Artist Profile: JD & The Straight Shot

By: Cari Zahn – A&E Editor

JD & The Straight Shot is a band that focuses on “great songs and great storytelling,” according to Marc Copely, the band’s lead guitarist. The band primarily creates rock Americana music with acoustic roots, though you may hear some different sounds in the mix.

Copely wears many hats when it comes to music-making, functioning as the band’s lead guitarist, vocalist, music director, mixer and producer. He spoke fondly of JD’s new album, “Good Luck and Good Night.” Having mixed it himself, Copely combined influences from bluegrass to rock in varying degrees. The album released on Sept. 15.

The genesis of the band can be traced back for years, but the version of the band containing its current members runs off of what Copley calls a “ special synergy” that is present in their music and all of their performances.

Other members that contribute to the cooperative include lead vocalist Jim Dolan, fiddler, violinist and vocalist Erin Slaver, bassist and vocalist Byron House and percussionist and overall noisemaker Shawn Pelton.

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Fans of Three Dog Night may enjoy this band’s cover of “Shambala,” which Copely cited as one of his favorites.

“It’s always a challenge doing a cover of an amazing song and performance, and this song certainly offers us a fun challenge,” Copely said.

However, the eclectic mix of influences the band lists as their inspiration has listeners bound to find something they life. From Pink Floyd to The Beach Boys to The Beatles, the band pulls their sound from several genres and styles, allowing for everyone to hear something that they like. Attendees of their current tour can expect to hear much of their new album alive, and it is a lively performance at that.

“We try our best to stay positive and have a good time with our songs,” Copely said. “We’ll be ready to rock the stage and would love to see some UD students in the audience moving and grooving along with us.”   

JD & The Straight Shot will perform on Sept. 23 at Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd. Huber Heights, OH at 8:00 p.m. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at www.rosemusiccenter.com.
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Photo courtesy of Kristin Barlowe.