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VIDEO RELEASE SHOW
30 JUN 2010
BLACK CAT
WASHINGTON, DC
with
THE ELECTRICUTIONS


  11 AUG 2010
ABBEY BAR
HARRISBURG, PA
with
THE WEDDING PRESENT



Reviews of our 2009 release in "Love" appear below.

For older press, click here.

The Big Takeover (Issue 65)
by Jack Rabid


Album three is the charm for this D.C. manic-power trio. It’s as lyrically ambitious as 2008’s What Did You Do During the War, leader Eric Tischler’s rock opera about a citizen outraged by Bush’s administration turning violent radical—only concerning a more common conundrum: the genesis and implications of two cheaters falling madly in love. Like his lyrical heroes, Pete Townshend and Wedding Present’s David Gedge, Tischler is unfailingly honest about the double edges involved in flouting societal mores—both from within and without. This he sets to the band’s notable Dinosaur Jr. / Ride / Swervedriver / Who grungy-shoegage / punk-mod-soul-powerpop maelstrom, punctuated by monster drummer Pete Nuwayser’s flying fills. (Hurrah: the wizened Nuwayser no longer obfuscates Tischler’s soaring melodies by overplaying, bashing only battering beats on verses, then pulling his pyrotechnics in optimum spots.)  One could sure have an affair with this blasting, catchy, thoughtful record.



Blurt
by Fred Mills


Rating:  8 stars

Infidelity, it seems, is the new loud. Everywhere you turn, people are schtupping outside their relationships (marital or otherwise) - many, like John Edwards, Mark Sanford and Tiger Woods, in such spectacularly public fashion that the I-word's become a spectator sport. Coming soon, to a reality show near you (especially if the Edwards example holds): Paternity Summons!
 
So it's probably inevitable that a band would take this topic, with all its rich lyric and emotional potential, and run with it. That's exactly what Silver Spring trio the Jet Age did on their third album, In "Love", which charts the inception, the occurrence and the aftermath of infidelity, including a frank exploration of the ensuing collateral damage. Cheatin' hearts are nothing new in popular music, of course; some would say that if humans weren't genetically predisposed to screw around, rock ‘n' roll, with all its focus on libido ‘n' love, might never have happened. And as Jet Age frontman Eric Tischler would be quick to point out, over the years there have been some true masters at the chronicling thereof, among them Ray Davies, Pete Townshend and the Wedding Present's David Gedge. But off the top of my head, I can't recall any bonafide concept albums devoted to the topic, and while I'm not naïve enough to think that Tischler was specifically inspired by current events, suffice to say he's still tapping, even if unintentionally, into the zeitgeist.
 
That's not automatically why you should run out and purchase In "Love" - rather, the album's sonic pulchritude and deft turns of lyrical insight are. Its charms are apparent from the get-go, with explosive strums chording into overdrive against a rhythmic backdrop as seductive as it is propulsive. From dynamic opener "I'm Starting to Wonder," with its Velvets-meet-Husker Du vibe through the irresistible armada of Townshendesque riffage (and cowbell!) of "I Couldn't Tell You" to the jangles-and-tremolo-strafed high-velocity shoegaze of "Lead Me Where You Dare" (the title's a nod to another one of Tischler's faves, Swervedriver), these ten tunes power their way into your cranium even as they sink their serrated melodic hooks deep.
 
And as suggested above, the story line packs its own punch. Things roughly go like this: boy meets girl, boy gets 7-year itch, boy fucks girl, boy tells girl he's married, girl tells boy she's in a relationship too, boy and girl both confess to their significant others (it kinda goes badly for the boy, who also has to break it to his kids that he's leaving), boy and girl pledge their eternal love to one another. Happy ending, right? Well, maybe; there's an old saying that he who cheats once, cheats thrice, so even though the final song finds the hero and heroine of the narrative welcoming the future come what may ("lead me where you dare"), the previous nine songs have each, in their own way, concisely chronicled enough hopes, fears, joys, confusion, missteps and recriminations to paint the protagonists of In "Love" as perilously, permanently human, with the potential to screw up all over again. It's a wholly believable tale of idealized love and how that love ultimately reverberates in the real world, which is to say, things rarely turn out the way we expect them to. Even the way the betrayed wife reacts has the stinging ring of authenticity when she lashes back in humiliation, "It's been seven long years and I've suffered, too/ You wanna go?/ Well, why would I keep you?" (Shades of Elizabeth Edwards, Jenny Sanford or Elin Woods.) Anyone who's ever cheated on someone, or been cheated on, or both, will see a little - no, make that a lot - of themselves in the story.
 
With this release the Jet Age - chief songwriter Tischler on guitar and vocals, bassist Greg Bennett, drummer Pete Nuwayser - have decisively come into their own as purveyors of some of the brainiest, brawniest pop around, and Tischler has also hit an impressive new level as a literate, provocative songwriter. Fans of the band know that's saying something: 2008's What Did You Do During the War Daddy? (a blazing, politically-themed rock opera - speaking of concept albums) and 2006 debut The Jet Age each arrived as fully-formed indie-rock gems, while Tischler's prior outfit the Hurricane Lamps already had in place the songwriter's patented Who/Clean mélange of hi-nrg melodicism and heart-on-sleeve lyricism. Still, time, touring and evolving studio savvy play their part with every artist, so it's not a cliché here to say that In "Love" finds Tischler & Co. at the peak of what have become rather estimable powers.



Portland Mercury


The Jet Age's Eric Tischler isn't afraid to take on some heavy themes. Last year's What Did You Do During the War, Daddy? was a comment on current affairs, a weighty concept album in which the protagonist becomes a suicide bomber. The new Jet Age record is called In "Love" and you can be sure the quotation marks are deliberate. Throughout the record, Tischler takes the Jet Age's familiar Who-influenced power trio down a dark road, exploring the crippling, fickle, indefinable nature of love. It's a tribute to Tischler's unblinking fearlessness that none of the songs on In "Love" are love songs—except one, the punky, album-closing "Lead Me Where You Dare," where the singer admits, "I don't know what love is anymore." That's as close to romance as you're gonna get with the Jet Age.



The Washington Post
by David Malitz


It's deja vu all over again. Last fall, local trio the Jet Age released a winner of a concept album filled with fuzzed-out guitars, powerhouse drumming and vintage indie rock hooks. This fall it's happened again. Just a year after "What Did You Do During the War, Daddy?" the band returns with "in 'Love,'" and the riffs are just as dynamic, the drumming is just as propulsive and the concept doesn't feel forced.



Express
by Stephen M. Deusner


ERIC TISCHLER IS a happily married man, with a lovely, intelligent wife and two adorable kids. It seems important to point this out, if only to separate the musician from his music. On the last two albums with his band The Jet Age, the Silver Spring-based singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer has portrayed marriages in various states of disarray.

On the Jet Age's 2007 album, "What Did You Do During the War, Daddy?" he plumbed the contradictions between devotion to family and to community as he related the story of a married man who becomes a suicide bomber. Mixing classic and indie rock as well as strong, insightful songwriting, "Daddy" is a violent album, with Pete Nuwayser communicating the character's inner turmoil with his explosive drumming.

On the band's new album, "in 'Love'" Tischler — along with a more restrained Nuwayser and more prominently melodic bass lines from Greg Bennett, who often comes across as a lead or rhythm guitar — examines the upending of a marriage in 10 uneasy songs that again comprise an overarching story. In this one, a man grows dissatisfied with his marriage and embarks on an affair. This is not, however, Updike territory: The Jet Age rock like The Who, and Tischler deviates from the adulterous husband's point of view to allow the other woman to speak her mind.

It's a dizzying dissolution of a marriage — smartly written and expertly performed by a band that grows more agile, more confident, more inventive and more dynamic with each record. With Tischler manning the boards, the band recorded the album in his basement studio, just below his wife and children.

Express asked him to take us through the album song by song — or, as the case may be, scene by scene.

