Finger Eleven Going Country

02/26/09 6:58pm

by Aaron Brophy (CHARTattack)

Finger Eleven are going country, sort of.

A careful combing of the acts playing Canadian Music Week reveals the curiously named Blackie Jackett Jr. at the Tattoo Rock Parlour on March 13.

It turns out this will be the unveiling of Finger Eleven guitarists James Black and Rick Jackett's secret-until-now alt.country side project. Our first question once we tracked one of them down: "What the fuck?"

"I think when I was younger, I just closed off that side of music," says Black.

"Country music as everybody knows it is just pop music with a cowboy hat and shiny shirts. This goes back to the older stuff. This goes back to a different time."

The band apparently started as a bit of a back-of-the-bus joke, but Black says "eventually it stopped being comical and it started to feel natural."

The band are influenced by the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams, Merle Travis and Kenny Rogers. The songs, of which there are apparently 17 ready to go for an album scheduled to come out in June, stay true to classic country themes.

"There's a lot about drinkin' whiskey, broken hearts, being on the road," says Black. "There are songs about being lonely, meeting girls and having them break your heart."

Blackie Jackett Jr. had a bit of an unveiling at last year's North By Northeast due to some soundtrack work for the indie film Clear Red, but beyond that and "a couple open mics along the way," they're treating the CMW gig as their grand debut. BJJ will be backed by a full band for the show.

Finger Eleven fans shouldn't worry that this is the end of their paralyzing band, though.

"I think it's only going to show that we're into trying anything," says Black. "I don't think anyone needs to fear we're abandoning rock 'n' roll.

"It's all fun. It's all drinkin' music."