Jack “Oblivian†Yarber has influenced countless bands across the world, released piles of albums and, by popular demand, has toured many foreign countries.
To only ramble on about Yarber’s work with The Oblivians and skim over his other bands would be a shame.
Beside the stack of gritty garage-punk that Yarber has contributed to, are all of his other records that have consistently become more polished and focused throughout the years.
Yarber was born 100 miles away from Memphis in the small town of Corinth, Mississippi. However, by 1987, the bright lights of Memphis called and Yarber became a permanent fixture in the city that arguably invented rock-n-roll.
The Compulsive Gamblers was Yarber’s first band that was able to capture the sound that he and band mate Greg “Oblivian†Cartwright were looking for. From then on, it seems that Yarber found his niche in music. Early r&b, rock-n-roll and country were all parts of his equation, not to mention his gift of lyrical story telling. Songs about booze, love gone wrong, murder and sleaze was their motif.
Where the Gamblers abruptly ended in 1993, The Oblivians would soon be created. After a short hiatus apart, Yarber and Cartwright recruited local Shangri-La record store clerk (and now owner of Goner Records) Eric “Oblivian†Friedl.
The Oblivians are known for primitive guitar and drum work. They were a complete democracy, all sharing duties of song writing, vocals and drums. Switching instruments during their gigs was testament to that. Since their split, Jack has continued to release albums and tour frequently.
Yarber’s songwriting has been steadily progressing and transforming, never recreating a previous album.
“Jack’s records have been really consistently amazing,†said Friedl. “Some people…you get kind of tired of seeing them play after a while, but Jack’s managed to reinvent his music and the latest record is as good as anything he’s done,†said Friedl. Since The Oblivians split, Yarber has kept busy with his current band Jack O and The Tennessee Tearjerkers as well as his solo records.
Yarber has also worked with many other bands like The Cool Jerks, The Limes, ’68 Comeback, Tav Falco, South Filthy, The Natural Kicks, The Brand New Love Affairs and The Knaughty Knights…just to name a few.
Yarber’s new CD, ‘The Flip Side Kid’ was released in late 2006 by his long time record label, Sympathy For the Record Industry. However, Yarber decided to release the vinyl format on his own, pressing and printing the sleeves by himself under the record company alias 'Dirt Cheap Date'. This is the first time Yarber has done this since his days with The Gamblers.
Jack is keeping busy, so be sure to check his MySpace for updates on tours, news and new records!
The self-released ‘Flip Side Kid’ LP is now available through Goner Records.
By: Rich Tupica
