Blackjack Rose is an eclectic mix of musicians and musical styles. Our songs touch upon many genres (prog, pop, indie, alternative, R&B, jazz, rock, gospel, surf, etc.), but the band can’t be defined by any one label. Each song stands on its own; there is no attempt to mold a song to fit the band’s “sound”. We want our music to be both immediately enjoyable and accessible to new listeners, and yet not sound too familiar.
The band has multiple songwriters, and each member has creative input and equal say (and we’ve got the 4,632 rejected band names to prove it). A true democracy – you remember democracy, right?
The band began when Tom Oritt (guitar) had the itch to start yet another new original band. He responded to the Craigslist ad of James Pennington (keyboards), who was new to the Philly area at the time. The musical chemistry was strong, and Tom soon enlisted his friend Andres Villamil (bass) to join. Next, Tom placed a Craiglist ad for a singer, and, within just a few minutes, Lena answered the ad (timing is everything)! The final piece of the puzzle was solved when Tom found Barry (drums) on Bandmix.
The 5 members of BJR come to the band with much different musical experiences. We are forging these styles into our own Blackjack Rose sound – something new and exciting! Come check us out!
