Jack & The Optimists, Zack Keim, The VUMMS "Duo Set"

What to expect

Geared to the specific sound and style of early mid-1960s Britain, Jack Jack McLaughlin draws inspiration from artists like; The Who for instrument abandon; The Small Faces for soul and grit; and The Beatles for definitive composition.The lyrics and melodies offer fresh perspective on being young and positive while the slightly broken brightness of the twelve string tone rings through rhythms and catches the ear during leads. The writing flare is unique and includes middle eight chord progressions that welcome the melodic choruses. Jack earned his BA in music at Cleveland State University in May of 2025 and his associates degree in Recording Arts at Tri-C. He is working on his third full length album and can be seen at local Cleveland venues with his band Jack & The Optimists. Playing out live since he was sixteen, Jack is a seasoned performer and puts on a great show.Jack is Mod Pop!Zack Keim can find inspiration nearly anywhere. The Pittsburgh singer-songwriter hatched the hook for his 2022 single while driving around Washington, D.C. making food deliveries, singing voice memos into his phone. An insistent vocal refrain (Can-yonnn!) was all it took; Keim started strumming the melody on his guitar, and pretty soon the song blossomed into a buoyant folk-pop gem of a tune. Keims first solo single since his 2017 debut , Canyon serves as a monumental leap forward and the first taste of Keims forthcoming sophomore effort, Battery Lane.Keim returned in April of 2023 with his standalone single Better Days, a wistful gem that wrests melodic bliss out of pangs of nostalgia. Better Days hearkens back to Keims garage-rock roots with what he describes as a fast-paced Ramones/Beach Boys vibe: pounding tempos, wall-of-sound harmonies, vintage six-string textures. Lyrically, the song summons the feeling of sitting in a diner seat, longing for better things in the past, a theme captured by the evocative music video, which was directed by . Keim co-wrote the tune with Costa, the indie singer-songwriter, and Chad Monticue of Animal Scream in California. Better Days is out now as a 7inch Vinyl via Action Weekend Records (Europe). Keims second solo album, Battery Lane is out now.