Scratch Track

"Acoustic Hip-Hop Soul" is the best way to describe the musical anomaly that is - SCRATCH TRACK"

Start with a vocal beatbox and layer some guitar on top. Throw in a bit of funk, folk, rock, gospel, and rap, and you've got a band that has it all... but doesn't sound like anything you've heard before.

SCRATCH TRACK began crafting their fresh sound in 2000, mixing rapid-fire lyrics, street poetry, rich harmonies, virtuoso guitars, and explosive percussive vocals to create one of the most unique sounds to hit the music scene in many years.

Critics have stepped up to try to describe SCRATCH TRACK'S style. The Chicago Sun Times called the band a hybrid of "Digable Planets and Jack Johnson", while On Tap hailed them as "Outkast or the Neptunes... throw in a guitar and more beat boxing, and you might come close." It was a New York University reporter in late 2004, that perhaps best described the sound of SCRATCH TRACK as mind-bending, style-bending, and undeniably original."

SCRATCH TRACK came together as a trio in 2000, when Jason Hamlin, DJ Lee, and Will Gray met at Union University, in Jackson, Tennessee. The band admits, "This whole thing started originally just as an artistic release and a way to get away from the stress and pressures of college. We were just three friends hanging out. We played one song at a Variety Show at our college and the crowd went crazy. After that experience, we decided to start writing and taking this music thing a little more seriously.

In 2002, the trio took a break from campus shows, coffeehouses, and summer gigs to move to Martha's Vineyard, and officially begin their career in music. They worked odd jobs, studied at the Contemporary Music Center, and soaked in the air of creativity that is the Vineyard. It was during this time that the group recorded their debut full-length CD. They began selling the CD, entitled "The Simple", in 2003, as they hit the road for open mics that led to gigs with the likes of Will Hoge, Los Lonely Boys, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Living Colour, Erykah Badu, Twista, Jurassic 5 DJ Skribble, Soulive, Calvin Richardson, Jars of Clay, Ruben Stuudard, and neo soul artist Javier.

A new LP entitled "Unreleased Sessions 2004" dropped in October of that year, and was a continuation, musically and lyrically of the unconventional, high-octane sound SCRATCH TRACK invented for themselves. The album proves you truly can't keep your body from moving when a great song is being played.

In 2005, touring the college circuit began in earnest. In April, they hit a home run showcasing at the NACA Upper Midwest Regional that delivered a 70-campus Fall tour. However, before the tour kicked-off, Will Gray announced he was departing the group to spend more time with his family and to begin work on a solo career.

Left with the daunting task of honoring 70 college dates in 90 days, DJ Lee and Jason Hamlin had barely a week to re-group. They pulled in a friend to add some acoustic guitar, and the van pulled out to meet the challenge.

The man in front of the mic, DJ Lee (MC, singer, and songwriter), was reared on Take 6 in Kansas City, and brings the funk and beatbox to the group. Jason Hamlin (songwriter and guitarist) grew up outside of Detroit, playing lots of Zeppelin, The Beatles, and Jeff Buckley, and provides the foundation for SCRATCH TRACK'S sound with his driving guitar rhythms.

By the end of 2005, DJ and Jason proved they were survivors, and their talent, tenacity, and integrity brought them virtually universal praise from the colleges who booked them. The tour netted an invitation to showcase at the 2006 NACA National, and they were nominated for the 2006 "Brightest Rising Star" Award in the Campus Activities Magazine annual reader's poll.

The college tour has continued into '06 with small-room headline dates and as special guests with O.A.R., inspired by their appearance on Playstation's MLB '06 game.

With a fresh schedule of college dates set for Fall '06, Jason Hamlin and DJ Lee are working on new material that Scratch Track hopes to introduce this Fall.

Sometimes music is compelling. Sometimes a group goes forward against the odds. The DNA is indelible. Are they a shooting star that burns bright, and they are gone before enough eyes have seen them? Are they a passion too strong to ever fade? All we know is SCRATCH TRACK is still now.