"I'm Starting to Wonder"
» EXPRESS: Can you tell me a little about why you chose this as an opener? How does it establish the characters and the stakes that the other songs will develop? And what does it introduce musically?
» TISCHLER: I'm an editor by day, and I'm gonna let you in on a secret: The first two sentences or two paragraphs of a given piece are always crap. The writer is just warming up, and they need to bleed a little on the page to get going. "I'm Starting to Wonder" is kinda like that — minus, of course, the crap: The first verse was really stream of conscious: "I am the stars in the sky ..." Right there, you've got singular as plural, but the idea is an omniscient narrator is setting us up for a judgment-free story: "There is no wrong, there is no right / there's only day and night." Then the band kicks in and so does the story.

Narratively, it seems like a good opener — certainly, it would be weird if that verse cropped up later in the record. The song itself is about our protagonist, who's out on the town while his wife has passed out with his kids. He's frustrated, he feels alienated from his sleeping family, and then he sees a beautiful woman at a party and that's where the trouble really starts. The fact that we all felt that this was a strong tune helped make it an opener, but it also was the first or second song I wrote for the record, so once I had the lyrics, it was easy to elaborate in subsequent songs.

"You Were Electrified"
» EXPRESS: This seems like a very different sound for The Jet Age. Can you talk about that aspect of the song and how it developed from writing the lyrics to recording? It definitely suits the subject matter, with a seductive quality that mirrors the hook-up you describe.
» TISCHLER: This is the kind of riff Greg and I love to screw around with; the great thing about The Jet Age is that, with Pete, we can turn this kind of riff into an actual song. Basically, rock is my first love, but I've always wanted to be able to dabble in soul or funk or whatever, and I'm thrilled we can — seemingly — pull that off.

The lyrics were a bit of a gamble — my brother hates them — but I wanted them to be evocative and I felt like the image of a drunk woman groping a man in a bar might elicit the right reaction. Basically, I was trying to convey that feeling you get when you know you're going to get laid, and you're counting down the minutes. By the way, that's a feeling you certainly get when you're married — lest folks think I'm a marriage hater.

"We Were Shameless"
» EXPRESS: One of the things I've noticed is that there's a lot more restraint from the band on this record, and this song is a good example of that. The last record sounded so urgent and explosive, yet this one feels more ruminative, like a long internal monologue, and the music backs that up quite a bit, especially on "We Were Shameless."
» TISCHLER: To some extent, the restraint comes from Pete, who wanted to try reining it in after the last record. I don't think he needed to hold back, but I don't think this record lacks for rock. Pete rocks in all things, and it was important, obviously, that he be comfortable with his contribution.

Having said that, the last record was emotionally more explosive, and this one is more ruminative: Both protagonists are contemplating completely overturning their lives, so, yeah, "ruminative" is a good word. This song, however, is about their sex life, and how the power of it is freaking out — not necessarily in a bad way — the adulterous husband.

"I Couldn't Tell You"
» EXPRESS: This seems like the song that introduces the stakes in this situation, especially the brilliantly dark line, "The bond became a leash, and then a noose." This song raises the issue of how you write — whether you compose lyrics to fit the storyline, or find a larger storyline in all the lyrics.
» TISCHLER: I love that line "The bond became a leash, and then a noose," but worried it was overwrought — and maybe it is. I think both characters are "psyching" themselves up: the first verse is his, the second hers; the first part of the chorus him, second part her. They've each got to come clean to this person with whom they're developing a very passionate relationship.

I knew the storyline going in, but I use the emotional tenor of the music to determine how a given song can fit into the dramatic arc. In other words, I won't just slap a bunch of words that scan to a piece of music that I don't think matches the lyrics. I do some word association with the music — kind of like automatic writing, I guess — and then out of that I develop those lyrics so they address issues in the plot. I'm less concerned with plot than I am with using the plot as a framework to discuss issues that interest me. The plot just gives the record structure, because I think a record should have momentum, should carry you through, start to finish.

"Sunday Morning"
» EXPRESS: Like "Electrified," this sounds like a slightly different sound for the band — very jangly, like Translator or early R.E.M. Do you feel like the band is becoming increasingly agile? This album definitely feels much more diverse and adventurous musically.
» TISCHLER: I feel like I'm writing to take advantage of the band's agility. I mentioned earlier that Pete wanted to hold back a bit, but I also wanted a more diverse record, and "Sunday Morning" and "You Were Electrified" are two obvious examples of me trying to create a more diverse record. "I Don't Care How You Feel Anymore" is another one that fits that bill.

"It Could Be Brand New"
» EXPRESS: Given the cool guitar sound on here, I figure this is a good time to ask about recording in your basement. What does that free you up to do on your records? Also, are those synths I hear on there?
» TISCHLER: Recording at home really gives me the opportunity to try stuff and to get stuff right. I hear a lot of records by bands who go to nice studios, and oftentimes the records have great sounds, but actually sound half-baked, and I always assume they didn't have the money to finish the record properly. I feel like, even if my records don't sound pristine — and part of that is deliberate — I feel like they sound finished, and that the songs sound integrated, and that's because I can take the time to make stuff fit.

Further, I don't have a lead guitarist in this band, so I'd have to pay for all the solos because they're all overdubs. Similarly, we all have jobs and Pete and I have kids, so it's hard for us to just book blocks of time in a studio. By recording at home, we can record when our schedules allow and we're not paying for the privilege. Having said that, when I do record people, I keep it cheap because I know it's tough to make a record that sounds finished.

"I Don't Care How You Feel Anymore"
» EXPRESS: This is written from the woman's point of view. Lyrically, why did you feel the need to include her voice on this album? Is it difficult to write from a female perspective? How did you match the music to this very different voice?
» TISCHLER: Several of the songs include her voice, but I thought she deserved a spotlight, as the first three songs are all sung by the man. I just think having a woman's voice makes it more interesting, I think it adds parity, and finally, I think her character has less baggage, so the refrain at the end, "I shall be released," just seemed better suited to her. The man has kids, and he'll always be tied to his wife, but our female protagonist really is starting fresh, and I think the lyrics address that. As always, the tune preceded the music, so I felt like the music was appropriate to the character, if that makes sense.

As for the difficulty of writing from a female's perspective, I've been doing it for ages, but it tends to go unnoticed. My old band, The Hurricane Lamps, had a fan out in Idaho, and we became friends with her. It turned out she was a women's studies major, so I excitedly asked her how she liked some of the more female-centric — man, that sounds bad — lyrics. She said, somewhat embarrassed, "I don't really listen to the lyrics; I just like the tunes." But, you know, I'm married to a woman, and I love her, and I've loved women all my life, and, whether they believe it or not, I listen to them, so writing from a woman's perspective, at least in the context of a rock songs about relationships, doesn't feel like too much of a stretch.

"Your New Life Awaits You"
» EXPRESS: In the liner notes, there are different colors for each song, seemingly representing different characters and voices. Can you explain?
» TISCHLER: There are three characters with "speaking" parts. The fonts and colors, which also are reflected on the sleeve, are there to help listeners track who's saying what. Dude is black, woman is blue, and this song, which is in green, is sung by the dude's wife. She's basically saying the failure of their marriage is due to his lack of endurance, conviction, and strength of character, because marriage and parenting are tough. Given that, she sure as hell isn't gonna beg him to stay.

"Ask 'Why?'"
» EXPRESS: Great snare sound on the intro. Was it hard getting that resonance in the studio? Also, is it difficult reproducing some of these sounds live?
» TISCHLER: We actually don't play this one live because the hard part is the backing vocals, which we wouldn't be able to reproduce, and I kinda think they're vital. Pete wants to do it live, though, so we may yet.

I used a pretty tried-and-true methodology when recording the snare on this song. What's tough is that I've realized that my voice, which is kinda piercing, takes up a lot of the snare's landscape so, when it comes time to mix, I tend to bury the snare, something I otherwise wouldn't do. I've actually got some ideas on how to address this, so I need to make another record.

"Lead Me Where You Dare"
» EXPRESS: Lyrically, how did you want to wrap up the album with this song? Musically, you've mentioned that this song includes references to The Who and Swervedriver. Can you explain how you worked them in and what they add to the song?
» TISCHLER: I wanted to end on a cautiously optimistic note, and I think the music encapsulates that; the verse is pretty driving and frenetic, so it's upbeat, but not necessarily poppy, so it's not relaxed. The coda is more thoughtful, but it's got what I hope is a soaring solo, and then a fadeout to indicate we don't quite know how it all ends. That seemed appropriate; this guy is breaking up his family and this woman is hitching her wagon to his and who knows if it'll work out? But they're passionate and hopeful, and it's a leap of faith rather than stasis due to fear and insecurity. Beyond that, I think the fade is just a good way to ease you out of another rocker in The Jet Age's oeuvre, y'know?

