JATK

Matt Jatkola | Vocals, Guitar
Megan DiSciscio | Keys, Vocals
Bryan Mastergeorge | Guitar
Kiel Szivos | Bass

JATK (pronounced “Jack”), the power-pop project from Arlington-based songwriter Matt Jatkola and his circle of collaborators, cranks up an arsenal of hooks and riffs with affecting jolts of guitar-rock reflected through a knack for pop melody. After the release of a number of eclectic singles, an EP, a debut full-length album titled Shut Up and Be the Light, and several acclaimed music videos, including “Don’t Come Knockin'” (nominated for 2023 Video of the Year at the Boston Music Awards and New England Music Awards), the band has become known as a dynamically creative collective. The live lineup is rounded out with Megan DiSciscio (keys/vocals, Hudson, MA) Bryan Mastergeorge (guitar, Beverly, MA), and Kiel Szivos (bass, Auburn, MA). But it hasn’t been an easy route to get here.In March 2020, when everyone was doing everything they could to avoid hospitals because of the oncoming pandemic, songwriter, musician, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Matt Jatkola was headed directly into one. He had just been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and his subsequent cancer journey, treatment, and recovery has shaped JATK as a band. It’s a collaborative project among friends, built around a thematic core of existentialism and mortality; an experimental blend of power-pop, synth-pop, R&B, and other eclectic styles and sounds. In 2024, JATK continues to hone their skills, recording new music, filming music videos, and becoming a noteworthy live act. Known in one moment to set your heart ablaze with loud, brash, melodic rock, then turn around and break it with an earnest, lyrical, harmony-laden pop song, the band runs the gamut of sound and feeling. Like the rollercoaster of emotion we all endure when faced with trauma, JATK’s creative output speaks to a mind racing and a heart beating.