Richard Jankovich (born August 7, 1972) is an American entrepreneur, musician and author in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He runs music promotion compan
Shoplifter
and brand consultanc
B(R)ANDS Music Branding Group
His musical acts include Burnside Project,

Big Mother Gig Big Mother Gig is an indie rock band originally founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and currently based in Los Angeles, CA, by Richard Jankovich. While attending Marquette University in Milwaukee in the 1990s, Richard Jankovich formed Big Mother Gi ...

Pocket A pocket is a bag- or envelope-like receptacle either fastened to or inserted in an article of clothing to hold small items. Pockets are also attached to luggage, backpacks, and similar items. In older usage, a pocket was a separate small bag o ...

and Mon Draggor. His music releases have been covered by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'',

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

, ''Billboard'',

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

BrooklynVegan ''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, United States and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, ...

and more. A sync licensing stalwart, his songs have appeared in movies like ''

The Medallion ''The Medallion'' () is a 2003 action comedy film directed by Hong Kong film director Gordon Chan in his first English-language film, who also wrote the screenplay with Bey Logan, Paul Wheeler, Bennett Joshua Davlin and Alfred Cheung Who also ...

'', ''

Pink Skies Ahead ''Pink Skies Ahead'' is a 2020 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Kelly Oxford in her directorial debut. It stars Jessica Barden, Marcia Gay Harden, Michael McKean, Rosa Salazar, Lewis Pullman, Devon Bostick, Odeya Rush, Evan Ross, ...

'', ''

Ira and Abby ''Ira & Abby'' is a 2006 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Cary and released in the United States by Magnolia Pictures. The poignant love story stars Chris Messina and Jennifer Westfeldt (who also wrote the screenplay) in the title ...

'' and ''Seamless'' as well as countless television programs on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

and

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

including the theme song for

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

's '' Queer as Folk''. As a musician, he has collaborated with

Britta Phillips Britta Phillips (born June 11, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and actress. Phillips' music career spans more than 30 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s as the singing voice of the title character ...

Aloe Blacc Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known professionally by his stage name Aloe Blacc (), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known for his singles "I Need a Dollar", " The Man", which topped the charts in th ...

Robyn Hitchcock Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano, and bass guitar. After leading the Soft Boys in the late 1970s and releasing the ...

Tanya Donelly Tanya Donelly (born July 14, 1966) is an American Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New England who co-founded Throwing Muses with her step-sister Kristin Hersh. Donelly went on to co-form the alternative rock band ...

Steve Kilbey Steven John Kilbey (born 13 September 1954) is an English Australians, English-Australian singer-songwriter and bass guitarist for the rock band The Church (band), the Church. He is also a music producer, poet, and painter. As of 2020, Kilbey h ...

, Mark Burgess,

Dave Smalley Dave Smalley is an American musician, best known as the lead singer for the hardcore punk bands DYS, Dag Nasty, and All and as lead singer/guitarist with Down by Law. He is known for his influence on pop punk music and his early contributio ...

Craig Wedren Craig Benjamin Wedren (born August 15, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and composer, who began his career fronting post-hardcore band Shudder to Think. Following the disbandment of Shudder to Think, Wedren pursued a career as a ...

Rick Moody Hiram Frederick Moody III (born October 18, 1961) is an American novelist and short story writer best known for the 1994 novel ''The Ice Storm'', a chronicle of the dissolution of two suburban Connecticut families over Thanksgiving weekend in 19 ...

, Of Montreal,

Dicky Barrett Richard Michael Barrett (born June 22, 1964), better known as Dicky Barrett, is an American singer who was the frontman of ska punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. He was the announcer for ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' until 2022. Barrett is known fo ...

Kristin Hersh Kristin may refer to: * Kristin (name), a Scandinavian form of Christine * ''Kristin'' (TV series), a 2001 American sitcom * Kristin Peak, Antarctica * Kristin School, a school in New Zealand See also * Kristen (disambiguation) Kristen may re ...

, Glen Phillips, and more. His songs and remixes have been released by

Bar/None Records Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Early history Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Having previously worked in pirate radio and booked and promoted bands in his na ...

Sony Records Sony Records was a record label founded by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner in 1963. It was not affiliated with Sony Group Corporation. Ike Turner produced singles by members of the Kings of Rhythm and the Ikettes on Sony Records. Records on the label ...

Polyvinyl Record Co. Polyvinyl Record Co. is an American independent record label headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The label also has satellite offices in New York, Austin, and the Bay Area. Polyvinyl has put out over 400 releases to date. The Polyvinyl roster ...

Tirk Recordings Tirk Recordings is a UK record label created by Sav Remzi. It has signed a broad range of sounds from the Kraut Rock of Fujiya & Miyagi, to the disco re-edits from Greg Wilson, the "SoCal" sounds of Daniel Judd (aka "Sorcerer") and the New ...

