Jameson prepares itself for an assault on the big time

The Greensburg-based group has released a self-produced EP and currently is working on a recording contract with New Jersey-based independent label Decibull Records.

'We're in negotiations with them right now,' says guitarist and singer Jeffrey Inscho, who along with bassist Jay Shwartz, guitarist Greg Caldwell and drummer Tim Hartman make up Jameson.

'It's a real diverse label. They've got punk and ska bands on their roster and more pop-rock bands, so they're tough to pin down, like us.'

Jameson's sound is hard to catagorize. Its just-released EP, 'Line (pause) line,' has a range that includes melodic pop-rock such as the song 'guitars and golfswings' to all-out rockers such as 'binary code' and 'autobiography.'

'We think of ourselves as a modern pop-rock band,' Hartman says. 'And most of the time, we fall more under the pop half of that name. But we rock, too, even up to a few metal songs.'

And rock they have, to much success in the Pittsburgh area and beyond. Jameson has opened for The Juliana Theory at Club Laga and last week performed at Millvale Industrial Theater.

In May, Jameson will embark on a tour with stops in Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia. The band's most high-profile gig is opening for alt-rockers Our Lady Peace tonight at Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Hadley Union Building.

'Their sound's a lot different than ours,' says Inscho, who along with Caldwell writes most of Jameson's songs. 'That's the challenge of opening for somebody else, and we've done it for so many people now that we're getting used to it.'

The list of bands Jameson has opened for or played in concert with includes Midtown, Weston, Student Rick, The Caddies, Dawson High, Hammon and the Meat, The Operation, Masters of the Universe and their good friends The Juliana Theory.

Hartman and Schwartz played in a previous band, Catchpenny, with The Juliana Theory guitarist Joshua Kosker. 'That's sort of what brought about this band,' Schwartz says. 'When Josh left, and The Juliana Theory formed, we had known Jeff (Inscho) before from Philadelphia (Inscho's hometown). So, we brought him in and put this band together.'

Caldwell had been living in California before the formation of Jameson and came back to be in the band. 'I thought I was gone for good, and these guys dragged me back,' Caldwell says.

Jameson and The Juliana Theory members still are friendly.

'We open for them, and we're all friends,' Schwartz says. 'There's an association there, people seem to generalize and lump us together.'

While The Juliana Theory's emo-rock influence can be heard in some of Jameson's songs, most of its material is in the pop-rock milieu. The men of Jameson count among their influences Cinderella, Bon Jovi, Poison and Nirvana.

'Nirvana's huge for us,' Caldwell says. 'We like '80s heavy metal more than most modern rock bands, too.'

Still, Jameson's other influences could be called almost art-rock, with punk pioneers The Replacements standing alongside critical faves such as Wesley Willis, Elliott Smith and Caldwell's favorite band, Crank Radio.

'It's tough for any of us just to pick two bands we really learned a lot from,' Caldwell says. 'Nirvana and Crank Radio have got to be on there for me, but there's a lot more.'

With a major club tour and a recording contract, there's a lot more in store for the band in the coming months. Six years of performing in bands and writing songs are coming to fruition for the Greensburg band.

'In the beginning, all we had was one purple distortion pedal,' Hartman says. 'Six years ago, it was just me and him (Schwartz) and this pedal, and we just made noise.'

Jeff Yoders can be reached at jyoders@tribweb.com or (724) 838-5150.