Handsome Jack

Handsome Jack emerged from Lockport, New York, just outside Buffalo, as a lean and hard-grooving outfit that blends blues, R&B, and garage rock into the sound they dub boogie soul. After years of van tours and a string of self-released efforts, the group signed with Alive Naturalsound Records and earned their first national exposure through the swaggering 1970s-flavored blues-rock album Do What Comes Naturally in 2014.

Guitarist and vocalist Jamison Passuite assembled the band in 2004 with bassist Joey Verdonselli, guitarist and keyboardist Phil Allport, and drummer Steve Sandman. Though still in their teens when they started performing, the original lineup already embraced classic rock, boogie, and blues traditions; by 2008 they had issued their debut self-released album Heatseeker and embarked on an initial coast-to-coast trek. Sandman departed in 2009, replaced on drums by Chad Salmeri, whose first appearance on record came with the EP Prologue. The band followed with their second full-length release, Super Moon, in 2011 and continued touring alongside acts such as Blue Cheer, the Sheepdogs, Gov't Mule, J. Geils, and the Hold Steady.

In 2014 the group finalized their arrangement with Alive Naturalsound Records and entered the studio under producers Zach Gabbard of Buffalo Killers and Mike Montgomery. Do What Comes Naturally appeared that fall. Subsequent road work preceded further lineup shifts when Phil Allport and Chad Salmeri exited, leaving Jamison Passuite as the sole guitarist. Bennie Hayes joined on drums, forming a power-trio configuration that recorded the band’s second Alive Naturalsound album, Everything’s Gonna Be Alright, issued in 2018.