China Record Corporation China Record Corporation (CRC; ) is the Chinese government's oldest and largest record company. CRC's catalog of traditional Chinese ethnic, classical and folk music features over 60,000 releases spanning over 1,000 years of Chinese musical histo ...

Friendly Fire Recordings Friendly Fire Recordings is an independent record label based in Brooklyn that was founded by Dan Koplowitz in 2004. Bands under the label include Asobi Seksu, Faunts and David & the Citizens. Friendly Fire is distributed in the United States by ...

and

24 Hour Service Station 24 Hour Service Station is an American independent record label founded by Marshall Dickson in Tampa, Florida, in 1993. Among its releases are '' Ceremony - A New Order Tribute'', a charity album, and albums from artists such as Freebass, Peter ...

as well as his own imprint, Fraga Music/Sweet Sweet Records. In 2013, his first boo
''Hit Brands: How Music Builds Value For The World's Smartest Brands''
was released on

Palgrave Macmillan Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains off ...

. He has lectured at

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

and spoken at

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

Biography

Jankovich attended Marquette University in Milwaukee in the 1990s where he formed the alternative rock band,

. Big Mother Gig released 3 recordings and played over 150 concerts around the Midwest before breaking up in 1996 when Jankovich moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In 1999, he founded Burnside Project while working in music licensing and advertising. Burnside Project released 4 albums on

and

Sony Music Entertainment Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

and their 2003 track "Cue The Pulse To Begin" was the theme song for '' Queer as Folk'' on

. Burnside Project received critical acclaim from ''

'' and ''

'' and were nominated by

Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, for wh ...

for a Shortlist Award. In 2005, Jankovich began remixing under the name Pocket and released his first remix in 2005 to critical blog acclaim. Many of his subsequent remixes have received positive critical reviews from websites such as

and Pampelmoose. In 2007, Pocket's remix for

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

's cover of

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

's "Unravel" was nominated for the 2007 ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

'' Pazz and Jop poll by Will Hermes. In 2009, Pocket began releasing a series of singles which

called "an impressive guest list" including guest singers like

(

Shudder to Think Shudder to Think was an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1986, they released three albums on the Washington, D.C.-based label Dischord Records, and two on Epic Records. Their early work was largely influenced by post-hardcore although ...

( The Church), Danny Seim (

Menomena Menomena is an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, made up of Justin Harris and Danny Seim. Both members of the band share singing duties and frequently swap instruments while recording. In concert, Seim plays drums, while Ha ...

) and Mark Burgess (

The Chameleons The Chameleons are an English rock band, formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester in 1981. The band's classic line-up consisted of lead vocalist and bassist Mark Burgess, guitarists Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding, and drummer John Lever. The ...

). In an interview with ''Zaptown Magazine'', Pocket revealed that the collection of singles was made from a "dream list of all the people he wanted to collaborate with" and that the project took over three years to complete. In 2012, these singles were collected on an album, ''All of This Happened,'' released on Tirk Records. Pocket admits the name was bestowed upon him by Brooklyn Vegan when the blog posted his Joanna Newsom "Bridges and Balloons (Pocket Mix)" and referred to him directly as Pocket. In 2008, Jankovich moved to

and continued to make music as

and Mon Draggor while working at in-store music providers like

Mood Media Mood Media Corporation is an international in-store provider of music, digital signage, hold music, on-hold messaging, scent, integrated audio/video, and interactive mobile marketing products. It was founded in 2004, and is based in Austin, Texa ...

. Mon Draggor's double LP ''Pulling Strings/Pushing Buttons'' was selected as 9th best album of 2015 by

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

. In 2013, he launched
Shoplifter
Shoplifter specializes in helping artists and record labels get their songs placed into playlists that accompany the shopping experience (i.e. overhead or in-store music.) In 2017,

returned with a new EP and began performing live. In January 2018, Big Mother Gig released "The Great Heist", the first of 4 planned singles for 2018. Also in 2018, Pocket began releasing a series of EPs which contained a mix of unreleased songs and remixes with Robyn Hitchcock, Tanya Donelly (Belly), Yuki Chikudate (Asobi Seksu), Vic Godard (Subway Sect), Dave Smalley (Dag Nasty), Styrofoam, Mux Mool, Mount Sims, RemoteTreeChildren and Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket). In February 2021, Big Mother Gig announced their new LP ''Gusto'' on

and released the first single, "The Underdog" featuring Leah Wellbaum of

Slothrust Slothrust ''(pronounced sloth-rust, IPA: '' slɔθ.rʌst') '' is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2010. Background Slothrust consists of Leah Wellbaum (vocals, guitar) and Will Gorin (drums). Wellbaum and Go ...

. Second single, "The Doctor Will See You Now" was released on March 17. ''Gusto'' was released on April 30, 2021, to positive reviews by

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

and more. In the Fall of 2021, the band supported the album with a 3-week US tour opening for Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears.

