New EP: JAYCEE
Artist: JayCee
Release Date: 10th June 2016

JayCee are an Alternative Rock band from Swansea, Wales. They have been going for a number of years, originally as a duo made up of two brothers, and have played at many venues and local festivals. JayCee have recently formed a 4 piece alternative/commercial rock band, a young band, as they are aged 19 to 21.

I had been listening to their music which they uploaded as demos onto SoundCloud and my initial reaction was wow, these young guys make big tunes! Since then, they have recorded their debut EP and are ready to show you their new sound.

Their 4-track self-titled EP is going to be released on 10th June.
They open with the punchy uplifting intro of “Brighter Side”. The two brothers each take a solo vocal part, and it almost like they are echoing each other. Their sound is steady and powerful. I can feel a Stereophonics vibe. This is a great and positive introduction to them.
The second song is “Domino”, their least edgy tune in which they continue an uplifting sound. This is the kind of song that will get draw them a wider audience.
Then, the third song is “Lifeline”. It’s simple guitar sound changes the mood. They tell you through this song that life does not consist of only happy times. The scream later on the song is effective in portraying this. You can really hear the different side of JayCee’s sound.
The fourth and final song is “All Of Us”. The guitar begins the song on its own. When all other instruments kick in, you know it’s going to be a big tune. This is most definitely an anthemic song with fantastic vocals. It brings you back to the sound that started this EP.
Their music is full of energy, catchy melodies and harmonies. They bring something unique to the genre. Their sound comes from the band’s wide range of influences including artists such as The Beatles, Stereophonics, Green Day, McFly and The Blackout. I interviewed the band recently, which you can find further down this page.

You can listen to their demo versions of “All Of Us” and “Brighter Side” via SoundCloud

Here is the interview. I hope I asked what you wanted to know!

Hello, JayCee! First of all, could you introduce yourselves?

John: Hi I’m John. I co-write, sing and string bend.
Joe: I’m Joe. I also co-write, sing and play guitar.
Tristan: Hi I’m Tristan. I play bass so I’m not really important.
Gwaredd: I’m Gwaredd and I hit things with sticks.

Could you tell us how you all met up and became a band?

Joe: John and myself are brothers, and have been playing acoustic gigs for the past 3, 4 years. Tristan and Gwaredd have been friends for a couple of years and have played in a band together too! And when John met Tristan in university just over a year ago, they got chatting and things just fell nicely into place after a couple of jamming sessions!

How did you decide on JayCee as your band name?

John: Joe and I have been gigging as a duo under the name JayCee since we first started, it comes from our initials, John Collins and Joe Collins. So when we formed the full band we decided to keep the same name, with consent from Tristan and Gwaredd obviously.

Who are your influences? Does everyone listen to similar music or musicians?

John: Myself and Joe’s music tastes are quite similar. We’re into pop/punk rock bands such as Green Day, Sum 41 and Boys Like Girls as well heavier bands such Issues and Of Mice and Men. Anything that has a lot of energy or a catchy melody really! Tristan and Gwaredd’s tastes are I bit different.
Gwaredd: My influences come from the Arctic Monkeys, Muse and Queens of the Stone Age.
Tristan: We both love Royal Blood too. I’m into Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and JayCee lol.

How do you go about writing your songs?

Joe: I tend to write most of the lyrics, and John writes most of the melodies and the music, it’s the way we’ve always done it! We always try to have a positive vibe to our songs, we like songs with a positive message and the effect they can have on people.

Your debut EP will be released very soon! How are you feeling about it right now?

John: We can’t wait! This will be the first time we’ve officially released anything so I’m excited to see what happens from here. We’ve had these songs for so long it’s great knowing that people will be able to hear them soon!
Tristan: Massively excited about the release. Can’t wait for the rest of the world to listen to the songs that I’ve been listening to for the past year.
Gwaredd: Um, good! Excited probably! Can’t wait to get it out there really!

How would you describe this EP?

Tristan: It’s the pop/alternative rock sound that we’ve been trying to achieve. I’m really happy with our sound.
John: I think the songs are all quite different. Domino and All Of Us lean more towards the pop side whereas Brighter Side and especially Lifeline lean more towards the heavier side of JayCee.
Joe: It’s everything we love about music, energy, melody and harmonies.

And I heard that two of the four songs have been rerecorded (Brighter Side and All Of Us). Any reason for this?

John: They were two of the first songs we ever wrote as a duo and at the time we just wanted them recorded without really thinking about how we wanted them to sound. When we eventually formed the full band and started playing the songs live we realised that we play the songs quicker and with a lot more energy. When it came to recording the EP we wanted a bigger, more energetic sound on the recordings.

You have a show for your EP launch. You must be excited!

Tristan: It’s hopefully going to be the biggest gig we’ve played as a band. We’ve gained some support over the last year so it should be a good show!
John: Ye definitely! We have singer-songwriter Tom Auton opening the night for us followed by Brokers and Stand Up and Shout so we’re really looking forward to seeing them before we jump on and do our bit!

JayCee seems to be active playing shows locally. Any plans for touring outside Wales?

Gwaredd: Yes, at the start of next year we’re gonna be announcing our world stadium tour!!!! But only playing songs off the EP. Seriously though, hopefully we’ll make progress and start playing more venues across South Wales and England.

What is coming next from JayCee?

John: We just want to grow. We’ll see how this EP does and take it from there! We’d definitely like to play more shows! Maybe we’ll bring out an EP or album at some point next year.
Tristan: Ye hopefully we can move onto an album.
Gwaredd: We’re going techno. It’s the only logical step forward!!!

Is there anything else you would like to say?

Joe: We’re really grateful for all the help and support we’ve had so far, thank you! Stay classy.
John: Thanks to everyone who’s been involved in helping us make this all come together! Thanks to everyone for coming to watch us play! We owe you one!
Tristan: I’d like to thank everyone for the support so far. I’m excited for what the future holds.
Gwaredd: Please buy the EP…Tristan needs to eat.

Thank you very much for your time! Good luck!

JayCee: Thank you!

I hear that JayCee are very energetic, and interact and engage with the audience throughout their live performances. They create a great sound, atmosphere and guaranteed fun wherever they go, so I hope you can catch them very soon. If you are in or near Swansea, or even if you can travel to Swansea in South Wales on the 10th of June, I strongly recommend you to go to their EP release launch show.

Teri Morris

To find out more about JayCee, visit their sites using the links below; 

Official Website: http://jayceeband.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayceeband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayceeband/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jayceeband
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayCeeband