Welcome back to JackJams.

My mother came to visit us last week. As I’ve mentioned before, we live about 1600 miles from the closest family member. So when we get the chance for some 1-1 time with a grandparent, it’s always super special. It’s never been easy to be far away, but once kids got added into the mix, it got even more important to nurture relationships and do the work.

But we’re also lucky that it’s not a one-way street. We have a family who cares for Jack the same, whether he’s 5 feet or 5 hours away. There’s never a bad time to check in with your loved ones. So if you’ve been meaning to do it this week, let this be your sign to pick up the phone or stop by their house. It’ll always be worth it. 

And here’s our playlist, with a couple new tunes:

In today’s special family issue:

-A Trip to the Waffle House with The Jonas Brothers

- My nephew has better music taste than me

-One to Watch: Claim to Fame

Brothers fight. And rock.

One of the things that makes music in this day and age so exciting is the possibility for artistic growth. Gone are the days where we expect an artist to be just one thing. Whether it’s going from a one-hit wonder to a bonafied star (friend of the playlist Lil Nas X) or branching out to every possible genre (Post Malone), musicians today are finally free to expand their horizons without alienating their audiences.

And yes, I know this isn’t a new phenomenon, The Beatles went to India, Green Day wrote a Broadway play, Beyonce rides horses. But what’s possible now is not just artistic freedom, but in the case of someone like the Jonas Brothers,  they can also seek redemption.

Seen as the sort-of nerdy, sort-of hot arena pop rock darlings, these guys from New Jersey have seen quite an evolution since first hitting the scene way back in 2005. After pumping out four albums in four years, they took a (well-documented) hiatus until coming back in full force in 2019. In that time they stopped being members of a band and truly joined the Famous Elite, marrying movie stars, creating side projects, and being instantly recognizable across the world.

But it wasn’t until 2023’s “The Album” that they made it clear they are here to rock. “Waffle House,” while about as simplistic as it comes, is as catchy and clear-hearted as you’d hope from a band who previously couldn’t even be in the same room together.

Its chorus connects instantly, we get a behind-the-scenes peek at familial dynamics, and a pure joy that can’t be faked for any amount of “reunion money.”

As I continue to write this blog, one theme that continues to come up is the idea of the guilty pleasure: Is it real? Does it matter? I’ve long been someone who says, “Never feel guilty about what you love.” But reading between the lines, it sure does seem like that’s what I’m saying here. There’s a lot more to unpack in terms of how my music taste has changed, and I look forward to sussing out which songs connect with me now, and whether they would have connected with me back then.

Teddy Swims is Teddy Great.

Continuing our family theme, recently we made a trip home to Texas to relax and (of course) take professional family photographs. On the way home from the photo session, my oldest nephew, Patrick, rode with us in the car and I told him about our playlist for Jack. I asked him if there was any particular song he loved, and without hesitation he recommended “The Door” by Teddy Swims. I had heard the name in the ether, but had never listened to any of his stuff.

Well, Teddy, you did it. You created one of those moments where everyone in the car immediately hears a song they like. He’s sort of like this hybrid southern crooner/R&B nerd/Justin Timberlake trapped in Memphis singer with an effortlessly arresting deep, velvety baritone.

And the songs are catchy! Did I mention that when I was making up adjectives just then? My sweet mother also curates playlists for her grandkids, but they are more of the childlike variety. Patrick, as he has grown, has obviously become more vocal in what he listens to. And if he’s gonna keep listening to people like Teddy Swims, he’s way ahead of the game.

One to Watch: Claim to Fame.

We are back with another TV show recommendation, featuring, you guessed it: 1 ½ of the Jonas Brothers!

Stats: Reality TV on ABC and Hulu/Disney+, 45 min episodes, 3 seasons, 24 episodes

Currently in its 3^rd season, Claim to Fame is a fantastic reality competition show hosted by Franklin Jonas (not in the band) and Kevin Jonas (the one you forget is in the band). Essentially, relatives of VERY famous people all live in a mansion and try to guess who each person is related to.

It sounds a bit simplistic, and it would be, but everyone plays the game like they are in the middle of the Cold War. There’s lying, backstabbing, clue gathering, insane challenges, and even something called the Vote-0 Booth.

It’s a perfect example of concept and execution matching each other’s freak (sorry). If it was just silly and hokey, we wouldn’t care (see Fox’s “Stars on Mars” for an example of this). But these contestants put their ALL into this game, really trying to make their families proud. The best part is how the actual celebs root them on in the game and speak so kindly of their non-famous counterparts.

For us parents, it’s a perfect show that you can watch as attentively as you can muster. It’s fun at 100% attention and just as great at 50%. When it’s 8 PM on a Thursday, there’s pretty much nothing more you can ask from a reality show.

That’s it.

I think it’s clear to the 10 of you still reading this that this is a blog in newsletter clothing. But that’s ok, if all I get out of this is a way to remember what I did this week, I’ve succeeded. Parenthood is measured in moments, milliseconds, and eons. Slow and fast, important and miniscule. I know I’ll be glad to have this inaccurate and idealized piece of personal history for years to come.

See you next week,

BLAKE