Lackluster was essentially a one man project stemming from the remains of Bender, a local central Ohio band which lasted from Spring of '98 through the summer of 2000. Although the band had a constantly revolving lineup, especially in the bass position, its main members, J Hayes and Jarrod Maille did record an LP "Nocturnal Transmissions." It was recorded in the winter of '99 at Moo Pig Face Studios over the period of about 2 months. These recording have not been released to date, but largely built the foundation for what would eventually become Lackluster.
In the summer of 2000, the group split and J Hayes went to Seattle to pursue music by way of the Art Institute of Seattle where he earned his degree in Audio Production. During that time, several recordings were made that mainly consisted of musician-friends working on borrowed studio time, and no money. Though several tracks were recorded over the four years spent in western Washington, "Too Cool For You," more accurately pointed the direction that the music would soon follow more than any other. For the most part, this period of time was spent experimenting with song structures outside of the contemporary and, of course, some actual structured education. However, "Too Cool for You," seemed an outcast as it stayed close to it's roots as a garage rock guitar romp with heart. While other tracks were more experimental, and largely electronic, they too would show their influence on later songs such as "Collide," and "Yours and Yours Alone."
Though Lackluster has evolved, all of these things are still immediately present, and noticeable.
In June of 2006, the debut LP "everything i ever thought i'd never need to know," was independently released. The title being a nod to the Seattle band "Ocena of Algebra." The album was recorded and produced entirely by J Hayes while serving in the military in Germany. While the album received favorable reviews, it was not where Lackluster was heading. With it's understated message of urgency in finding one's place by means of adapting, and coming to terms with ignoring the idea of predisposition, the idea become clear that the main issue was simply, "change." In 2008, Lackluster did change, and was born as a working band. With the introduction Jimmy Weisbarth (of F.O.I.D. and Verner Caliper) on bass, and Jorrd Maille (Bender) back on drums. Mike Schiller took over on drums a few months later, and Lackluster has been playing live shows cinsistently since, with plans for a follow-up LP in the works as well.
UPDATE: The album is out NOW!!! Click on the picture get the new CD!
View Lackluster's EPK