To answer the other part of your question, the coda is really a rip off of The Who's greatest song, "The Naked Eye," and the feel of that song is the feel I wanted to convey. The title is the title of a Swervedriver song. I think it's hard to go wrong when you steal from the two best bands in the history of rock.





Music Snob at NBCWashington.com
by Matthew Stabley


Upon first listen, I was ready to write, "The Jet Age's third LP is their best." Then listening to the first two again, I paused. "in 'Love'" is probably the band's catchiest record -- the easiest to quickly get in to. Best? I leave that to the moment. Sometimes I want the simple guitar-bass-drums-vocals garage rock of first album "Breathless." Sometimes I crave the head rush of "What Did You Do During the War, Daddy?" But if I'm feeling sentimental -- or flat heartsick -- "in 'Love'" wins by a couple lengths. What's always clear, though, is that while maintaining an identifiable Jet Age sound, this record continues to show the trio's diversity.

Singer-songwriter Eric Tischler's got a great rhythm section to let his riffs explore -- Pete Nuwayser's roaming drumming and frequent fills; Greg Bennett's heavy and melodic bottom -- but other than his solos, which remain searing and adventurous, he's seemed to reel in the rest of his guitar layers. It works for the subject matter, and at times the trio explores new sonic territory, like the haunting and funky underwater groove of "You Were Electrified." Following the disgruntled-American-turned-suicide-bomber theme of "Daddy?" a love songs album may seem a stretch, but The Jet Age pulls it off. The protagonist on "Daddy?" was a father and husband after all, so love played a big, though conflicted, role on that album. That conflict is further explored here.

The music on this record maintains that Who-lovin' garage rock played through a Swervedriver-informed shoegaze filter, but with more jangle and some of the power pop of Tischler's -- and Bennett’s -- previous band, the raw pop rock outfit Hurricane Lamps. The band takes some breaks from their prior clamor, though doesn't abandon it. Again, appropriate for love songs. But before you judge on the L-word alone, consider the heartbreaking and hearts broken on “in ‘Love.’” And there's still plenty of adrenaline. As contemplative as the lyrics can get, the music still keeps you on your feet -- toes tapping, fists churning.

"And I realized when you put your hand between my thighs that you wanted me the way I wanted you" seems a bit too hokey on "You Were Electrified," but more often on the album, darker sentiments are used to show the heat. "I couldn't leave her until there was you," from "I Couldn't Tell You" and the opening exchange between a cheating couple on "Sunday Morning" -- "Sunday morning in bed with you. I've gotta go now, he'll be home soon." -- seem as much about deception as they are about passion. There is some sap on the album, but there's nothing inherently wrong with that. This record has plenty of sentimental poetry. Witness "My addiction is easy to see. She's right next to me," and "I was dying of thirst and she brought a chalice" on "We Were Shameless."

Opener "I'm Starting to Wonder" sets the table for that degree of doubt that haunts the album, and it does it with such heartfelt passion that you, too, on first listen, will call this the best Jet Age LP you've heard.



DC Rock Club


One of our favorite DC Bands, The Jet Age, is back with a new album called in "Love". It's a concept album like their 2008 critically acclaimed album What Did You Do During The War, Daddy? As you guessed, it's about falling in love, falling out of love, and everything that happens in between.

in "Love" is an impressive shift of gears and shows an emotional range I didn't know the band possessed. For every guy (or girl) that's had a serious significant other, you'll relate to the main characters (not sure if that's the right word to use) on this album. The songs do a beautiful job of detailing the relationship arc and the feelings at each stage of that journey. Plus, it rocks every step of the way, which doesn't hurt. The album is a shift not only lyrically but musically. I was struck by the new sounds (ex. swirling guitars) that depart from their trademark power rock. Don't get me wrong, this is still a power trio but they change tones, tempos, and keep you guessing. And they do this while maintaining the things I love most about the band. For example, I'm an album guy. I listen to albums from start to finish. I appreciate bands that produce full lengths that work as a whole, not just a series of individual songs. If you're an album person as well, The Jet Age is the band for you.



Classical Geek Theatre (One of 2009's best)
Your Weekend Plans


I'm going to be heading to Echo Curio on Saturday night to catch The Jet Age, who are on tour from Maryland. I love their new record, which you can stream and buy here. In the past Pitchfork has compared them to The Who, but I keep hearing elements of Bob Mould. (Really wonderful, noisy indie rock guitars) Local fans of Downtown / Union and Ready the Jet should be going out to this show.




The Vinyl District


Silver Spring stalwarts The Jet Age have a brand new release in "Love" on the shelves later this month, and leading up to its debut, TVD chatted with Eric Tischler, the band's lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist for some thoughts on inspiration of the vinyl variety—and beyond.

"I don't think I could've made in "Love" without vinyl. A collection of songs that asks you to sit down with the sleeve and pay attention? That's a relic of the vinyl age; could you have such an idea today without vinyl's example?

in "Love" is the story of a man and a woman, each otherwise spoken for (he's married with kids; she's got a long-term boyfriend), how and why they fall in love, and the reactions of (and commentary from) those around them. In other words, it's an examination of love, fidelity, and the value of family and personal happiness, and it takes 10 songs to tell the story so, right there, hitting "shuffle" on iTunes brings you diminishing returns (although I wrote the songs so they could stand alone; the test is each one's gotta be suitable for a mix tape, but I guess that's for another blog). As a result, it's a record that asks you to sit down with the lyric sheet and listen (the lyrics are color coded to make it easier to figure out who's "saying" what, when); again, something many of us first learned to do with vinyl.

Even the sound of the record is an attempt to capture the meaty sound of vinyl. My studio is state-of-the-art 1984. The kick drum figures prominently and you don't REALLY get the mix until you're sitting in front of some speakers that can handle it. The record sounds thick and muscular, and deliberately so; it's the sound I grew up with.

As a kid, it felt like my family listened to Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life every weekend; the changing of sides was a ritual unto itself, and the ebb and flow of the record was intrinsic to that. My music always comes before my lyrics, and that's because I need to sequence the record first, establish that same type of ebb and flow.

I remember vividly the thrill of picking up The Kids Are Alright on vinyl: Gatefold, inner sleeves like film cans, and a glossy, heavy stock book for the liner notes. You can't beat it. When we designed the package for in "Love," our designer, Jeffrey Everett of El Jefe Design, was a little concerned about making sure the lyrics were readable; we did some brainstorming, and I think we came up with a package that lives up to vinyl's example (except, y'know, it's smaller).

It all sounds a bit fetishistic when I type it down (and that's after I cut the part about slavishly hunting down Duran Duran 12"s), but then, so's music, right? A somewhat idiosyncratic passion that's personal, intimate. It's why I buy records. And why I make them."



Reviews of our previous full-length releases:  What Did You Do During The War, Daddy? (2008) and breathless (2006):

Creative Loafing
by Hal Horowitz
July 3, 2008


There is more than a little Pete Townsend and Ray Davies in the Jet Age's auteur Eric Tischler. His band's new conceptual album is a direct descendant of Tommy and Quadrophrenia with Who/Kinks-influenced songs that slot into a three-act rock-opera format. The narrative is complex but any whiff of pretentiousness is squashed by the trio's frantic energy and raw power-pop attack. Thankfully, the booming tunes stand on their own without the need for a libretto or even any idea of the storyline.



Riffs, Politics and Plot:  The Jet Age Gets Conceptual
by Ned Lannamann
The Portland Mercury
June 26, 2008


The possibilities of storytelling within a rock-song format were explored on Breathless, the Jet Age's 2006 debut, but with their second album, the Washington, DC trio has created a full-fledged story that extends from every groove in the record and to every word in the lyrics. Whether it's a concept album, a rock opera, or the soundtrack to an imagined musical is mere pigeonholing; what's true is that the power-punk songs establish a thought-provoking and cohesive narrative, and whiplash drums, insistent bass, and spidery guitar tell the story with more shading and depth than a literal, staged production could ever manage.

