Jerk Reaction

Drew - Guitar

Bryce - Bass

Billy the Squid - Drums

Sean - Vocals

Dave - Guitar

Pete - Guitar

Punk/Hardcore from Poconos, Pennyslvania. 

Raw talent with raw vocals. The kid laughing is a schmuck! 

My family and I moved from Elizabeth, New Jersey to Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania in 2000. I attended Pocono Mountain East Campus from the 8th grade to about the middle of 10th grade. During my first year there I made friends with the few punk kids on campus Jesse Gordon, Ron Gordon, Jon Bailey and Billy Mac. We would go to see local shows at the Tannersville Fire Hall. This guy Terry had just relocated his show space The Underworld from main street Stroudsburg to Tannersville, making it a shorter drive for kids from Mt. Pocono, Long Pond, Pocono Country Place, Canadensis and Reeders. The Underworld was our weekend hang out spot and for the most part the shows were pretty good. When The Underworld relocated again to Tobyhanna, PA is when I met William Francis Orender a.k.a Billy the Squid, a superb drummer who quickly became my good friend. 

We were both in a punk band and when Terry, the owner of The Underworld, would book punk shows he would always ask both of our bands to play. Billy was playing drums for, The Lost Cause, and I played guitar and was the vocalist for The Iron Youth. We went on to form a punk/ska band called Fall-Up, who at the time was heavily inspired by Choking Victim, Morning Glory, Blimp attack and No Cash.

After leaving the Poconos far behind in 2004, I've found it to be a place that has grown on me. It's a place of lost dreams and a lot of angst. And if you are conscious enough to see through the pretentiousness amongst your group of friends, you will grow friendships that are unbreakable. 

I wasn't there when Jerk Reaction started but I continued my friendships with the people involved. Brian Gilson, my partner in crime, always kept me up to date on the Poconos news. I admired what Jerk Reaction was doing and how they didn't settle for just playing Pennsylvania shows.

I would listen to the songs they had on their Myspace numerous times daily, until I messaged them to ask if SawJaw could distribute their demo cd. I had heard the demo a few days after it was recorded outside a WAWA, while our car was being fixed while on tour. Armed Metropolis, Slug's Revenge, Whiskey Smile!, Jerk Reaction and The Holy Mess had played a great show at East Stroudsburg University the night before. Jerk Reaction were all down with that idea of allowing me to release their new self titled EP. Making the Jerk Reaction EP the third official release on SawJaw Records. Sean, Jerk Reactions vocalist, is an amazing artist and made the illustration on the EP. I took it home to Savannah, and with their permission I cut, glued, typed and printed, the final front and back cover.

Jerk Reaction broke up in 2008, but have started other projects. Blood Oranges has Dave, Ricky, Billy and Sean. Dave also plays guitar and vocals in The Greek Favourites. Bryce now plays bass for At Our Age. Music only evolves! 

1. Body Check

2. Dare To Resist

3. Al-Cool-Hol

4. Grease Sucks and So Do You!

5. Death by D.I.Y

6. Existence

7.  Wheelless Paraplegic

8. Try Hard

9. Employee of the Month

SJR-003 (2008)

DOWNLOAD - Mediafire link available!