Works

Music: LPs & EPs

Burnside Project: * Burnside Project ''"Syntax & Semantics"'' (2016, Bar/None Records) * Burnside Project ''"The Finest Example Is You"'' (2005, Bar/None Records) * Burnside Project ''"The Networks, the Circuits, the Streams, the Harmonies''" (2003 Bar/None Records / Sony DefSTAR Japan) * Burnside Project ''"Burnside Project"'' (2000, Fraga)

: * Big Mother Gig ''"Gusto"'' (2021, Sweet Sweet) * Big Mother Gig ''"No More Questions"'' (2018, Sweet Sweet) * Big Mother Gig ''"Almost Primed EP"'' (2017, Sweet Sweet) * Big Mother Gig ''"Quintessentially Average: 92-96"'' (2016, Sweet Sweet) * Big Mother Gig ''"Smiling Politely"'' (1996, Fraga) * Big Mother Gig ''"Transition EP"'' (1994, Fraga) * Big Mother Gig ''"My Social Commentary"'' (1993, Fraga)

Pocket (musician) Richard Jankovich (born August 7, 1972) is an American entrepreneur, musician and author in Los Angeles. He runs music promotion companShoplifterand brand consultancB(R)ANDS Music Branding Group His musical acts include Burnside Project, Big Mot ...

: * Pocket ''"VLT A", "VLT B", "VLT C", "VLT D", "VLT E"'' EPs (2018, Fraga) * Pocket ''"All Of This Happened"'' (2012, Tirk) * Pocket ''"Singles"'' (2009, 24 Hour Service Station) Mon Draggor: * Mon Draggor ''"Passing Time, Picking Bones"'' (2018, Fraga) * Mon Draggor ''"Pushing Buttons"'' (2015, Fraga) * Mon Draggor ''"Pulling Strings"'' (2015, Fraga)

Music: Notable Remixes as
Pocket (musician) Richard Jankovich (born August 7, 1972) is an American entrepreneur, musician and author in Los Angeles. He runs music promotion companShoplifterand brand consultancB(R)ANDS Music Branding Group His musical acts include Burnside Project, Big Mot ...

* "Nine O'Clock in France (Pocket vs. Ray Ketchem Mix)" - Elk City (2010) * "My Beautiful Girl (Tokyo) (Pocket Mix)" - XO (2009) * "Blood Pressurize (Pocket Mix)" - RemoteTreeChildren (2009) * "Your Friends (Pocket Mix)" - Faux Hoax (2009) * "We're Here to Save the Day (Pocket Mix)" - The Constellations featuring

Asher Roth Asher Paul Roth (born August 11, 1985) is an American rapper. He is best known for his debut single " I Love College". Roth released his debut studio album ''Asleep in the Bread Aisle'', on April 20, 2009, by Universal Motown, SRC, and School B ...

(2009) * "Gamma Ray (Pocket Mix)" -

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

(2008) * "Slippershell (Pocket Mix)" -

(2008) * "Lost My Taste (Pocket Mix)" -

Mendoza Line The Mendoza Line is baseball jargon for a sub-.200 batting average, the supposed minimum threshold for competence at the Major League level. It derives from light-hitting shortstop Mario Mendoza, who failed to reach .200 five times in his nine b ...

(2008) * "Unravel (Pocket Mix)" -

(2007) * "Cherries in the Snow (Pocket Mix)" - Elk City (2007) * "Marfa Lights (Pocket Mix)" - Dirty on Purpose (2006) * "How Lester Lost His Wife (Pocket Mix)" - Of Montreal (2006) * "Hate (Pocket Mix)" -

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and model. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a ...

(2006) * "My Lady Story (Pocket Mix)" -

Antony and The Johnsons Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro label ...

(2005) * "Bridges and Balloons (Pocket Mix)" -

Joanna Newsom Joanna Newsom (born January 18, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Northern California, Newsom was classically trained on the harp in her youth and began her musical career as a keyboardist in the San Francisc ...

(2005)

Books

* ''Hit Brands: How Music Builds Value For The World's Smartest Brands'' (2013), Palgrave MacMillan

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jankovich, Richard 1972 births Living people American writers Marquette University alumni People from Los Angeles

Biography

Works

Music: LPs & EPs

Music: Notable Remixes as Pocket (musician) Richard Jankovich (born August 7, 1972) is an American entrepreneur, musician and author in Los Angeles. He runs music promotion companShoplifterand brand consultancB(R)ANDS Music Branding Group His musical acts include Burnside Project, Big Mot ...

Books

References

Music: Notable Remixes as
Pocket (musician) Richard Jankovich (born August 7, 1972) is an American entrepreneur, musician and author in Los Angeles. He runs music promotion companShoplifterand brand consultancB(R)ANDS Music Branding Group His musical acts include Burnside Project, Big Mot ...