Jet Black Stare

Jet Black Stare are a hard rock band based in Vancouver, Canada. The quintet, which formed in early 2007, make earnest, often romantic radio-rock touching on relationships and live-for-the-moment sentiments. In the fall of 2007, frontman Rod Black met with Island Records and secured a distribution deal for the group. At the time, the only other members of the group were bassist Shane Hayes and drummer Dan Swinimer. Shortly thereafter, guitarists Dave Muselman and Flip joined the lineup.

With the label deal secured and lineup cemented, Jet Black Stare worked on the material for their first album. Recorded at Greenhouse Studios in Vancouver, In This Life was released in July 2008. The single “Ready to Roll” was the band’s first to crack the mainstream rock charts. Though In This Life featured high-energy rock songs, the most effecting moments were slower tunes like “Next to Me” and “I Won’t Let Go.” Jet Black Stare have toured with Hinder, 3 Doors Down and Staind.

Rod Black, on In This Life’s hopeful tone.
“Everybody’s got a story to tell. The story I have to tell may be out of the norm, but I’m sure people have been through similar situations – car accidents and stuff like that. It’s about a positive experience though.”

Rod Black, on Jet Black Stare’s song “Poster Princess.”
“That’s a totally different side of us. That’s about a stripper. The story behind that is everyone wants to go home with a stripper, but they don’t realize that girl’s on stage because she’s saving money for college tuition or something like that.”

Rod Black, on his band’s philosophy.
“If you’re a joke, no one will listen to you … One hit song doesn’t guarantee you any kind of influence or power. We go out there, we enjoy it. Tonight we’re playing. Tomorrow we’re playing. You wanna come see us? We want to see you.”

Jet Black Stare Trivia

• Before concentrating on music, Rod Black had a job working with stock brokers.
• Rod Black has had two near-death experiences. When he was 19, he was pronounced dead from alcohol abuse. A few months later, he was the passenger in a car that flipped over several times. He survived, although he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
• Jet Black Stare’s song “Every Moment” is a reimagining of Closure’s “Afterglow.”
• Nickelback drummer Daniel Adair played drums on some of the songs on In This Life.
• Rod Black’s uncle is a Canadian sports announcer.