What Did You Do During the War, Daddy? tells the story of a husband and father who becomes so disillusioned with the state of America that he joins an underground movement and becomes a suicide bomber. "It's an exploration of my very real concern that this country is no longer by or for the people, and that concern is greatly exacerbated by the fact that I've got a family," explains guitarist/vocalist Eric Tischler, who is also the band's chief songwriter. "Obviously, it's largely fictional in that I've never consorted with any revolutionary underground movement and I've never blown myself or anyone else up."

What makes the record work, though, is that you can take or leave the story altogether. First and foremost, it's a collection of great, energetic rock songs in the vein of the Who, Hüsker Dü, and the Clean. The conceptual theme actually streamlines the record, rather than capsizing it under the weight of its own pretension. As Tischler states, "I'm all about the songs, but how can a record that's greater than the sum of its parts not be even more valuable?

"It was important to me that the songs be able to stand alone," he continues, "Even 'False Idols,' which is the climax of the record, was initially written as a stand-alone song. However, you can expect us to play the whole damn record live, and to play it like our lives depend on it."



Pitchfork
February  29, 2008
by Chris Dahlen

Rating:  8.0

The premise behind the Jet Age's heart-pounding rocker What Did You Do During the War, Daddy? sounds outlandish at first, although on record it's subtle: You wouldn't know what the story's really about unless you dug into the key lyrics and made a few leaps. Although this is staged as a concept album, it feels more like a 35-minute rush through the head of a man who's about to blow himself up. And by the way, that's the storyline: Eric Tischler has organized his latest songs around the story of a father and husband who, upset at the government and scared for the future of his family, becomes an American suicide bomber.

Tischler-- the singer, guitarist and writer of the album-- acknowledges his debt to Pete Townsend and the Who, and a story this emotional but outlandish could bring back memories of Quadrophenia or maybe Tommy. But the end result isn't bombastic or over-complicated; there are no instrumentals, soliloquies, or drawn-out explanations. Tischler's trio, which includes fiercely melodic bassist Greg Bennett and the Keith Moon-esque fills of Pete Nuwayser, works across the board better than on their fine debut, Breathless. In fact, if it didn't have stop for the shoegazing catharsis of the Bennett-co-penned "Now We Are Three", it would almost end too quickly.

The album is divided into three parts, where the protagonist-- who is not given a name-- meets a girl, marries her, and feels happy. But as he gets older and sires two kids, he grows frustrated with the country. Specific references to the Republican administration, Dick Cheney's promise to take us to "the dark side," or the mother of all sudden terrors, 9/11, are unnecessary, and Tischler doesn't use any of them; the real subject is the character's state of mind.

Anyone who's had a couple kids or owns even so much as a nice piece of furniture has probably, at some time, felt the fear that they can't protect any of it-- that while we're supposed to be adults with rights and protections, someday those protections could just vanish. Sleater-Kinney also aced this theme on their song, "Far Away", about how vulnerable you can feel for your kid all the way on the other side of the country from a terrorist attack. I'm not sure if the sentiment-- or the ferocious, taped-in-Tischler's-basement classic rock production-- speaks as deeply to younger rock fans who are in the "nothing left to lose" stage. But Tischler tries, with the falling-in-love rocker "O, Calendar". And all of the riffs are stellar.

Personally, the album's heart comes right in the middle, on "Dumb"-- an interior monologue from our hero, waiting out a long commute and mulling over his uselessness. He confesses he's scared to fight, but he's tired of accepting the "fear" and "shame": "this world gave you to me, it can take you away." This is fueled by the politics of the day, but the fear he nails is timeless.



Spin.com
Artist of the Day
February 27, 2008
by Sami Promisloff


What's the Deal? The D.C.-based band draw from the post-grunge inspiration of Sugar and Bob Mould while exploring challenging rhythms like the gleefully erratic Dismemberment Plan. Their latest effort, however, integrates the grandeur and cohesion of the classic rock concept album: What Did You Do During the War, Daddy? deconstructs the helplessness and anguish associated with citizens forced to sit idly by as the country spins out of control. With politically charged tunes like "I Said, 'Alright'" and "False Idols," and deep, personal anthems like "Now We Are Three" and "Ladies, Don't Cry Tonight" book-ending the album like a Broadway musical, Eric Tischler's vivid songwriting. Not bad for a band that's situated right in Bush's backyard.

Who? The Jet Age features Tischler (guitar/vox/keys), Greg Bennett (bass), and Pete Nuwayser (drums). Tischler and Bennett were former members of the acclaimed power-pop outfit Hurricane Lamps.

Fun Fact: Tischler received some precious outside help while orchestrating the album's opus, "Ladies, Don't Cry Tonight." He tells SPIN.com: "I wrote it while practicing with my other band, the Big Engines," he said. "That band consists of me and my four-year-old son, Dash."



PopMatters
March 6, 2008
by Jason MacNeil


The Jet Age have divided this album into three acts, which is a novel idea. Well, actually a theatrical idea now that I think about it. Regardless, the band is spot on when it comes to delectable power pop that has scads of guitar-driven rock riffs embedded deep within it. “Ladies, Don’t Cry Tonight” is such an example despite beginning rather lightly and folksy. Meanwhile, they don’t drop the ball or abate in intensity with “If I Had You Then I’d Still Want You Now” which brings to mind Ray Davies leading The Kinks in their heyday. The band, led by singer Eric Tischler, also come off smelling like roses with the percussion-heavy “Dance” that contains plenty of fills from drummer Pete Nuwayser. And fortunately, the second act is more of the same beginning with a delicious slice of indie-rock on “Shake” and followed up with the winding, Odds-ish “Dumb”. The consistency here is what makes The Jet Age soar, be it on the lengthy but alluring “False Idols”.



Unveiling Music:  The Jet Age Interview
pensatos
February 22, 2008
by Sean Kendall

Being political with music is so last natural disaster. So when we heard the three piece rock act The Jet Age decided to take on the government on their latest opus What Did You Do During the War, Daddy? we sighed and shuffled along. What we weren’t prepared for was an all our rocker album that ingeniously infuses a citizens call to action when he doesn’t agree with the government without being preachy. For the record: that’s tough. So we thought it best to sit down with lead Eric Tischler of The Jet Age to have him explain how he came up with a controversial idea (the main character plots an act of terrorism against his leaders) and how he controls those whaling solo needs.

Pensatos: How did the band start when you concocted The Jet Age?

Eric Tischler: When The Hurricane Lamps, my old band with Greg, wound down in 2004 I had a handful of songs that I really wanted to get out there. A friends of the Lamps, Dave Meyer, volunteered to play bass, and he brought with him the miraculous Pete Nuwayser on drums. When Dave moved to Colorado, I drafted Greg in time to finish writing the first record, Breathless.

What did you learn from your underrated release Breathless that you carried over when you entered the studio for a follow-up?

First off, God bless you. Creatively, I felt ready to do more in the way of “production”; backing vocals, keyboards, etcetera. On Breathless, I really wanted to introduce the band as a band, so I didn’t want to distract with a lot of bells and whistles. I wanted to present the performances as performances, and say, “This is what the three of us do together,” - although that record has its share of overdubs.

With What Did You Do During the War, Daddy? I felt like I was free to add things like the harmonies and handclaps on the bridge in ‘O, Calendar.’ Having said that, though, I still think our primary strength is as a three piece, so I don’t feel like a lot of additional production is necessarily flattering.

Technically, I made some great upgrades to my studio, and Greg and I both discovered G&L guitars just in time to make this record, and that made a huge difference.

However, coming off this record, I have a lot of new ideas for what I want to do for the next one. I really love the “live in the studio” vibe that I think I’m pretty adept at capturing, but I think I’m ready to apply a more hi-fi approach; something I’ve resisted ‘til now. Of course, I seem to say that after every album…

With What Did You Do… did you go into the studio with a plan to make a statement about the war?

