In 1997, Deck-of-Jack debuted at the Wiffle Ball Classic (Pittsburgh, PA), a yearly music festival organized by the Juiceman. The original Deck-of-Jack line-up of Juiceman (guitar, vocals), T-Bell (bass, vocals), and Brad Perry (drums) lasted only one show. For their next performance at Milkit's New Music Seminar, Deck-of-Jack headed into the small confines of Juiceman's parents' garage and opted to use a drum machine rather than a live kit. On this night, as beats radiated from the tiny hard-drive of Elmo 2000, Electronic-Garage-Power-Pop was born.
Deck-of-Jack's newly found portability allowed them to play everywhere from a series of bedroom concerts and backyard picnics to college gigs and a memorable performance at a nearby senior citizens apartment complex. During a house party in 1999 (Syracuse, NY), Elmo 2000 puttered out and made his final beat. After a brief mourning period, Juiceman's father came to the rescue and delivered the band an early Christmas gift, a new drum machine given the name Buttermilk Jones. With Jones in tow, Deck-of-Jack played a series of gigs leading up to their highly anticipated New Year's Eve performance at Milkit's Milklennium Meltdown (2000). Little did Juiceman, T-Bell, or Buttermilk Jones know that this would be their final performance together. Juiceman would eventually relocate to New York City, T-Bell traveled to Latin America, and Buttermilk Jones gathered dust as technology quickly passed him by.
Though New York was filled with top-notch musicians, Juiceman yearned to find the right people to play with (i.e., friends with whom he could also play basketball and eat pizza). One night after attending a concert together, Juiceman's friend Fuzz let him in on a secret--it was one of his dreams in life to play in a band. Juiceman wasted no time and promptly taught Fuzz how to play bass. They added Ichiro "Bad Boy" Jackson to their ranks (a drum machine with a nasty attitude) and hit the streets of New York City in 2002. Immediately, Deck-of-Jack began receiving underground acclaim for their dynamic and highly original live performances. Later in the year they added Scratch Academy graduate, B. Lums to the group. Soon after her arrival on turntables, Deck-of-Jack released Easy Bake Album (2003), a mix of new and old material, balancing Deck-of-Jack's propensity for humor and politics.
After playing a run of shows up and down the east coast, and following the release of Chin Music (2004), an EP of rarities and B-Sides, Deck-of-Jack took time out to create one of their most ambitious works to date, a fast-food concept album titled Shock Box! (2005). Once again, Deck-of-Jack loaded up on big-beats, punky-guitars, and a notebook full of rhymes to create a socially conscious make-your-feet-move kind of album.
During the end of 2005, after playing shows with Gym Class Heroes and Northern State, Deck-of-Jack took some much needed time off from the road, and also looked to replace Ichrio "Bad Boy" Jackson, whose behavior had gotten out of control. They found their match in Kid Meevin, who not only fit the group like a finely knit sock cap, but was also their first human-being drummer in years.
Beginning in 2006, Deck-of-Jack set a torrid pace for themselves, playing more live shows than they ever had before, which also included a supporting gig for rock and roll icon, Donnie Iris. B. Lums, who was also juggling a burgeoning real estate career took a step back as Juiceman, Fuzz, and Kid Meevin stripped the veneer off their Electronic-Garage-Power-Pop sound, and began strongly leaning towards their roots in old-school hip-hop and punk rock music. Deck-of-Jack's live show took on a whole new feeling and was packing more of a wallop than ever before.
