Have Seely Jurgens Band appeared on your radar yet? If not, now’s the time to jump on board before they blow up. The duo—Kyle Seely and Justin Jurgens—previously played together in Sirs (active from 2009 to 2013, with Jurgens on vocals and guitar and Seely on drums). At Add To Wantlist, we’re massive fans of anything these two musicians touch. You might recognize Seely as the powerhouse lead guitarist of Sheer Mag, while Jurgens crafts throwback power pop with Dust Star and delivers glam-stomp’n’roll with Ingrates. So, to say we were thrilled about their new collaboration would be a major understatement.
Seely Jurgens Band only made their debut this year, but they’ve already released two two-song singles (which we covered here and here), and just this Monday, they dropped a live version of one of their early standouts We’ll Try (watch the video below). It is a ’70s-inspired glampoprock gem, featuring smooth-as-silk vocals and killer guitar work—an excellent showcase of how Seely and Jurgens carve out their own space apart from their other projects.
With the band already working on new music (coming soon!), we reached out to see if they’d be up for sharing some of the records that influenced SJB. They were quick to respond, trading picks back and forth while in the studio. In the end, Justin “The Voice” and Kyle “Showtime” landed on one joint pick—“a mutual favorite that first got them interested in playing this kind of rock ‘n’ roll years ago”—along with two individual selections each, complete with their own short explanations. Enjoy reading and listening!
The joint pick:
Creedence Clearwater Revival || Cosmo’s Factory
“[This] was a big beer drinking record for us in college and I recall (foggy) considering making a Sirs album cover as a homage to it. Like one of us on an exercise bike.” – Kyle
“Long as I Can See the Light was a song that genuinely moved me to my core. Travelin’ Band is a perfect song, one I regularly do at karaoke when I wanna melt some faces.” – Justin
The individual picks:
Jesus Christ Superstar || Garden of Gethsemane (from Jesus Christ Superstar)
Justin: “This is such a dramatic masterpiece of a song. Jesus and Judas having a rock and roll falling out while all the apostles are in the background talking about how dope and trippy it is to be alive, it’s so awesome and intense, it’s basically why I like to sing.”
Beatles || Baby’s in Black (From Beatles For Sale)
Justin: “Another vocal nerd pick. It’s not as obvious of a banger as what you’re doing or I’m a loser, but it’s an incredible gem with really complex harmonies and an unbelievable performance, it gives me chills every time.”
Boston || Don’t Look Back
Kyle: “Boston is a perfect band. Tom Scholz and Brad Delp were an unstoppable force in their heyday – and rock songs about rock rock.”
Sweet || Desolation Boulevard
Kyle: “The most satisfying glam rock record ever made. The production is perfect and I support bringing back crazy falsetto backup vocals.”
Follow SJB at Bandcamp and Instagram to keep up date for whatever comes next!