Jack Rowland might be the
next Bob Dylan but right now
like of all us he is a teenager
trying to make it through life
just like the rest of us. Yet his
way to cope with the trials
and tribulations is through
music. Like most people who
write songs his love for music
stared off at a very young
age. “My parents would play
the beatles everyday” he said
regarding his early
experience with music.
Jack admits that most of the
songs he writes are about
love, crushes and teen angst.
“Hormones are definitely
involved” he said but Jack
feels that writing songs
makes the teen angst
something people can relate
to “Songs makes the teen
angst thing a little cooler” he
says with a chuckle.
Jack didn’t actually start
with guitar he actually was
only taught guitar two years
ago by a friend who oddly
enough charged him $20 a
lesson. “I started with
piano” he says witch he
thinks helps him write songs
more easily.
Jack feels that the younger
singer songwriter movement
is almost something
indescribable “It’s a new
style. Its raw uncontrollable
emotion” he says. Jack does
look forward to when he gets
older “I want to get into
different themes when I am
older” he said.
Many people think that age
is a very big factor in the
quality of song writing. Jack
agrees with this but he feels
that there is just something
about songs written by
teenagers that are so special.
“The younger you are the
less experience you have” he
says regarding song writing
experience. Yet most
teenagers long for
experience and long to be
older. That in itself is a
theme and in most young
song writers. “It’s the
teenage desire for
experience” he says.
Most teenage song writers
begin listening to music at a
very young age. “My parents
always played the beatles”
Jack says. As time goes by
most teens get into more
rebellious types of music.
“Sonic Youth, Velvet
Underground and Radiohead
are some of my favorites
now” he says.
Jack’s songs normally consist
of the chorus, verse and
chorus format but he hopes
that will change once his
writing progresses. Most
teenagers long to leave their
hometown and break out of
their current routine. “My
songs reflect my longing to
live on a whim” he says.
Though Jack’s songs do
follow that simple format
they have the theme of
giving it all up.
Many musicians started
writing songs at very young
ages in fact the very popular
band Blink-182 was made
famous by using the juvenile
themes of teen angst to
touch the lives of many
young people. “We write
about relationships, and just
growing up though high
school, that kind of stuff.”
says Tom DeLonge guitar
player to Blink-182.
Most songwriters Jack’s age
don’t wish to record an only
play as hobby. “Im really
bad at recording but I really
want to get better” he says
hoping he can get into a
studio soon so he can take
the next into realizing his
dream of getting into the
music business.
I recently attended a local
show at Friendly Grounds
Coffee House where Jack
Rowland was performing a
set. He had has his band
with him and they played.
Jack had his band with them
and they played slowly
putting as much care as they
could with every note. They
played crowd favorites such
as “Jane Says” by Jane’s
Addiction. They were just
one band of many bands
that night just begging to be
noticed.
Many favorites were there
that night such as Mike
Haller who played a certain
style of folk punk where
every word was fast,
powerful and held nothing
back. You could feel thee
emotion that night as every
performer were their hearts
out just trying to be liked
and enjoyed. I did not
matter if they played well or
with quality just as long as
they meant it and they did.
Every word felt real and
every cord felt passionate.
They played songs the only
way they new how because
when you’re a teenager and
writing songs there is no
other way to play besides
telling the truth.