 "After playing for ten years, Jackopierce's last show was on New Years Eve 1997 in Houston, TX with Matchbox 20 and The Wallflowers. After six albums (two for A&M Records) it was time for Jack O'Neill (co-founder of Jackopierce) and I to go our separate ways. We have sold almost half a million of the 6 CDs combined! We were fortunate enough to play all over the world and also play the biggest one-day ticketed event of all time: The 1997 Blockbuster Rockfest (Dallas) with over 500,000 people in attendance! While contemplating my future in the music scene, I did get to live out another lifelong dream. Since I was a kid, I've always wanted to renovate homes. Needless to say, the first thing that my wife and I did was to buy houses and fix them up! We had no idea of what we were getting into, all we knew was that we loved it. After playing live for so long, I was tired and needed a break. I didn't want to play guitar for a living, and it felt like a chore. I needed to put the guitar down for awhile and simply wait for it to be fun again. Now, after a good rest, I'm back!
It's these abrupt changes--like the breakup of a 10 year career--in our lives that cause us to evaluate what is most important. These changes turn "shoulds" into "musts". I now welcome and embrace change - for as we all know - it's the only thing that ever stays the same.
Working with Justin was just what I needed to get back into the swing of things. His home studio is inside a barn that sits on 200 acres of rolling hills outside Nashville. All of the sudden, music was fun again!
When people ask me what my music is like I usually just let them know the bands that I've played with (above). I also name the bands that most influence me.
My mom introduced me to the Beach Boys, Neil Diamond, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, John Denver, and the Beatles.
Growing up in the mid 80's really influenced my music. The Smiths, Roxy Music, Smithereens, English Beat, New Order, Tears for Fears, U2, Nik Kershaw, Duran Duran, The Cure, Depeche Mode, and many other "new wave" bands were a big part of my high school years.
Some of today's brilliant new music from artists like Matthew Sweet ("Girlfriend" is one of the best albums of all time!), PM Dawn, Sara McLachlan, Tracy Chapman, Shawn Colvin, David Garza, John Gorka, October Project, Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris, Tonic, and Third Eye Blind have all had profound effects on me in different stages of my life and writing career.
I've been writing a lot. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be doing what I love to do most: write songs and entertain people - hopefully making their lives a little bit better." - Cary Pierce
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