Absolutely. I don’t write in the studio, but, by the time I’d written the first three songs, I had the plot of the record; the remaining songs were written to flesh out the theme(s) of the record.

The main character throughout the album can be viewed as either a terrorist or a revolutionist. Are his views yours as a band to some degree?

You’re absolutely right about the duality of the main character. His views are mine only insofar as his frustration is certainly informed by my own. However, I really want to make it clear that I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT ENDORSE BLOWING THINGS UP. AT ALL.

We wouldn’t think otherwise. Only crazed conspiracy right wing folk would suggest such in my book.

The story in this record affords me a venue to discuss this stuff and ask, “If not violence, then what?” And that’s not a rhetorical question. If marches on Washington are ignored, and democracy is in the hands of Diebold, what DO we have to do to fix things? I genuinely don’t know. It frightens the hell out of me.

We’ve got another election coming up and I’m afraid I don’t share the optimism of a lot of my friends. I think we have been conditioned to be scared (see the song ‘Dumb’) and I worry that we’re not out of the woods yet. In these very scary times, a lot of people are going to vote for the candidate that they consider to be safe. This is something the three of us have been talking about a lot lately, and I look forward to being proven wrong.

Your album is broken down like a play with acts. One of the underlined effects of the album is the almost jubilation sound of love in the first act to the creeping darker songs as it progresses into less cordial atmospheres on act two and three. Was this based off experience with your political views and a relationship?

Sort of, insofar as I’m crazy about my family and horrified by the state of our country. You’ve got the emotional trajectory dead on. The first act (the first batch of songs) is intended to establish a happy family, ideally so that, by the time the guy goes and gets himself killed, you understand why he did it (for love of his family), and how it impacts his family. The reason the album starts and ends with ‘Ladies, Don’t Cry Tonight’ is that it’s a widow’s lament. In its first iteration, it’s to establish that, in the background of the happy first act, there’s a war going on. At the end, it’s for the protagonist’s wife, who’s lost her husband.

The second act illustrates the father’s awakening to the reality that, while his home may be a happy place, his country is not, hence the darkening tone.

Christ, did I just say “hence the darkening tone”?

You did. You’re starting to sound like a panelist on Meet The Press. Just how tricky is it to make a political album without it being in-your-face or force-feeding beliefs and potentially alienating listeners?

Assuming I’ve done it (and thank you for implying that I have), the answer is “Very,” which is why I’ve never really done this before now. It’s taken me this long to find a vehicle I was comfortable with. ‘I Gave Up On Justice and Reason’, off of Breathless, was a trial run, and I think that worked out well. Believe me, having grown up in DC, I’m very wary of dogmatic lyrics.

Your sound fits snuggly between Superchunk and Yo La Tengo and has now for some time. Would there be any other sides of your music you still have yet to explore? Can we expect the funk side buried in your Motown hearts to emerge soon?

Well, for what it’s worth, the working title for ‘False Idols’ was ‘James Brown’. Actually, the second Hurricane Lamps record, You Deserve What You Want, has what I think is an EXCELLENT homage to Motown called ‘Baby’s Learned a Brand New Dance’. I don’t know if I can top it.

However, I do look forward to branching out, and we’ve got a nice four-on-the-floor, wah-wah workout that we’ve been toying with in practice. It feels like this band can do anything, so I hope we will branch out, although my allegiance is to the rawk.

Where did, and I do mean this jokingly (half joking), that blazing Pete Townsend guitar solo of ‘Dance’ come from and why don’t we hear more?

Buh-buh-but. What about the solo in ‘False Idols’? And ‘Maybe Love’s a Transmission’? And, and ‘Now We Are Three’? I’m really glad you like that solo; I’ve worried that it’s the weakest one on there! For better or worse, I don’t think there’ll be any shortage of solos for me and, given how large Pete looms in my musical DNA, I’ve got to think some of them will Townshend-esque. Hell, I should be so lucky!



Pitchfork Forkcast
February 29, 2008
by Stephen Deusner

"O, Calendar" is a small piece of a much larger puzzle. The track appears on the Jet Age's second album, What Did You Do During The War, Daddy?, an ambitious, ambiguous song cycle about an American suicide bomber. The Washington, D.C., power-indie-pop band manage to sympathize with the character's outrage without condoning such violence, while acknowledging that the old means of protest-- marching on Washington, taking to the streets, even to some extent writing songs-- no longer work in the Bush era. Compelling in its convictions and streamlined in its storytelling, What Did You Do is just the sort of album Ted Leo ought to be making.

To its credit, "O, Calendar" may be a lynchpin track on that album, but it stands up well on its own. Beginning with Greg Bennett's pulsing bass and Eric Tischler's urgent rhythm guitar licks, the song bursts to life with Pete Nuwayser's boisterous drumming, which sounds like he's got four arms and twice as many toms. Nuwayser antagonizes Tischler's vocal melodies, relenting only when they reach the sing-along clap-along bridge. "Your arms-- languorous and lithe," Tischler sings as the other instruments fall away, "hold me close, make me feel alive." Out of its album context, "O, Calendar" sounds like an urgent expression of romantic contentment, with only a hint of darker times ahead.





The Devil Has The Best Tuna
February 21, 2008


When you hear the words 'concept album' what do you think of? Ludicrously pretentious, self indulgently theatrical art-rock based on an obscure Tolkien novel wrapped up in a double gatefold sleeve with a design by Storm Thorgerson? I know I do!

However there was a time before the pomposity of Yes, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Rick Wakeman, Genesis and Rush when concept albums were exciting, new and packed to the rafters with brilliant songs. A time when the strength of the songs was more important than the concept. A time before musicians started disappearing up their own backsides at a rate of knots. A time when concept album gems such as S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things, The Who Sell Out by The Who, The Zombies' Odessey & Oracle, The Rolling Stones' Their Satanic Majesties Request, and The Beatles Sgt Pepper were released.

The last few years have seen the return of the concept album thanks to the likes of Green Day, The Fiery Furnaces, My Chemical Romance and Sufjan Stevens. You can add another name to the list, Maryland's The Jet Age formed by Eric Tischler and Greg Bennett from The Hurricane Lamps with drummer Pete Nuwayser, who have recently released What Did You Do During the War, Daddy?  Their new album is a 'soundtrack' (another name for concept album for those who remember 'Tales From Topographic Oceans'!) to an imaginary three act musical about the tragic life of a revolutionary American suicide bomber.

What Did You Do During the War, Daddy wouldn't have been out of place in the golden age of the concept album yet sounds bang up to date. Churning up the sophisticated punk of The Minutemen and Husker Du, the slacker cool of Dinosaur Jr, the sweaty R&B of The Who and the shoegazing guitar dynamics of Swervedriver, the Jet Age produce a powerful concoction that'll fracture your eardrums and help in the campaign to rehabilitate the concept album to it's rightful place in the musical pantheon.



The Price of Sacrifice:  The Jet Age
Washington Post Express, page E7
February 21, 2008
by Stephen Deusner

DESPITE ITS INQUISITIVE, SOMEWHAT ACCUSATORY TITLE, the new album from the Silver Spring-based group The Jet Age is not protest rock.

Instead, the 11 intelligently written, energetically performed songs on "What Did You Do During the War, Daddy?" tell the tragic story of a regular American husband and father who becomes a suicide bomber, along the way posing some difficult questions about political outrage, public indifference and personal sacrifice.

These are heady issues for a power-pop trio, especially one that hasn't been together very long. Following the break-up of local indie heroes the Hurricane Lamps, singer/songwriter/guitarist Eric Tischler and bass player Greg Bennett founded the Jet Age with Pete Nuwayser, a drummer of Herculean force. They released their debut, "Breathless," in 2006, but "What Did You Do During the War, Daddy?" represents a great leap forward for the band: a dynamic combination of Bennett's melodic bass lines, Nuwayser's thunderous drumming and Tischler's own spidery guitar work.

"I felt like I could write whatever I wanted to write and the band could handle it," says Tischler, describing the result as "a rock musical." Still, he notes, "I didn't want to make it heavy-handed. I think the songs, with very few exceptions, stand on their own completely."

