Jyrojets

A brash young band from the Scottish highlands whose members cite Nirvana and Simon & Garfunkel as their key influences, the Jyrojets were formed when Colin Fraser and Martin Stewart, two pals from Inverness, were just 14. Deciding they'd rather play music than just listen to it, Fraser and Stewart started writing songs, with Fraser singing and playing guitar and Stewart on keyboards and backing vocals. Chris Bain signed on as lead guitarist after Fraser and Stewart saw him playing at a party, drummer Veeb was recruited when they passed by his house while he was practicing and liked what they heard, and bassist Dougie Edwards completed the lineup in 2004. Once the five members were settled, the Jyrojets began practicing every night for a month, honing their sound and preparing tunes for their first demo tape. They entered their first recordings in a contest to choose an up-and-coming band to appear at the annual Scottish music festival T in the Park, and judges were impressed enough with the Jyrojets that they passed their demo along to a Radio 1 programmer, who played it before the group even knew the broadcasters had it. A tune from the Jyrojets' demo was tagged to appear on a promotional CD compiled by Music Week Magazine devoted to bands from Scotland, and their song caught the attention of the A&R staff at Songphonic Records, a British label. After checking a hometown gig by the band, Songphonic invited the Jyrojets to record an audition at Songphonic's studio, and the label wasted no time signing the band to a contract. After plenty of touring in the U.K., a handful of well-received shows in Russia, and a two-week tour of the United States in a double-decker bus (including a showcase at the 2008 South by Southwest Music Conference), the Jyrojets released their first full-length album in June 2008. ~ Mark Deming