No '80s television fans,
JamisonParker has nothing to do with the Simon & Simon star. Besides, he spells his first name with an "E." Instead, they're a sprightly emo-rock duo made up of
Jamison Covington (vocals, guitars) and
Parker Case (guitars, bass, drums, vocals).
Covington and
Case met through a mutual friend a few days before
Covington was moving from California back to his homestate of Kentucky.
Covington had already been a fan of
Case's onetime band Astoria, so the two kept in touch and traded demo tapes via snail mail. Eight months later,
Covington left behind his country boy roots and returned to California to officially form
JamisonParker in early 2003. The band played around town, mostly for friends. Then the promoter of the Asbury Park, New Jersey Surf and Skate Fest caught one of
JP's "guerilla" sets (they were playing by the event's merch booths and at offsite hotels) and invited them to play on the Skate Fest stage the following day. Seven-hundred people witnessed one of the band's first shows.
JamisonParker eventually connected with Interscope Records, which issued the band's
Notes & Photographs EP in late 2003. Co-produced with
Dave Trumfio, it reflected both
JamisonParker's pop sensibilities and their lyrical emo tinges. The duo did well with the MySpace and Purevolume nations, and by the 2005 of their full-length
Sleepwalker they'd developed quite a following. That July and August
JP toured with
Motion City Soundtrack and
An Angle in support of the album. Live,
Covington and
Case were joined by drummer
Jarrod Alexander and bassist Ted Vega. ~ Christina Fuoco, All Music Guide