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| the Jet Fighters 1984 - 1992, 2004 Rich Rust - Vocals, Bass and Keyboards Dan Rembert - Guitars and Vocals Shawn Cray - Drums and Vocals Matt Rust - Bass and Vocals the Jet Fighters Home Page The Story of the First Recordings The Story of Hands Wandering The Story of the Rich Rust Tribute Show |
| The Story of the Jet Fighters |
| The Jet Fighters originally were called the Jets. It was officially formed on February 18, 1984 in the attic of the Cray house in Crafton, PA (a suburb of Pittsburgh). The ensemble was created by three childhood friends, Shawn Cray, and cousins, Dan Rembert and Rich Rust. At its inception, Shawn and Rich were both 12-years old soon to turn 13 (February and March, respectively) and Dan, who was the elder, had just turned 15-years old (December). They had one thing in common that ruled their three-way friendship; they loved rock music and everything about it. They were determined to start a band and become world famous. At least they accomplished the first part; the rest has yet to be revealed. The Jets started off as a musical free-for-all and the sound proved that fact. What ever instrument you wanted to play, you played. Shawn�s father, Tom, a musician at heart, had an old drum set, a guitar, and an amplifier on the top floor of their home. From day one, this group plugged in, played, and recorded. They never worried about the results, they just improved upon them. �Trial by fire� echoed in their music. The debut recording, Flying High, was raw and unpolished to say the least. The swift sessions were from February 18th through March 19th. Dan sang the majority of the songs as Rich�s voice matured. They used an old, beat-up tape recorder with a mono-microphone to capture the sounds of these two tools of the trade. The louder the instrument, the farther away it was situated from the tape recorder. Cover songs were replicated only lyrically. Words of the day like �Radical� titled the songs and were found entangled throughout the lyrics. The intro to the song �Mean Pissin� Baby� recorded the boys relieving themselves in the studio�s lavatory. The song �Loso� started a time-honored tradition and was found on every album that followed. These songs (the original, II, III, and finally IV) showcased their musical abilities within solos (can you break the band�s code?). While songs like �Boy� established their rough-edge sound, songs like �I�m in Love� demonstrated their vocal versatility. Every song was performed to entertain and did so. The lyrics were fun and not taken too seriously, but the music required work. The band knew it and was the next step to stardom. Every good conquest has a strategy and this was no different. After they randomly played for a while, they established the arrangement that lasted a lifetime. In order to divide and conquer, Shawn picked the drums, Dan picked the guitar, and Rich picked the keyboards and vocals. It was just that simple. Shawn was the experienced one at drums. He played the drums in the school band, local drum corps, and on any other surface that he found around the house. Dan was the smart one. He picked the guitar basically because it was the cheapest instrument going and chicks dig guitarist. Rich was stuck with the expensive, but yet, versatile musical instrument, the keyboards. He was also blessed with the best singing voice. Each member took their instrument to heart and practiced the craft over the next year or so. As time went on, Shawn upgraded from his dad�s old drum set, Dan bought his first guitar, and Rich began his voice and keyboard lessons. The band needed another device to get their musical careers �in flight�, so they enlisted more band mates and created another band to gain local popularity, ISE. While this Top-40 cover band got them recognition and became the main goal, the side project became a mechanism to allow the growth and freedom in writing for the three creative forces. Both bands practiced every weekend. To Rich, Dan, and Shawn, practice wasn�t accomplished in the traditional way. No one sat in a dark room and mastered their instrument by tedious routine. They recorded using what they learned and called it music. By early 1986, the next musical quest was in their sites, so it was time to start a new record. The next work started January 19th and lasted through April 20th and was called Jet Fighters. This was the album that made the band a household name and contained the band�s best known work to date. Many would consider this the finest album and that includes the members of the band. At this point, the music was in the stages between unrefined and skilled. The sound was simple and direct and that was just what the members wanted. Some of the bands most popular songs came from this magical time period. While the music was considered straightforward, the lyrics had meaning. The title track, �Jet Fighters�, �Janis�, and �Snake Pit� portrayed the grungy side of the band, while �Hands Wandering� and �Upon the Mortal Side� told stories of pain for these teenage and angst-ridden kids. �Little Guitar� and �(�Cause it�s) Friday Night� showed everyone that the fun remained behind the more mature sound. This phase of the band was the most creative and the most fun�the good ol� days. The cover band project was also in full-throttle. This forced the trio to use this album as their only outlet of musical energy and it showed in the songs and lyrics. Over the next year, turmoil ruled the tone. Dan and Rich welcomed the idea of recording again, but Shawn lacked the same enthusiasm. During this time, the cover band broke up and reconstruction efforts began to dampen the spirits of the side project. January 22, 1987 the band started to record what would be the swan song album of the three-piece line-up. THRUST! was originally called 747, but later the album was renamed for the song of the same name, which was also the best glimpse at the exuberance that started the band. It seemed as though the steps forward that took place between the first and second recordings were steps back between the second and third. Musically, the band improved greatly between records, but that was where the growth ended. Heart-felt lyrics were replaced with immature ramblings of teenage kids. Like a relationship with only one strand of emotion left to hold it together, the band�s lyrics only concentrated on the ecstasy of the days and nothing meaningful. The facade of �the best of times� attitude came through in songs like, �When will the Summer Come?!?!�, �Child�s Play�, �It�s Too Loud, Turn it Up!�, and �High Rates, the Ballad of Trixie�. Near the conclusion of the sessions, Shawn left the band to pursue other musical interests with a member of the defunct cover band. Dan and Rich were left with an unfinished product, so they took some time to regroup. After a few months, they came back with three compelling songs to complete the album. �Never be the Same�, �High School Sweethearts�, and �We�re Back� stirred the feeling back into the band. The band decided to work on another album without a drummer and Tales of the Blind Pilot was born. After a brief hiatus, the two-some returned to the scene with this concept album masterpiece. The project regained all the glory from the early works and preserved the legacy of the band. Recorded in 1990, this chronicle of the blind pilot, Bob, who was attempting to salvage his career, paralleled the efforts of the band. The songs used humor in its lyrics to portray the frustration of such an idea. The music softened and the collaborators developed into legitimate songwriters. The lyrics produced a satirical way of looking at life, rather than the transparent, two-dimensional stories of yesteryear. �Almost Alison�, �Mr. Persi on the BBQ (No More Homework)�, �Corpse with a Brain�, �The Story�, and �Moo Cows� are quintessential works taken from this record. This record combined the energy of youth with the experience of life without losing any of the wit. After recording their forth and final album and then the retirement of the band in 1992, they decided to transform their name to the Jet Fighters in homage to the second album. This was also done to avoid mistaking this rock group with the Latin-American pop band that had a hit or two in 1987. In the eight-year existence, the ensemble recorded many self-proclaimed hits of their own. Hits and fame were no longer the importance of the band. It was the establishment of musicians and song-writers that grew from the simple concept in 1984, when they recorded every growing pain along the way. Rich, Dan, and Shawn showed their friendship threw those recordings. From the initial union, it was a labor of love for the members of the Jet Fighters. The team also produced two compilation releases as the Jet Fighters in 1992 and 1999. The final chapter of the Jet Fighters has yet to be written. On January 13, 2004, Rich Rust lost a hard-fought battle with cancer. Rich was an essential part of the landscape of music in the Pittsburgh area. He touched many as a musician and as a fan, but also with his diligent work behind the scenes to facilitate the local rock character. There will be a tribute show in his honor on April 24, 2004, just three-years and one-day after his first battle to fight the disease. The Jet Fighters are excited to reunite for this cause. Music from Rich�s life will be displayed on many levels and the Jet Fighters will be there to illustrate the significance of his early works. For the reunion at the �Friends of Rich Rust� Tribute concert, Dan is once again joined by Shawn, who was welcomed back with open arms, and Matt Rust, who was added to the line-up to complete Rich�s importance in the band after his untimely death. |
| *Illustration: "High Speed Intrusion" by Gerald Coulson |
| Illustration courtesy of Gerald Coulson* |