Jetpack On! looking to boost local music scene

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Jetpack On! hopes to fix what it believes Mount Pleasant needs.

The power trio consists of singer and guitarist Ryan Hoger, a Commerce sophomore, along with Commerce Township senior Nick D’Agostino on bass and his freshman brother, Vince, on the drums.

Nick D’Agostino was the first member of Jetpack On! to recognize the need for more music in Mount Pleasant.

“(Nick) was always saying, ‘There’s stuff going on in Mount Pleasant, I’m sure we can play there,’” Hoger said. “So we said ‘(Whatever), let’s do it.’”

Instead of playing sporadic shows in Commerce Township, Hoger and Vince D’Agostino decided to enroll at Central Michigan University and moved into the house Nick D’Agostino was living in.

“We have a house together, so it makes it a lot easier,” Hoger said.

Though the indie punk outfit has only been playing together for about six months, it already has a self-released EP out, titled, “Where Do We Go From Here?”

Hoger said he and Nick D’Agostino have been playing music together for nearly a decade.

“Ryan bought a guitar, so I bought one, too,” Nick D’Agostino said. “But about four years ago, I started playing bass because circumstances called for it and, since then, I have played bass and he’s played guitar.”

“I’m a guitar player at heart, and I play bass by necessity,” Nick said. “But now I (really) love it.”

And though Vince D’Agostino is the youngest member of Jetpack On!, he does not lack experience, having played drums since he was in the fifth grade.

Vince D’Agostino also adds an interesting dynamic to the band, being influenced by funk such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and hip hop music.

“I listen to a lot of rap music because I like listening to the beats,” he said.

The band blends the likes of Kings of Leon and the Arctic Monkeys with a dash of the Stereophonics.

“It’s funny, because I listen to all that stuff, but I don’t think we sound like it. So it must somehow come out in the music,” Hoger said.

Another key component in the band’s sound is the fact that Nick D’Agostino was originally a guitarist, and only picked up the bass because they needed a bassist.

He also said he does not play bass like a bassist — instead, he plays “the bass like a guitarist plays guitar” by using distortion and playing chords.

Not slowing down

Jetpack On! is not going to slow down as the semester wears on, but instead is going to be playing as much as possible.

“I don’t really have a job,” Hoger said. “So I sit at my computer and find places to play and people to call.”

Nick D’Agostino also said fraternity house parties offer an “untapped market” for bands to engage with.

“You’d be surprised how many people pick up your CD at a party compared to a show,” Hoger said.

The band’s next scheduled show is Feb. 26 at Finch Fieldhouse.