22 Jacks Are Wild In Show At Met

Two years ago, Joe Sib set out to record a few songs with a few of the musicians he most respected.

He never actually figured on creating a full-time band.

Funny how things turn out.

This summer alone, the band Sib hadn’t planned on has performed in Eastern Washington three times - twice in Spokane (opening for Reel Big Fish and Bloodhound Gang) and once at The Gorge (as part of the Warped Tour).

This Friday, 22 Jacks make another stop here, headlining a show at The Met.

“22 Jacks is a really unique band because of the way we’ve done things,” says Sib, the singer and primary songwriter. “We made the record first, and then we put the band around it.”

It was in 1995 that Sib - formerly of WAX - enlisted the aid of Steve Soto and Sandy Hanson from the Adolescents, Scott Shifflet of face to face and Jason Cropper of the original Weezer lineup.

Their work together became “Uncle Bob,” an album stewed in zesty punk energy and delicious pop hooks. Clever turns of phrase buoy an album that quarries into the topic of change yet still manages to find nuggets of fun within some of the dimmer corners.

On “Newspapers and Cigarettes,” Sib sings about “giving smiles like spare change out of my pocket.” “The pavement under my feet is going soft/the sun is melting souls,” he sings in “Swallow.”

“When I was a kid I grew up with a lot of punk rock, but I always seemed to like the bands that had songs, like Social Distortion,” Sib says, speaking with a staccato punch similar to his tunes.

Sib and Soto were so pleased with the album, they decided to take it on the road. But with several of the guys already involved in other projects, the two were forced to find folks who could make 22 Jacks a long-term commitment.

Now, in the place of Hanson, Shifflet and Cropper are Bill Fraenza on guitar, Jose Menendez on drums and bassist Kelly Lemieux, formerly of FEAR.

Look for a new CD from them in November.

For this Friday’s show, 22 Jacks have invited Spokane’s cool spaz-punks The Stoics to open for them along with Weston and Rainbroz.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: CONCERT 22 Jacks will perform Friday at The Met. Show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8, available at G&B Select-a-Seat outlets or call (800) 325-SEAT.