* En anglais uniquement
Jack Drag is the recording alias of Los Angeles-based composer, producer, and songwriter
John Dragonetti, who is a founding member, along with former spouse
Blake Hazard, of West Coast indie rockers
the Submarines.
Dragonetti spent the mid-'90s and early 2000s in Boston operating under the
Jack Drag moniker, and released a handful of lo-fi, Elephant 6-style home recordings, including 1998's
Dope Box, which was issued via A&M Records. When
the Submarines called it quits in 2011,
Dragonetti focused on his composition work for film and television but returned to the
Jack Drag nom de plume for the 2018 LP.
Jack Drag's eponymous debut -- an eclectic collection ranging from ethereal dream pop to Wall of Sound-inspired symphonies -- appeared in 1996, followed by Unisex Headwave in 1997. A year later, he signed to A&M and issued his major-label debut,
Dope Box.
Dragonetti self-produced and distributed the next two
Jack Drag outings,
Soft Songs LP: Aviating (2000) and
Sun Inside (2002). In 2006 he formed
the Submarines with
Blake Hazard and released the first of three acclaimed albums. By the time the group disbanded in 2011, they had found success both at home and abroad, landing songs in multiple Apple iPhone commercials and a host of television shows, including Weeds, Grey's Anatomy, and Nip/Tuck.
During that time,
Dragonetti also began composing for film and TV and producing, working with artists like
Dylan Gardner and
Chadwick Stokes, and doing remixes for
Ra Ra Riot,
Josh Ritter, and
Avril Lavigne. In 2018 he released his first
Jack Drag album in 16 years, the aptly named 2018, via
Burger Records. The LP featured guest spots from
Aimee Mann,
Dylan Gardner,
Belle and Sebastian singer/violinist
Sarah Martin, and
Mike Sawitzke of
the Eels and
Dispatch. ~ James Christopher Monger