Jet

Rock group

Following in the footsteps of fellow Australian rock band AC/DC, the swaggering Melbourne quartet Jet have borrowed from the best of classic rock 'n' roll in order to honor to their favorite bands of the past. With hooks and riffs that immediately recall the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and the Who, with Jet's 2003 album Get Born, the band found itself part of a retro rock trend that included bands like The White Stripes and The Strokes. NME's Paul McNamee called Jet "a wonderful, denim-clad throwback." After the band's single "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" was included in a popular iPod commercial, Jet got the jump they needed, and after wide radio play, Get Born sold over 3.5 million copies.

Brothers Chris and Nic Cester grew up listening to their father's old classic rock records in Dingley, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. For five years, Nic drove a forklift truck for a spice factory. In 1996 they formed a band in Melbourne, with Chris on drums, Nic singing lead and playing guitar, childhood friend Cameron Muncey on guitar, and later Mark Wilson on bass. Naming themselves Jet after the Paul McCartney song of the same name from Wings, the quartet fed off the music they had heard growing up. The band got more serious in 2002, when they pressed and quickly sold out of 1,000 copies of an EP titled Dirty Sweet. After selling the original pressings, Jet made 1,000 more when the major labels began taking notice.

With older rock songs back on the radio (thanks groups like the Strokes, the White Stripes and Australia's the Vines), Elektra saw potential in the raw and ragged rock songs of Jet. The U.S. label signed Jet and reissued Dirty Sweet in 2003. The band had no qualms about admitting that they were just four regular guys in a rock band, and perhaps they were just in the right place at the right time. "I'd like to think that people are gravitating toward this kind of music because they want something that is actually heartfelt," Nic told Rolling Stone's Jenny Eliscu.

Jet followed up Dirty Sweet with their full-length debut Get Born. The album was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles with veteran producer Dave Sardy, known for his work with Marilyn Manson and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Get Born eventually sold over 3.5 million copies, but it took some time to get there. "They are catchy with sing-along choruses, with lots of 'hey's and handclaps and glam stomp beats," wrote All Music Guide's Tim Sendra. "Get Born is a very promising debut by a band that steals from all the right places." Jet got more promotion than they ever could have imagined when they licensed their hip-shaking song "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" for a hugely successful iPod campaign. The commercials were aired so many times that the riffs just stuck in listeners' heads. The single got picked up at many radio stations following the success of the commercial, and the band followed it up with the rowdy songs "Cold Hard Bitch" and "Rollover D.J.," and the very British ballad "Look What You've Done." "The band has a knack for both sweaty knee-shakin' raw rave-ups and remarkably sweet roots-tinged ballads," wrote Now's Sarah Liss.

As Australia's clear choice for best new band in 2004, Jet won six honors at the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards. With messy, shaggy hair, torn jeans and a no-nonsense rock 'n' roll attitude, Jet got a reputation as one of the hardest partying bands around. "We were so excited to be touring and wanted to live every second of it," Mark told Eliscu. "Everyone was always saying, ‘Those jet guys are a big drinking band!’ and we got kind of caught up in our own myth. But we wouldn't be around for very long if we kept that up." Since the release of their first EP, Jet toured worldwide, playing shows with Oasis, the Rolling Stones, and Sloan, three bands they have aimed to emulate.

Jet's partying and endless touring came to an abrupt halt in the spring of 2005, when the Cesters' father passed away. The band returned home after two years of touring to deal with their loss. The group didn't have much time to rest, as Elektra was waiting for the follow-up to Get Born. The band eventually ended up back in Los Angeles with Sardy, to record their second record. They had written a varied collection of songs over the past few years and were venturing into new sonic territory. "For us, [recording] is one of those things where you just go in and do it and it has a life of its own," Chris told MTV.com's Corey Moss. The band had more money and more time for their sophomore record, and chose to use more expensive amps and equipment but still keep their character sound. "It was a way to vent a lot of issues, feelings and anger," Nic confessed to Rolling Stone's Charley Rogulewski. "We ran a whole gamut of emotions over the last few years. You don't bury dad and go out and write the … party classic."

In October of 2006 Jet released Shine On. The title track, inspired by the Cesters' father, was one of many tracks that displayed a lyrical depth not felt on Get Born. With both epic rock songs and orchestra-laced lush tracks, Shine On was a record that showed where Jet had been as well as where they were headed. "It's definitely not Get Born, it's a completely different record," Chris admitted to Moss. "It's in a lot of ways more mature."

For the Record …

Members include Chris Cester , drums, vocals; Nic Cester , vocals, guitar; Cameron Muncey , guitar, vocals; Mark Wilson , bass.

Group formed in Melbourne, Australia, c. 2000; self released EP Dirty Sweet, 2002; signed to Elektra, 2003, re-released Dirty Sweet, 2003; released Get Born, Elektra, 2003; released Shine On, Atlantic, 2006.

Awards: Australian Record Industry Association Award, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Best Group, Best Breakthrough Artist-Album, Best Breakthrough Artist-Single, Best Rock Album, 2004.

Addresses: Record company—Atlantic Records, 1290 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10104; 3400 W. Olive Ave. 3rd Flr., Burbank, CA 91505, website: http://www.atlanticrecords.com/jet/. Website—Jet Official Website: http://www.jettheband.com.

Selected discography

Dirty Sweet, self released, 2002; reissued, Elektra, 2003.

Get Born, Elektra, 2003.

Shine On, Atlantic, 2006.

Sources

Periodicals

Now (Toronto, Canada), August 7-13, 2003.

Rolling Stone, April 7, 2004.

Online

Atlantic Records Jet Website, http://www.atlanticrecords/com/jet/about (February 15, 2007).

"Jet: Get Born," All Music Guide,http://www.allmusic.com (February 15, 2007).

"Jet May Drop Fifth Single from Get Born Before Fleeing To An Island," MTV.com, http://www.mtv.com/articles/1494083/20041123/jet_rock_.jhtml (February 15, 2007).

"Jet: Shine On," NME,http://www.nme.com/reviews/jet/8037 (February 15, 2007).

"Jet Survive Tragedy, Writer's Block to Rock Again," Rolling Stone,http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10612110/jet_survive_tragedy_writers_block_to_rock_again/ (February 15, 2007).

"Jet's Second Album Slowly Taking Flight," MTV.com, http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1510788/20051003/jet_rock_.jhtml (February 15, 2007).