Album Notes

Arkansas-based indie rock band Jackson Waters is not
your typical college band. Though they often perform
on the campus of John Brown University in Siloam
Springs, AR, Jackson Waters' music and lyrical
prowess has taken them far above the college scene.
Having performed with Christian powerhouse
recording artists such as Big Daddy Weave, Bebo
Norman, Thousand Foot Crutch, Superchick, Barlow Girl
and countless more, Jackson Waters continues to prove
that they have the talent and sheer determination to
play with the big dogs of the music industry.

The band was formed almost by chance. Drummer Ryan
Hawk had been searching for a way to get back into
music after having left a punk band almost a year
before. Discouraged almost to the point of putting
his talent to rest, he finally found what he had been
looking for in singer David Leonard. Impressed with
his voice and songwriting, Ryan approached David about
starting a rock band. The two enlisted the help of
Toby Friesen to play guitar and an early version of
what would soon become Jackson Waters was born.

In the beginning the trio started out as an acoustic
group playing small shows around town, but they
quickly realized that their music was taking a
different direction. They brought bassist Craig
Wilson into the mix and cranked up the rock factor in
their songs. Their diverse musical background that
ranged from punk to jazz and virtually everything in
between led Jackson Waters to create a classic
acoustic rock sound that was steeped heavily in the
ideas of vintage rock.

A short time later, Jackson Waters had enough
confidence and original songs to begin looking beyond
the boundaries of their small college town. They
recorded a three-song demo in Craig's bedroom and
began shopping it around to coveted venues in Tulsa,
OK and Fayetteville, AR. Soon, the band was playing
almost every weekend in steady gigs in the two cities
and was quickly gaining a loyal fan base.

As their reputation grew, Jackson Waters made another
change to their sound. They called on Brian Meek to
take over as the bassist and Craig switched over to
playing the guitar. The move flushed the band out to
a five-piece and added depth to their overall sound.

The band had also began playing with Christian music
heavy hitters at festivals and concerts in the
southeastern area. They gained fans from the members
of Big Daddy Weave and Thousand Foot Crutch, who began
supporting and encouraging Jackson Waters to dream
bigger dreams. Jackson Waters took their words of
wisdom to heart and released their first independent
album, All That I Know, in late spring of 2004.