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Artist
"A good song is a good song man, simple as that!" That's the mercurial and confident, but oh so endearing songwriter and vocalist Rod Black. Black knows his way around a well-written tune. He's recently finished co-writing a slew of them for his brand new band, JET BLACK STARE, and their Island Records debut album, In This Life. Back in early 2007, after becoming frustrated with his past band's creative differences, Rod found the perfect song-writing companion in fellow Vancouver, Canada resident, songwriter/producer Jeff Johnson. "Give us 15 minutes and we can hammer out a song. We have that rare, special chemistry" says Black gloating on Jeff. "We hardly ever bump heads, we're always on the same page." This harmonious partnership not only set the groundwork for what eventually - along with Shane Hayes (bass), Flip (guitar) and Dave Muselman (guitar), and Dan Swinimer (drums) - became Jet Black Stare, but also created the perfect vessel for Rod's storytelling. "I just want to be as a true as I can be to the song, and for me every song has to tell a story." At the end of the day, for Black, it's about making people feel connected: Whether it's the epic "The River" ("I'm sick of nine to five/I'm sick of living day to day") or the bluesy ballad "Fly" ("When this temptation turns into my only friend/Lookin' for someone to help me start over again"). It's all about finding the common thread in everyday life struggles. For example, "Fly" was born out of Rod befriending and tryin