As someone who has been doing this whole “music journalist” thing for three years now, I have been able to interview some of the biggest names in the industry and some up and coming ones. I have never though, found someone with as much raw and amazing talent as Jack Skuller. The fresh faced 17 year old, who was born in Manhattan and now lives in the Hoboken area was brought to my attention recently and I was immediately blown away by his amazing talent. He is doing something that no one else is doing in the industry by taking a 50’s kind of throwback appeal and making it into some truly freaking amazing modern type of music. I sat down with him a couple of days ago to talk about his past, present and ultimately his huge future as an artist and someone that in due time people will admire and look up to. Take a look.
How old were you when you decided you wanted to take music seriously?
I was very young, around 8. Just going to a bunch of different shows and my dad being a musician was what I was exposed to the most.
Who are some of your musical influences?
A variety of ones like The Everly Brothers and Eddie Cochran. I really go back to the 50’s to get a lot of my inspiration so others like Elvis Presley are big for me. On a more modern take I really love The Black Keys and what they are doing now.
How would you describe your sound?
My sound it’s vintage pop, it’s rock and roll when you get down to it. It is where I get my influences. That’s what I love, that’s what I breathe is rock and roll man.
Who do you get comparisons to the most?
What’s funny about that is that I usually don’t hear a certain name. I’ve heard Jack White and John Mayer for example, but sometimes I think people have a hard time tagging me and I think that’s because what I am doing is really different. I do feel very honored when people compare me to Jack, I love him and his music. Buddy Holly is another one too.
When I hear the song “Tell Me Your Heart” I instantly get drawn back to the music of the 60’s and even 50’s. Is that the zone you want to head into musically?
You can call it a throwback, but really for me it is my sound. When I hear my own music and making my own music, a lot of my influence comes from that time but I really am not thinking of it as a throwback. I am thinking about what I can do this to make this me, my sound and what I do. In the end it is what it is, and it’s everything I know and appreciate and listened to.
How important do you feel it is nowadays to be not just a singer but a singer songwriter?
For me, I know that for a long time I have wanted a music life. I wanted that to encompass my entire life. And I think for someone like me who wants that, songwriting is very important. It’s important for you to do as much as you can for yourself, because it in today’s world it is more vital than ever. You can’t just do music and not really know about other things. It is always to your benefit to know to write songs, play as many instruments as you can and have a bigger knowledge of the craft.
Are there other singer/songwriters that you respect and would love to work with?
I would love to work with people like Jack White and Gary Clark Jr, because I look up to those people a lot.
If you had to do a dream duet with anyone who would it be?
I would have to say the king, Elvis. I mean, imagine everything I could take from that, even preparing for the duet and all the stuff that would go into it. It would just be incredible.
Tell me about your other songs you are making. Do they have a similar feel to “Tell Me Your Heart?
I’m always thinking about how I can grow and move to a new place while keeping my sound and keeping who I am as an artist. I always try to keep a consistency in my songs and I have done that since I was 11 years old yet always try to do something new and find inspiration. I recorded a few songs recently and I like to take a really big part in making my music, that is very important to me.
What is the one thing that you want your fans and readers of this to know about you?
What I want people to know about me as an artist I think is that I am still a real person. Sometimes people put a wall between artists and listeners, and I am a real and honest person that just happens to love what I do. I get so lost in the enchantment in what I do and what I am passionate about and ultimately this is what I want to do forever.
Want to know more about this talented guy? Check out his site and be on the lookout for him in the near future.