The album was inspired by the singer's own frustrations with the current administration. Tischler, a husband and father himself, makes it clear that he does not condone the extreme measures taken by the album's protagonist, a loving family man transformed by his own outrage into a killer. "It's not advocating violence," he says. "That's just what happens in the story."

According to Tischler, the album simply encourages discussion, participation, and, as the title implies, a great deal of questioning.

"Some people do protest, and God bless them for trying. But I have the sense that it doesn't work anymore," he says. "So what do we do next? What do I owe my family to make the world better?"

A spirited album like this one sounds like a good start.



JustPressPlay
March 8, 2008
by Jason Perry


Regardless if you frequent the Republican or Democratic party, one viewpoint holds true for both sides: the United States of America, at this point in time, is a united mess. Fear of a recession, a housing market that’s bleeding like a stuck pig, terrorism and an International reputation that belongs in the world’s septic tank: name a societal ill and the U.S. probably suffers from it.

Who can the American people look to for guidance and protection? A question Jet Age frontman Eric Tischler conceptualizes into What Did You Do During The War, Daddy?: a soundtrack for an imaginary musical detailing a family man who, frustrated with the U.S. governments ineptitude, becomes an American suicide bomber.

Broken up into three distinct acts, During The War rolls out a blanket of power-pop rock tunes: each one a relative and vital part of a greater whole. “Ladies, Don’t Cry Tonight” opens with a heartfelt, toe-tapping folk rhythm then leads into flaying riffs ala Swervedriver. Tischler even throws in his best Pete Townshend impersonation during a wild mid-song solo on “Dance.” The Jet Age’s garage/basement-band production accentuates the raw energy littered throughout During The War, harkening back to the era of ‘70s politically charged pop-rock. Truth be told, The Jet Age are at their best when completely unpredictable and untamed. Toned down tracks like “Shake” and “False Idols” don’t contain enough bite and are simply lost in the mix.

Along with bassist Greg Bennett and drummer Pete Nuwayser, Tischler excels in composing catchy hooks with a purpose. If you’re looking for mindless pop-rock drivel, turn elsewhere: The Jet Age has a message whether you want to hear it or not. During The War chronicles a nameless protagonist who’s in a state of frustration and discontent due to his inability to protect his wife and children from society’s malevolent ills. “I Said, ‘Alright’” highlights the protagonist’s desire for radical activism and his willingness for self-sacrifice (read: suicide bombing) to benefit his family’s future. It’s a stance few will agree with, but the general idea behind coming to terms with self-sacrifice is worthy of analysis. Can During The War be a little over-the-top and dramatic at times? Sure, but that’s exactly The Jet Age’s primary focus. After all, extreme notions create the best dialogue.



Here comes the flood
March 5, 2008
by Hans Werksman


It is a big idea for a concept album. What if there was such a thing like a revolutionary American suicide bomber? Erich Tischler, guitar player for The Jet Age wrote a song called False Idols, a song about martyrs, revolution, and political messaging and strung them together with two more songs that fitted the idea: If I Had You Then, I’d Still Want You Now and Shake. Those three songs would become parts of the three acts that make up the What Did You Do During The War, Daddy? album.

There are not that many garage band concept albums around - somehow it doesn't seem to fit with the idea of 3 minute riff based songs, but in this case it works really well. Tischler followed the advice of Pete Townshend who once claimed that he found writing was much easier when he had a “brief” to write to, and suddenly the idea of CREATING a structure for this new record immediately made sense.

In little over half an hour Tischler paints vivid pictures of a war that hasn't happened yet. If H.G. Wells had been in rock band, these are the kind of songs he would have been playing.



Parasites & Sycophants
February 21, 2008


The Jet Age's What Did You Do During the War, Daddy? is the brainchild of frontman Eric Tischler, and originally conceived as a soundtrack to an imaginary musical centered around what our duties are as citizens when government goes awry. As for the music, the album comes in three acts, and is a dark concoction of sounds, bringing to mind indie's halcyon days of true creative freedom. Yes indeed, while The Jet Age don't sound dated, the overall feel recalls the golden age of punk (Minutemen, Husker Du, etc....), when there was no prescribed formula. The album opens with the folksy acoustic piece "Ladies, Don't Cry Tonight," acting as an intro to the perpetually crashing guitars that permeate this record. Be prepared to take on a sound reminiscent of "You're Living All Over Me," period Dinosaur Jr., on "If I Had You Then I'd Still Want You Now," complete with guitar solo. Speaking of solos, "False Idols" begins with an Unrest like guitar intro (only The Jet Age have the reverb cranked), clocks in as the longest song on the record, and includes a lead break that what it lacks in technicality, is made up by raw spirit. Moving along, "Dance" is a bass derived number, complete with harmonies, a good guitar break, and an overall sound that makes me want to pull out my old Dagnasty records. In fact, this is a concept album and not single oriented, but my favorite song, "Maybe Love's a Transmission," also recalls the previously mentioned group as well. Finally, I really like the Wedding Presentesque opening chord progression of "O, Calendar," and the chugging guitars on the shoegaze hybrid "Dumb." Figure it all out for yourself as you check out the songs below.



Washington Post
Nightlife Agenda
February 21, 2008


The Jet Age has long been an office favorite, and a few listens to the band's new album, What Did You Do During the War, Daddy? has only solidified that status.  During the War contains the same driving, muscular indie rock heard on the local trio's 2006 album Breathless but it is a more compact and focused offering. The guitar heroics are still there, just toned down a bit, and the always-tight rhythm section is locked in to an even greater degree. Songs like "Ladies, Don't Cry Tonight" and "O, Calendar" (apparently the band is fond of commas this time around) even have sing-along moments that up the material's catchiness quotient. Tonight's show at DC9 marks the official album release; J. Forte and the Secret Pop Band open.



Heet Stof
February 20, 2008
by Har Heijmans


Since a few weeks the United States (and a large part of the rest of the world) are under the spell of Obama and Hillary. The real elections are still about nine months away, but the Democratic Primaries are a thriller. You would almost forget that there is still another president at te wheel. And every day there are more Americans who have a lot of problems with this president. Americans like Eric Tischler from The Jet Age.

After The Jet Age's debut album "Breathless" from 2006 this singer/guitarist from Silver Springs, Maryland started working on the next record. A soundtrack to an imaginary musical that asks what is our responsibility, as citizens, when our government is out of control. With this issue as a subject and the riff to the song "If I Had You Then, I'd Still Want You Now" as the starting point Eric started working on the songs for the political concept album What Did You Do During the War, Daddy? from The Jet Age.

The story is about a family man who gets in trouble with his own passivity, while his government is dumbing down the population. At the end he comes to the tragic conclusion that a suicide bomb attack is the only solution. Together with bassist Greg Bennett and drummer Pete Nuwayser Eric has completed the songs with splendid heavy music. Music which, according to Eric is influenced by bands like The Who, Swervedriver and My Bloody Valentine (although I can't hear this last band in this music). The CD was released by Sonic Boomerang Records.



Wired
Listening Post
February 18, 2008
by Eliot Van Buskirk


The Jet Age, a Washington, D.C. trio whose latest album, What Did You Do During the War, Daddy? landed in my inbox recently.  To me, this is some solid, really promising stuff.  They sound enough like bands I've loved in the past to win an instant familiarity, but have way more than enough of their own sound going on.

The band knows its way around its guitar pedals, constructs satisfying progressions, and has a locked in aspect to its riffery that bespeaks long hours in the practice studio.

Well, I'm enjoying it anyway; have a listen for yourself.



pensatos
February 15, 2008
by Sean Kendall

Music is War

In a year of arguably one of our countries most important elections in the past half century, it’s always good to see an artist question authority. I’m not talking about a ‘fuck the system’ ego trip but instead the viewpoint of theoretical action. Enter in Eric Tischler and his trio of rock enthusiasts The Jet Age with their latest long player What Did You Do During The War Daddy?. Originally conceived as a (albeit far off) Broadway musical of sorts, During The War questions the responsibilities of citizens when their government is out of control. Even the album is broken down into three acts. Hokey? Yeah. But regardless of the fable, During the War is a fine rock album when it wants to be.

