Jyrojets

A brash young band from the Scottish highlands whose members cite Nirvana and Simon & Garfunkel as their key influences, the Jyrojets came together when Colin Fraser and Martin Stewart, two pals from Inverness, were only 14. Fraser and Stewart preferred creating music over merely hearing it, so they began composing songs, with Fraser handling vocals and guitar while Stewart covered keyboards and backing vocals. After Fraser and Stewart spotted Chris Bain performing at a party, he joined as lead guitarist. The group found drummer Veeb after hearing him practice as they walked past his house and appreciating the sound, and bassist Dougie Edwards rounded out the lineup in 2004. With all five members in place, the Jyrojets practiced nightly for a month to refine their sound and ready material for an initial demo tape. They submitted those early recordings to a competition selecting an emerging act for the yearly Scottish music festival T in the Park. The judges responded so favorably that they forwarded the demo to a Radio 1 programmer, who aired it without the band’s prior knowledge. Music Week Magazine selected one Jyrojets track for a promotional CD highlighting Scottish bands, which drew the notice of Songphonic Records’ A&R department. Following a hometown performance, Songphonic asked the Jyrojets to cut an audition at the label’s studio and quickly offered a contract. Following extensive U.K. touring, several well-received Russian dates, and a two-week United States trek aboard a double-decker bus that included a showcase at the 2008 South by Southwest Music Conference, the Jyrojets issued their debut full-length album in June 2008.