Today we’d like to introduce you to Jackson Ries.
Hi Jackson, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started in music when I was about a junior in high school. At 16, I taught myself guitar and ended up taking voice and piano lessons that year as well. I had taught myself a decent amount of piano already, but the lessons helped me enhance my skills for sure. I linked up with my neighbor at the time, Patrick McQuaid, who lived down the street and who I also went to school with and we ended up starting an indie/alt rock band called Captiva. The band was comprised of me (Lead vocals/guitar), Patrick McQuaid (Vocals/lead guitar), Hank Wiedel (drums), and Nick Riffle & Mike Stancic playing bass for us throughout our career.
We ended up seeing a ton of success, gaining millions of streams on Spotify, and touring playing different shows/festivals around the country such as Fashion Meets Music Festival, Backwoods, SXSW, Boulevardia, and many more. Fast forward to my junior year in college, I ended up dropping out of KU to pursue music full time after the band released our debut album “Pay No Mind”. The band was in talks of getting signed to Atlantic Records Fueled by Ramen (signees include Paramore, Young the Giant, Twenty One Pilots etc.) as well as getting signed to Paradigm Talent Agency which is one of the most prominent talent/touring agencies in the country. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right timing for the group as we weren’t in a position to either quit our jobs or drop out of school to commit other than myself as I had already dropped out of school. As a result, I ended up going out to Los Angeles for a summer and started the HighJak project to continue my pursuits in music as a career.
While couch surfing and living out of a van, I travelled up and down the west coast of California exploring and working with different artists/producers. I wound up finding a sound I connected with, and upon making it back home, I released three EP’s fully self-produced, mixed, and mastered under the HighJak project. Additionally, I did a collab EP “Basement EP” with my dog Harry P as well. We both produced in Logic Pro X and spent 2018-2019 in my basement honing in on our craft and got to perform the EP in KC at Encore. The band was still going at this time playing shows, and I continued doing managerial duties for the group (booking shows/answering emails/promoting). However, Patrick scored a good job in Chicago and moved up there, resulting in it being extremely difficult to practice, perform, or record new music as a group. I focused more on the HighJak, solo project as a result and moved in with producer/engineer Bergotti from Kansas City.
We turned our house into a studio when COVID hit and Gotti would take in clients recording and engineering for them, as he would take over those duties for my personal artist project as well. The free time during lockdown and path change allowed me to lock in and release 10 singles, a four-song EP called Voices, and a 12-song full-length Album called Bored in Hell in the span of two and a half years. I also managed to go back to school and graduate with my Bachelors in Business Administration & Marketing at UMKC at the time too. Shoutout to my dog Kamaal Malik, artist local to Kansas City, who I spent countless hours of time with in the studio with throughout this period of my artist journey. We made a ton of songs together that you can find on all streaming platforms and I consider him one of my best friends now to this day!
I saw a good amount of success under the Highjak project in streaming and got to play shows around the country in notable cities like Austin, Chicago, and Los Angeles to name a few. All the while, I was working with Brand One KC (clothing brand) as director of events and threw seven free hip hop shows with 7-10 hip hop artists on the lineup, food trucks, vendors, and more in order to help promote each other’s brands and give local artists a chance to perform on stage.
After this period, I moved into a new place in Shawnee, learned how to DJ from a friend by the name of Baker Jake, and got heavily involved in the EDM scene. I always have had a love for EDM and have been going to shows since my first show at Bassnectar in 2013. So it was my pleasure diving more fully into the genre and community by starting my current DJ/Producer project LOVE // HATE (@lovehatesounds on IG).
I’ve seen a lot of success DJing without having any original music out yet under the LH project. I played the Silent Disco at Electric Forest with my friend Crybb which was a huge highlight, and was blessed to play out a set at Bass Journeys in Iowa as well. Some big names I’ve had the honor to open for are Distinct Motive, Level Up, Boogie T, STVSH, Hostage Situation, Twopercent, Noetika, Sumthin Sumthin, and many more! Additionally, I own a production company by the name of Flow State Bookings (@flowstatebookings on IG) where I host events and do bookings for touring EDM artists in the city. Some artists I’ve had on shows include Chief Kaya, Abstrakt Sonance, Medicine Place, and Don Jamal to name a few! My plan for this winter will be to hunker down in production and find my unique sound for the LOVE // HATE project. I’m super stoked to see where this project takes me!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I assure you it won’t be a smooth road if you choose music unfortunately, but that’s the fun of it! The more challenging the path, the better you become! Anyways, there’s been many struggles. Time management being one of them. I was forced to drop out of KU because I was balancing 2 jobs, school, a girlfriend, and the band traveling on the weekends. When things pile up, I’m forced time and time again to make tough decisions and sacrifices. Finances have always been a struggle as well of course like any other starving artist. Sometimes music being a passion just feels like a money vacuum that gets sucked away for nothing in return a lot of the time. However, it’s worth it as a sacrifice for the passion of the game!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m currently in sales! My sales journey began a few years ago when I worked for a company selling hardware and electronic components to aerospace companies. So basically I was selling the nuts, bolts, screws, but also any electronic hardware for circuit board systems for either commercial or military aircraft assemblies. Now, however, I just started a new job as a Sales Account Executive for a company that specializes in freight and 3rd party logistics.
What are your plans for the future?
The new job is already a pretty big change, but plenty more changes and plans for the future. I plan on trying a 5-10 minute stand up comedy set somewhere before the end of the year to get out of my comfort zone a bit and to check it off the bucket list. I also plan on reviving Flow State (my production company) in 2027, running another 1-3 shows while also finding a new place to live in the city. But for the most part, I’ll be saving up to buy Abelton and begin my production journey with LOVE // HATE and dive more fully into my craft. 2027 will be a big year of growth for me most definitely!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highjak_/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574815144083
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LOVEHATESOUNDS
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/highjakmusic
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/lovehatesounds/?hl=en