The album plays out just as its cock-and-bull story alludes; three separate acts dealing with your everyday affairs of love, government deception, and suicide bombing. Yes, this is not your standard pop-rock mindless chatter - Tischler has a point. Sure it’s a bit over-dramatic but shakes the core of rock back to when it was a political movement with attitude and substance. I’m talking the underlined messages of The Who mixed with enough Superchunk riffs to buy into the ears of most. It’s no classic, but it has heart. Look no further than second act ‘I Said, Alright’ for said-political spin wickedly helmed by savvy percussion ala Pete Nuwayser. The slapdash 4-track sounding recording actually benefits the garage noise of hammered drums and whaling guitars on the heavier hitting moments. Trailblazer ‘If I Had You Then I’d Still Want You Now’ is three minutes of punk-pop perfection only one upped by the furor of ‘Maybe Love’s a Transmission’. Eric Tischler laments with the best of them garnering comparisons to the likes of Oxford Collapse frontman Mike Pace in both wit and growl at times.

The more harmless moments like the introspective ‘Shake’ are less invigorating in part due to the band taking a back seat to Tischler’s shaky vox work. At other times a lot of During the War comes entirely too close to Sonic Youth-like catastrophes (for better or worse); moments where the guitar takes over and flatlines in the beautiful mess it causes. What the band lacks in control, their love in chaos more than makes up. The rumblings from each beat and circling strings are belligerently brilliant: so much so that it carries the albums lesser burdens thru to the end. It’s no Breathless - the bands inaugural release a few years back - but it’s a solid ride and an atypical note on how political rock should be done.



The Run-off Groove
February 5, 2008
by John Book


The Jet Age create a themed album of sorts with What Did You Do During The War, Daddy?, where the concept is explored in three acts. However, this isn't Disney's High School Musical. The concept touches on a guy who seems to be an armchair critic of the war, and suddenly he has an urge to get involved and make his views known, to where he is willing to die for the cause and lies that are the basis behind all wars.

The Jet Age are an incredible power trio (Pete Nuwayser on drums, Greg Bennett on bass, and Eric Tischler on vocals, guitars, and keyboards) who play with the same kind of revolutionary angst that made bands like Soul Asylum, The Replacements and The Wipers so powerful in their day. There is a raw sound that sounds like it was recorded in one room, not distinctively mixed but enough to where it would sound good on a 45 rpm single.

What Did You Do During The War, Daddy? is an album that would normally get a lot of attention in today's marketplace, but for whatever reason isn't. Let's change that. People considered Green Day for being bold with their American Idiot album, and they were. Years after its release, there's still a war and social riots going on, and there's still a need to talk about those frustrations, even as a metaphor of what could be done if one went to the extreme.



Silver Spring Penguin
October 19, 2007
by Jennifer Deseo


Fasten your safety belts, and place your seat-back trays in their upright and locked position. The Jet Age is about to break the sound barrier.

Silver Spring trio The Jet Age revives the frenzied guitar strumming and explosive drums of old-school garage punk. The dudes — guitarist Eric Tischler, Greg Bennett on bass, and Pete Nuwayser on skins — hit with high-speed acoustics like The Stooges on Snickers and Mountain Dew.

The tune “Please Come Home Now” revs like a mean, angry 1972 Camaro on a mission. It’s gruff rhythm and vicious guitar are just scary enough to send young parents with babies running for cover.

The band’s “Out of Sight” downshifts slightly, allowing for ample moshing and stage diving. In both songs, Tishler’s vocals screech like that Camaro whizzing past at breakneck speed.

The Jet Age slips into psychedelic mode on “Denny and Michelle”, a dark and moody song that uses its bassline to craftily bring out the bleak. Another trip through the rabbit hole, titled “Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose”, uses swirling guitars to hark back to the sixties.

Take The Jet Age for a test run on the band’s website, then catch them tonight at the Quarry House (8401 Georgia Ave). The show starts at 9:00 p.m.



NBC4.com
June 29, 2007
by Matthew Stabley


Surprisingly impressive was Silver Spring's the Jet Age.  This is a local band worth checking out. While mixing some power pop and psychedelia into their songs, the group also played largely garage rock -- the loudest, heaviest, most adrenaline-fueled set of the evening. And the singer's voice, soft and tender and heading toward the upper ranges (think post-Beatles McCartney sans accent), was an interesting counterpoint on top of that hard rock.



Express
February 1, 2007

The Jet Age - Express - 2007-02-01



The Washington Post
January 26, 2007
by Mark Jenkins



Since retooling the Hurricane Lamps as the Jet Age, Eric Tischler seems to have spent more time intensifying his guitar attach than expanding his songwriting.  The local trio's "Breathless" opens with a gentle strum, but after 15 seconds, Tischler stomps on a pedal and the universe fills with dirty sound.  It's enough to suggest that the guitarist, who doesn't sound very jingle-jangle on this album, has taken to heart Roger McGuinn's Byrds-era claim to have devised a jet-age sound.

"Breathless" is not simply a collections of vamps, riffs and blarers.  There are tunes and lyrics here, and they hold their own.  Only one of the 10 tracks, the eight-minute "Big Deaths, Little Deaths," exists primarily as a showcase for the band's careening, muscular style.  Yet even such shapely numbers as "Denny and Michelle" are punctuated by squalling guitar, and the band's philosophy is encapsulated by such titles as "Ride On."  When Tischler sings, "The way you drive, I dunno / It's like you come alive," he could be talking to himself.





Pitchfork
January 2, 2007
by Joe Tangari

Rating:  7.3

When you see a three-piece rock band live, that's all you hear: three guys playing and singing. On record, you almost never get that. It's much more likely that songs will be piled high with overdubs and double-tracked vocals. So Breathless, the first album by the Jet Age, winds up being different by virtue of its sheer simplicity-- with only one exception, the record sounds exactly like the band would live.

The trio is led by Eric Tischler, a man whose love of the Who is evident in the way he puts a song together, allowing for ample drum fills and guitar tangents. Tischler spent years as the nucleus of the Hurricane Lamps, who made a series of very raw power-pop albums, and Breathless announces his intention to make the Jet Age his rock band. It's not that there's no pop songcraft here-- just that Pete Nuwayser's drums get a lot of leeway to roam and Tischler reels off a higher than expected number sharp fuzz-tone solos.

Tischler opens the album with a long peel of cosmic lead guitar, but the themes he explores on the record are decidedly more terrestrial. His lyrics are full of natural forces, especially weather, and he relates them to family and the alternate feelings of safe harbor and tumult it can provide. "See what you thought you could never see/ A home, a hearth, a family/ A hundred feet below as you climb/ If you could just touch down before you die," he sings on "Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose," capturing a slice of the mind of someone who never made time for a such relationships.

As basic as the sound is, the band does a lot with dynamics to keep it interesting. "Slope" has gentle, dream-like verses, but when it gets to the chorus, the drums slip out of time-keeping completely-- the four lines of the chorus are driven forward by nothing but drum fills and frenzied guitar strumming with the distortion pedal off. Tischler's tendency to stay away from the effects when he's not playing a lead keeps things clean and uncluttered.

As fun as it is to hear a rock trio happily bashing away, there's evidence that they could do great things with a more produced sound on "Big Deaths, Little Deaths", the only song with an audible overdub. As the track stretches out past five minutes in a quick-tempo buildup, Tischler harmonizes wordlessly with several of himselves, and the effect is enough to make you wish he'd try it more often.

Whether or not he does, the Jet Age figures to be entertaining. Good songs played by a straightforward rock trio will always find their way into people's playlists, regardless of what's big at the moment. The Jet Age provides exactly that on Breathless.



