Jammes Luckett, also formerly credited as Jaye Barnes Luckett is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and voice actor. She became known as the force behind the rock / electronic band Poperratic – as singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music arranger, music video director and record producer. Likewise, Luckett gained notice as a film and television composer and songwriter; contributing film scores and original songs (across a wide variety of genres) for independent and major projects. Luckett first came to international attention with her work on 2002's May – which has since acquired a cult following.
Art Mechanix
Luckett has frequently released recordings, artwork, zines, stories and other projects via her own imprint, Art Mechanix. Art Mechanix was formerly known as Go Little Records, and was initially founded in 1998.
Music
In addition to her own name, Luckett has also worked under various pseudonyms. Among the most well-known of these are: Alien Tempo Experiment 13 (or ATE 13), Merkcurie and Poperratic.
Poperratic (1994–2009) Jammes' one-woman music group, Poperratic, first began as Alien Tempo Experiment 13, also known as ATE 13. With Go Little Records, she self-released a number of cassette albums. In 1998, she saw her first 7" Vinyl E.P., "Live! From The Roller Derby" commercially released on the now-defunct New York-based indie label Glimmerfed Records. The E.P. was co-produced by Luckett, with A.J. Lambert, then-future film director Lucky McKee, and also Don Fleming (musician) the noted music producer who has worked with (Hole, Sonic Youth, Shonen Knife).
Poperratic's music was mostly noted for its catchy melodies, elaborate harmony arrangements, crunchy guitars and unusual structures, all written and performed by Luckett, herself. Due to the unconventional structures Luckett often uses, as well as storytelling techniques, Luckett's music tends to have a cinematic quality to it. When asked who his favorite film directors of previous generations who piqued his interest in horror were, Lucky McKee alluded to the fact that he considers Luckett a peer in this regard, by listing Poperratic as a favorite. Comic book illustrator Jordan Crane, of NON-existence Comics once described one of Luckett's early rock releases as "hitting around PJ Harvey meets the Pixies... with some Beatles."
In early 2007, Poperratic's first studio album, 'Vagus (the wandering nerve.)' was released. A review at Perrero said of the 'Vagus', "The album overall has a really bluesy old school rock feel, by way of the grrl band movement of the early 90s."
Jammes Luckett
In 2009, Luckett returned to primarily using Jammes Luckett as the credited name for projects, regardless of genre or medium.
Merkcurie
Jammes Luckett has also written and performed electronic music under the project name "Merkcurie". Merkcurie sometimes features a character called "Merk Shaneley" (voiced by Luckett).
Writing
Jammes' portfolio has shown a long history as a writer of screenplays, stage plays, and short stories, including some ghostwritten for others. In 2012, her newsletter stated that she was working on a science fiction novel, entitled "The Perfect Kind" and various other writing projects. Luckett has written across a variety of genres including science fiction, contemporary fantasy, paranormal, children's literature, and technical writing.
Acting and Directing
Starting from a young age, Jammes Luckett began acting in the theatre, in dramatic and musical productions. At times, she served as assistant director and sometimes director of small stage productions. Among other subjects, Jammes studied animation and filmmaking in college, including at the University of Southern California, where she met frequent collaborator Lucky McKee. McKee has cited Jammes Luckett and Poperratic when asked about the directors who has been most influential on him.
Luckett carried her experience across multiple mediums into her film and voice acting work, often on the same film and television projects she composed and performed original music for. Some of her most extensive contributions were frequently uncredited.
In 2007, she served as voice talent on an animated pilot called "The Twincesses". Luckett has also scored and acted in a number of films for writer/director Kevin Ford of Mo-Freek Filmworks.