From beneath the bloated carcass of the LA rawk scene, crawl JUDGE JACKSON, kissing to be clever and determined to prove that hard rock can be different. Dubbed as the hardest working band in town, right away, you’ll probably notice their thick-sounding, hard rock sound tinged with blues and played with high-energy and emotional passion. They’re a soulful rock group from the badlands of California. JUDGE JACKSON is; Todd McTavish on vocals, Lee Jackson on guitar, Brian James on bass and back-up vocals and J.J. Garcia on drums. Together they’ve found a uniquely dynamic and fiery style.
Opening for Steel Panther at the Key Club’s ‘Metal Skool’, the hot four-piece unleashed a short but sweet set of thundering hard rock explosions. All the tunes were from their latest CD, ‘Drive’. They began with the foot-stompin’ ‘Just Because’, the story of a stripper who does what she does ~ just because it pays the rent. Although the premise drips of stereotypical 
Hollywood rock clichés, the riff, the fantastic middle section, and the ending vocal section were all brought down to minimal component parts that rocked your socks off! The next tune, ‘Rock & Roll’ was much the same vein in the sense it starts and ends with some serious high voltage rock. This is a radio-friendly song with a full-bodied guitar sound, matched with soulful, gritty vocals. They played ‘Pickin’ Me Up’ next, where the barefoot singer spewed beer like a fountain all over the stage before launching into his best Steve Perry, using his soaring voice as an instrument to keep up with the band. This was a real shake-it song where bassist Brian really stood out with that kickin’ bottom end.
JUDGE JACKSON originally formed in ’95 when vocalist/lyricist Todd McTavish connected with guitarist/songwriter Lee Jackson in Los Angeles. They’ve since experienced a couple lineup changes, four CD releases and tours with Government Mule, The Doobie Brothers, Cheap Trick, Buckcherry, and UFO, just to name a few. Their music now can be heard on TV shows, like “My Name Is Earl”, the Super Bowl, the NHL and NBA playoffs, as well as NASCAR’s show, ‘Victory Lane’. They are always huge at the Laughlin River Runs and this year they’ll be opening the Love Ride, as well as opening for John Waite. It doesn’t surprise me that they are such a hit with the bikers, as JUDGE JACKSON is your definitive good-times rock band.
Lee brought a modern, echoing guitar edge to the next tune they played, “Drive,” along with a sly Spaghetti Western vibe. ‘Head Over Heals’ exhibited JJ’s exceptional solid drumming style and the spiritual-seeming lyrics performed with Todd’s swagger and adrenaline, made me think I was at a sermon! They played their tune, ‘Radio’. There was a beautiful simplicity about this tune, AC/DC reminiscent right down to the Bon Scott-like vocals. Last in the set they did the ultimate blues slam-down cover of Papa (was a Rolling Stone) and fans sang along to fantastic closing moments.
JUDGE JACKSON is the cream of the hard rock ‘n blues crop. Check them out at www.judgejackson.net and www.myspace.com/judgejackson