MAGNET Magazine
Issue 73
by Fred Mills


It never hurts to have a celebrity fan in your corner, and even at this early stage in the career of the Jet Age, extant for about a year, it's got a high-profile supporter.  The Wedding Present's David Gedge, in a stroke of eerie prescience, recently suggested to the Silver Spring, Md., trio that its nom du rawk was more evocative and dynamic-sounding than the name Hurricane Lamps, frontman Eric Tischler and bassist Greg Bennett's previous outfit.  As consistent as the Lamps were across their five albums, the Jet Age's Breathless marks a huge step forward, from Tischler's songwriting to the musicians' performances to the production and overall ambience.  Lamps devotees, don't worry; Tischler is still unleashing bright shards of his trademark riffery and serving up literate epistles in his Roger Daltrey-meets-Robert Smith voice.  But on tracks such as taut thumper "Ride On" (a showcase for the hyperkinetic rhythm section), the blazingly visceral "I Gave Up On Justice And Reason" (a Who homage) and the eight-minute "Big Deaths, Little Deaths" (jammy, but immaculately crafted), the Jet Age already has a cache of anthems.  "Such a quiet peace... to reach the peak," sings Tischler on "Deaths," and that seems eerily prescient, too.  Because with this debut, his band has clearly hit an early high.



Dagger
10/1/06
by Tim Hinely


Maryland’s Hurricane Lamps (led by the elusive Eric Tischler) called it a day last year but that does not mean that its members have stopped playing music. On the contrary, Tischler and H.L. bassist Greg Bennett have carried on at The Jet Age and have picked up drummer Pete Nuwayser along the way. Nuwayser has a much more powerful style than the Lamps drummer (Jason Merriman) and with the ‘Tisch cranking up more power chords the Jet Ages take off like a rocket to some other planet, sorta like comparing an old GTO (The Jet Age) to an newer Mustang (The Hurricane Lamps) not better or worse, just a different animal altogether. The record opens with “Sometime you Win, Sometimes You Lose” a song which starts off with an acid rock guitar lead (which, quite frankly, scared me a bit ) but from that point on it back to the usual riffing from Tischler. More of the Unrest/Wedding Present hyper strum that he has become known for. “Denny and Michelle” is more low-key while “I Gave Up on Justice and Reason” shows why they got that new drummer in the first place with some killer Keith Moon-ish fills all over the place. I was an unhappy camper when Hurricane Lamps left us but with The Jet Age it’s a comfortable new beginning.





express
Tonight's Top Stop
by Scott Rosenberg
Published September 18, 2006


WHAT'S A MAN TO DO when the lights get turned out for his band the Hurricane Lamps? If you're Eric Tischler, you grab one of your old band mates and take flight as the Jet Age. This new band, with singer/guitarist Tischler, former Lamps bassist Greg Bennett and drummer Pete Nuwayser, takes the stage at the Black Cat tonight in support of the band's debut album, "Breathless."  The Jet Age, which made its first live appearance last year opening for British indie pop stalwarts the Wedding Present, is a very different band than the Hurricane Lamps, Tischler told Express.

Eric Tischler, Greg Bennett and Pete Nuwayser of THE JET AGEWhile the Jet Age and the Lamps tread along similar musical boundaries — fuzzed-out indie rock that recalls '90s mainstays such as Superchunk — Tischler is quick to point out the fundamental difference between the two bands: "The Hurricane Lamps wore their songs like straightjackets, and the Jet Age ... the three of us feel very comfortable with taking the song as a launchpad and seeing where we can take the song," he said.


The Lamps were local favorites in the early part of this decade. They released five albums and toured nationally five times, getting positive press from trendsetting publications like Pitchfork. One of the Lamps' earliest incarnations was one of the first bands to play the Black Cat in 1993, when the town was rocking out to like-minded D.C.-based bands such as Velocity Girl and the Lilys. While that movement died down for a bit, it has now seen a return with more power-pop bands arriving on the scene, the Jet Age included.

"I'm very proud of the Hurricane Lamps, but I'm trying to distance myself from [them]," Tischler said. "The Lamps were always good, but I feel like this band is a great live band. I hope that people that dig the Lamps — and people that didn't dig the Lamps — will come out."





Washington Post
New Music from Local Bands
By David Malitz
Published September 15, 2006


Jangly indie pop beefed up by big, fuzzy guitar solos. "Breathless" is a very focused record that sounds more assured than most debuts. This shouldn't be all that surprising since singer/guitarist Eric Tischler and bassist Greg Bennett were two-thirds of the Hurricane Lamps, an underrated and prolific local band that released five solid albums between 1999 and 2004. The sound isn't that far off from that of the Lamps, which makes sense since only the drummer has changed in the Jet Age. The songs are ragged without being sloppy and bring to mind some of the best in the indie rock pantheon, whether it be Dinosaur Jr., with the distorted solos or Superchunk with Tischler's high pitched, enthusiastic vocals.



Washington Post
Editor's Picks
By David Malitz
Published May 26, 2006


Local trio the Jet Age made its live debut last year opening for the Wedding Present -- not a bad way to introduce yourself to the world. It wasn't just a case of extremely fortuitous booking, though; the group features former members of the Hurricane Lamps, one of the area's most consistent (and consistently overlooked) indie rock acts over the past decade. The Wedding Present also serves as a pretty good reference point for the Jet Age, as the group goes back and forth between the very strummy Britpop and more dynamic post-grunge sound that the Weddoes have spent the last couple of decades perfecting. The Jet Age is finishing up its debut album and will be giving away free previews tonight at the Black Cat's backstage.



Washington Times 
Jet Age sets new course
By Rob Runnet
Published May 25, 2006


    Silver Spring's Eric Tischler, who led the Hurricane Lamps to a glowing reputation as a solid, pop-driven rock band in the decade's first years -- only to see the group's lights go out in 2004 -- returns as the singer/guitarist/synth-playing frontman of the locally based Jet Age, playing Tuesday at the Black Cat.
    The trio spent the winter recording 10 songs, and at the hometown concert will give away a free, four-song teaser of new material from its upcoming debut album, whose first song serves as a "declaration of intent" that Jet Age will explore new musical frontiers rather than mirror the Hurricane Lamps' style. "Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose" erupts with three rambunctious, mold-smashing guitar solos.
    "We're letting loose in a way the Lamps typically didn't," Mr. Tischler says.
    Mr. Tischler, who grew up in the District and Bethesda, lives in Silver Spring. Bethesda native Greg Bennett (bass), also a member of the Lamps, resides in Vienna, and new drummer-percussionist Pete Nuwayser lives in Alexandria.
    The upcoming album, tentatively called "Breathless," showcases the band's adoration for tight and sharp rockers ("Ride On") and sly bass grooves ("Dry"). "I Gave Up on Justice and Reason" is a Who-like stomper, and "Slope" concludes with an explosion of fiery guitar and wicked blasts from Mr. Nuwayser's snare drum.
    Mr. Tischler calls the eight-minute "Big Deaths, Little Deaths" one of his favorites because it reinforces his bandmates' commitment to their craft and comfort level as a trio.
    "I'm excited to do it [on stage] because when we get up there, we feed off each other and we trust each other," he says.
     Mr. Tischler recorded the Hurricane Lamps and Jet Age songs in his home studio, which over the years has expanded from an eight-track to a 24-track system. The new material didn't require much tinkering.
    "The band is so strong," he says, "that I find myself keeping production to a minimum."
    Mr. Tischler wants to build a large following for the Jet Age. But he won't participate in what he calls "the loudness wars," an attempt by producers to emphasize volume instead of the full dynamic range of vocals and instrumentation.
    The implications extend beyond radio airplay: Music heard digitally in MP3 format loses much of the nuance found on CDs, especially if the production is tweaked in favor of sheer volume. People who rely solely on MP3s "miss out on just how great it can be" to experience music on a pulsing stereo system, Mr. Tischler says. "Listening to MP3s is a horrible way to listen to music."
     But he knows that posting digital files on popular music Web sites is an essential component to marketing a band in the 21st century. MySpace.com is the largest of these sites, with more than 68 million members, according to parent company Fox Interactive Media. The Jet Age maintains a minor presence on the site, but Mr. Tischler isn't a fan. "I don't go to MySpace," he says. "I just don't get it." The site is more about status than high-quality music, he adds. "I don't understand the online community. Not to denigrate it — I just don't understand it."
     So the Jet Age will promote itself the old-fashioned way: Plenty of touring and word of mouth from fans who enjoy the band's live set. Mr. Tischler is considering a U.S. or European tour in the fall, timed to coincide with the album's release on the band's own label, Sonic Boomerang Records. And if everything works out, he'll be reunited with the Lamps supporters who've missed Mr. Tischler's melody-driven tunes.



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