the four who form Jet Trash might be located at. The sound is definitely beach and surf-rock inspired, waves and beaches of the Pacific - and not the Atlantic. And bingo! Jet Trash ARE from California, from San Francisco to be precise.

Keith Shughrou (lead guitar, backing vocals), Paul Kemp (vocals, rhythm guitar), Marshall Fassino (vocals, bass) and Robby Justesen (drums) create joyful rock with old-school surf-rock influence, tons of reverb and an overall lo-fi garage rock feel. The album grew on me and I've been listening to it a lot, looking forward to the full length album which according to the band is currently in the making.

Should Jet Trash make it out to the East, I'll catch them for sure for now though, let's stream the EP on SoundCloud, buy it and listen to Photography Is Over, the maybe stand-out track here:

Another track that got my attention and me listen to a round of the early Doobie Brothers is Tiger Room which sports exactly one riff of the famous Long Train Running... that's all resemblance there is, but it's a cool nod! - GlamGlare