Featured Musician: Jam Band Enthusiast, Mudcracker of the Hagerstown, MD area.

From where you started, what do you think you've accomplished today that seemed impossible then? “I'm happy just to be a part of this society. To be able to call up a group of musicians and say 'Hey, I've got a gig, want to play?' It's so much different from when I was younger; there's acceptance among musicians now.”

For Jay Parks, aka “Mudcracker”, what has kept him involved in the local music scene since 1994 is not the money (which he says is the one thing that hasn't changed in all his years of playing) or the illusion of fame, but the passion; the “labor of love” as he describes it.

“I always bounce back and be hopeful. Which I guess is the definition of love.”

Located near Hagerstown, MD, Mudcracker is a guitarist, recorder, and over-all passionate musician involved in several jam-bands of the area. Found at venues such as The Broad Axe (Hagerstown, MD) and Flannery's Tavern (Mercersburg, PA), Mudcracker can be found jamming with several musicians, crossing a span of several genres, just for the enjoyment of getting out and playing a gig with others who share his passion.

Mudcracker and the Beat, formed as a duo in 2008 between Jay Parks (Mudcracker) on guitar and Trent Renshaw (The Beat) on drummers, has since evolved into a quartet with Ken Bussey added on guitar, and Matthew Lewis on bass. A “folk-blues” band of the area, Mudcracker and the Beat released a self-titled, nine song album in the fall of 2011, and had a song featured in the independent film, “Greencastle” which was released March 2012. Past shows have found them at the festivals Bless the Woods one and two, and they've made several appearances at The Broad Axe.

Other bands including Mudcracker include These Two Bastards, a duo formed with Spencer Pheil, aka “The Drowsy Cow”, most often found playing at Flannery's Tavern. Mudcracker also runs sound for The KB Project, an instrumental jazz group from the Frederick, MD area consisting of the members from Mudcracker and the Beat.

Mudcracker himself first began in music when he was ten years old and his mom bought him his first guitar. By the time he was sixteen, all of his friends were playing. “We were mainly just pissin' off our parents, causing a racket,” he says.

His first shows, by a long shot, were not great experiences; especially compared to the talent he has evolved to today, and the musicians he now enjoys playing with.

“It was pretty horrible, I think,” Mudcracker comments on his first show. It was the band Mump, thrown together between himself, Rob Adair, and Christ Kreit, at the age of eighteen. They were opening at the Blue Ridge Summit Fire-hall, and Mudcracker says, “All I remember thinking was that I was just happy to have it over with.” From there, his next memorable early-gig was four years later, with the band The Hose (later Fewer Guru), where they showed up to play at The Branded Lady, but their drummer was too young to get in. Determined, they found the venue Jeffery's and played a free gig that night there instead. Gubment Cheese was the next band to welcome Mudcracker, formed from 2006 to 2009 with Rob Adair and Jon Ingles on guitar, Eric Avey on keyboards, Trent Renshaw on drums and Sean Grove on bass.

From those first bands to today, Mudcracker says he's definitely adapted to his sound more. Although outside of his personal growth, the local scene has changed in so many ways. From '95 to '96, the hippie music revival was in full-effect, focusing on the “jam band feel”, which is Mudcracker's personal sound. 200 to 300 fans would show up per show, and the music scene he was invested in benefited greatly. Nowadays, “there is too much entertainment in the home,” according to Mudcracker. “Why risk a DUI and having to spend money at a bar when there is music streaming live from the internet? It's difficult to get people out to enjoy live music.”

Not only is home entertainment factor, but the local music scene's offering to bands in the area causes conflict. “It's a bunch of dudes crammed into the corner of a bar. No one offers stages any more.” The few venues in Mudcracker's area who do offer stages prefer to book a different kind of sound than the jazz-folk blues that Mudcracker plays.

“It's people's different music tastes. They want something they've heard before, something they can sing along to. You gotta play 'Wagon Wheel'. People enjoy what they know.” And although Mudcracker says that if people enjoy it, why put a stop to it, he does acknowledge the difficulty of breaking into a scene that doesn't offer a lot of original music consistently to the area.

“For a small area, there's a lot of local talent; a lot of people who need more recognition. Musicians show up and support one another, like with Bless the Woods. But with a small area, and so many shared fans, bands are also booking against one another.”

Since Mudcracker's starting days, promotion has changed from hand-outs and word-of-mouth, to internet-focused media. Both the best-and-worst innovation of the recent years, Mudcracker says, “You get to reach a lot of people who normally wouldn't hear your music because they're not in the area. This does, however, give people a bravery born from anonymity, sparking cruelty. In the end, [social media] is a good tool, but people are numb to it. It's useful, but to an extent. There is more out there.”

As far as the future goes, Mudcracker says, “I just want to be playing another bar.” He says he harbors no illusions about the big-time; for him, just having his jam-band buddies around is enough to keep him musically happy. He expects to still be getting paid the same, although he wants to put out more music in coming years. Since 2008, however, Mudcracker has been working in live production, currently a lead engineer at Stable Studios in New Franklin, PA, helping others record and play live music, and he sees himself becoming more invested in this, and less involved in live performances.

“It's not as much the emotional investment,” Mudcracker explains about helping others record. “Playing live is a labor of love; you spend what you make.”

In the end, Mudcracker says, “I just want to play music. And I want others to, too. There's no reason for anything to go away. As long as it makes people happy, that's what matters, despite how I feel. I'm still gonna play if I get paid. And even if it's free, I'm probably still gonna play. It's something you do. Some people like fast cars. Some people run. It's about pushing that rock up that hill.”

The one thing Mudcracker explains he could not live without, and could not make music without, “Is love. I think everyone needs love.” His passion is true, coming through so many years and so many bands and still playing strong. Influenced by musicians such as the Grateful Dead, Miles Davis, Neil Young (and other acoustic musicians), Pink Floyd, Zepplin, Delta Blues, and many more, music has stuck with him through the ages.

Free Electronic Press Kits from ReverbNation.com

Upcoming shows will find Mudcracker playing:

Mudcracker and the Beat

September 1^st at Woodsmen of the World, Hagerstown, MD (where previously “Bless the Woods Two” was held); A simple party where all are welcome.

September 28^th at Hempen Hill BBQ, Hagerstown, MD

These Two Bastards

September 4^th, December 4^th, and October 2^nd at Flannery's Tavern, Mercesburg, PA

October 11^th at John Alison Public House, Greencastle, PA