Jack Grace

Birth Name: John Pancaldo

Jack Grace is an actor, composer, musician, radio personality. Jack's form of experimental country art rock has been compared to everything from Frank Zappa to early Johnny Cash - or "Cole P ...Show More

Jack Grace is an actor, composer, musician, radio personality. Jack's form of experimental country art rock has been compared to everything from Frank Zappa to early Johnny Cash - or "Cole Porter meets Gene Autry" as the New York Times once wrote.Five album releases and tracks featured in the films Super Troopers and Beer Fest have earned Jack a growing following and a steady hum of praise. His most recent release, Drinking Songs for Lovers, features some fine country numbers, but he added mariachi horns to give them a Latin flavor, inspired by his yearly pilgrimage to Tulum, Mexico, where he likes to write songs on the beach. His previous album was a bossa nova-influenced country concept album called The Martini Cowboy.As Alan Young of the New York Press raved at the time, what sets Jack's songs "apart from the rest of the country or alt-country scene is his laugh-out-loud, absurdest wit. Not only is this a great party album and a great driving album but it's also very smart and very funny."Kevin Canfield, writing for the New York Times, once exclaimed, "Make no mistake: Jack Grace is an old-fashioned country musician." Except that he isn't. His band rocks too hard to be country. And the band members come from all walks of life: jazz, rock, country and, well, other. Bassist, vocalist and wife Daria (Melomane, Pre-war Ponies) keeps the rhythm going with the rotating drummers, Russ Meissner, Jason "J-Bird" Bowman and Bruce Martin (Tom Tom Club). Horns are provided by J. Walter Hawkes, Rob Henke and "Tuba Joe" Exley.Jack also fronts the very popular Van Halen tribute band, Van Hayride, which features members of Yarn and Lee Ranaldo and the Dust. Van Hayride was originally conceived in the early 21st century as a countrified David Lee Roth-era only, Van Halen tribute band. The band got weirder and weirder, playing around the NYC roots music scene. Most recently, they have shared the stage with Puss N Boots, featuring Norah Jones. Hide