Jam of the Week: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Like NASCAR?

If you do, you’re probably wondering about this Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. band, eh? Aside from that 4-month span in 2007 when I was a committed Denny Hamlin fan (it was just a phase), I can;t say I’m a fan of NASCAR. But, I still recognize the irony of this band name. All I really know is that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the famous son (who, despite popularity, struggles to win any damn race) of the late NASCAR legend, Dale Earnhardt. I decided to dig in and find out why this indie-rock duo chose this name. Don’t worry their dope jam is coming.

Behind the Name

As you can find on their website, the band name basically came out of light-hearted nothingness. In fact, they don’t give a real story about how the name was chosen. Neither of the two members, Daniel Zott and Joshua Epstein, considers himself a fan of the sport.

I kind of like the points they make, though:

After living with the name for a while it began to feel liberating to us. In a way, by setting this precedent, we feel fully able to move in any creative direction. After all, the music is so far removed from the name that it almost forces a listener to focus more on the music itself.

It’s also a fun lesson for adults about not judging books by their covers.

It really is easy to picture this guy listening to a band carrying this title (yes, I did just Google “ugly nascar fan”), but Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.’s music is pretty easy to listen to no matter what your typical music preferences are. We’re getting closer to the jam. Last thing:  a few more awesome tidbits I found….

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. actually emailed the real-life Dale Earnhardt Jr. to assure him they weren’t mocking his name. They sent him some free songs and now the real Dale apparently considers himself a fan (all according to ESPN the Magazine)!
• THESE GUYS WEAR F****NG NASCAR FIRESUITS DURING PERFORMANCES! I have to see a show.

LOOK! This is awesome.

Okay, now for the jam.

This is a new jam from their upcoming EP, Patterns, set to be released April 20th by Warner Bros Records. It starts off a little twangy and calm, but boy does that change quickly. The melody that I haven’t been able to get out of my head over the last four days kicks in and changes the entire mood of the song.

Sing along, get ya head-bob goin’, and enjoy.