Jack Blocker Releases Second Studio Album Big Jefe

Plays NYC's The Bitter End on November 16

Today (11.6), Texas-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jack Blockershares his second studio album, Big Jefe via Thirty Tigers.

Big Jefe is a story about the transformation of a drifter at its core - a broke drunkard searching for purpose. Drawn into the drug trade out of perceived necessity, he chases opportunity and transforms a struggle for survival into an unlikely rise to power as Big Jefe. Blocker didn't initially set out to make a concept album, but during his first winter in Nashville, he started writing a new tune over a few pours of whiskey and the song became "Big Jefe," which was released standalone in 2023 and rereleased ahead of the album. Once he started performing the tale of a reckless, drunken miscreant named Jefe, he started dreaming up a world around that story, inspired in part by Willie Nelson's 1975 concept album Red Headed Stranger, as well as country storytellers like Marty Robbins and Townes Van Zandt.

Produced by Patrick Lyons (Colter Wall, Noeline Hofmann), Big Jefe explores themes of the highs and lows of life on the open road ("When The River Runs Dry"), and even a bad hangover after a good night (" Wallow With The Hogs") . The 11-track album takes listeners on a journey through the world of a man called Big Jefe ("Big Jefe"), while Blocker also navigates the back-and-forth of fact and fiction with the similarities between his story and Jefe's ("Brand New Name").

The album is rooted in cowboy culture, vintage Americana, and Western art, and also incorporates influences from artists like Wilco and The White Stripes to create a sound that feels both timeless and distinctly himself. That visual identity extends to the album itself with Blocker - a graphic designer himself - taking the creative lead on the project's visuals, designing all of the album artwork and physical packaging.

Blocker has fully embraced the rough-edged Americana spirit that's called to him from the start. The 28-year-old singer-songwriter muses on nights out drinking, making mistakes, and life on the road throughout the project's eleven tracks.

Stream Big Jefe here

Watch "Wallow with the Hogs" official video here

"As I started digging into different pieces of the Jefe story, I tried to blossom a few moments into stories of their own. A few songs in, I realized how deeply I related to it." shares Blocker. "Each line became deeply personal in a way that I never anticipated when first putting pen to paper on this project. The Jefe persona feels particularly profound to me as a touring artist and a Nashville resident. It's hardly arrogance, but more so a light-hearted attitude towards the prospect of failure. What other choice do you have? If you don't believe it, who will?"

The Texas native has had a busy fall on the road, with a string of shows across his home state following his run of shows opening for Briscoe, and leading to his recent shows opening for Pat Green. He also played at AmericanaFest and Whitefish Songwriter Festival in September. Tonight (11.6), Blocker will celebrate the release of Big Jefe with an album release show at Crazy Gnome Brewery in Nashville, where Crazy Gnome will be serving a limited-edition "Big Jefe " premium Mexican lager. See his full upcoming dates below - including his 11.16 NYC show at The Bitter End - and get more information here.

Big Jefe Tracklist:

1. Tucson (Jack Blocker)
2. Stag (Jack Blocker)
3. Wallow With The Hogs (Jack Blocker, Sam Westhoff)
4. Talking Greyhound Blues (Jack Blocker)
5. Ain't Gonna Sell (Something I Wouldn't Do Myself) (Jack Blocker)
6. I Can Get You High (Jack Blocker)
7. Brand New Name (Jack Blocker)
8. Christian Girl (Jack Blocker)
9. Good Hearted Woman ( Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson)
10. When The River Runs Dry (Jack Blocker)
11. Big Jefe (Jack Blocker, Keller Cox)

All songs produced by Patrick Lyons