Jo Jo Jupiter, The New Method Blasters and Johnson County at Darrells Tavern 3-4-16

Tonight we got to see 3 different bands with 3 totally different sounds. This is the kind of thing that I just love. And this is why I love to go to Darrells Tavern.

Here are Jenna and Damien tending to the service of adult beverages.

The music was arranged by a special man I call Maestro. Scott Walker is one of the most knowledgeable and talented guys I know. He is the sound tech here at Darrells and many other events and venues. He selflessly volunteers his time and expertise to make sure the bands load in on-time, get what they need to do their thing and sound great. A noble endeavor for sure.

Here is Scott with the birthday boy of the evening; Greg and some of his friends.

Darrells is a great place for music, pool or just a beer.

I have seen and reviewed Johnson County several times. They are one of my favorite local county bands playing mainly originals. Here is a previous review: http://liveseattlemusicintheclubs.blogspot.com/2013/01/burley-mountain-bourbonites-and-johnson.html

Dan Foster; vocals and rhythm guitar, is one of my Facebook friends. I follow his every move as I want to catch them as often as I can.They have been playing quite a bit lately. You can catch them on FB here: https://www.facebook.com/Johnson-County-109196991633/?fref=ts

Johnson County is: Dan Foster (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Paul Hsu (lead guitar), Jesse Dosher (bass), Joseph Lee (drums). Alt-country is their thing.

Whiskey, Women, Drinkin', Dancin' was the refrain of one of the great tunes they played tonight. Here is Scott with one of his friends toasting the song with a whiskey.

Dan sang a few Sad Country songs as well as some songs about his little hometown. He kept mentioning a sausage fest. If I am to understand his point, it was something about small towns with nothing to do but play hide the sausage.

There was a birthday tonight. Greg turned 51 and was having a little celebration. Here he is with his sweetie.

Make sure you get to hear Johnson County soon, They are one of the best local entertainers in the region. They also have some of the nicest toys around too. Here are some of Paul's tools.

Next up was The New Method Blasters. I had never heard of them. My bad. This was a sound that I have never experienced. Just watching them set-up was a treat...

It turns out that they had a keyboard player that made his own custom keyboard set-up. It was a monster in size as the stage is fairly small. But what a sound it could make. It sounded like a harpsichord at one time and a Wurlitzer organ the next. Very cool.

Combined with the rest of the amazing set of musicians, they made a sound that was incredible. The New Method Blaster are: Calvin Stephens - guitar, vocals Darryl Miller - bass,

Joseph Lee - drums, Bruce Chapman - keyboards.

They bill themselves as Rock/Soul/Roots on their ReverbNation page here: https://www.reverbnation.com/thenewmethodblasters4 You can listen to some of their music and learn a little more about this great band.

I am not sure how I would describe this group of very talented musicians. Great vocals, killer lead guitar, excellent percussion, totally rocking bass and a keyboard player that looked and sounded more like he belonged in a movie theater playing to a silent movie. It was fantastic. It was so full; multi-layered and really a thrill to hear.

I now understood why Bruce took the time and energy to move this monster in and out of the venue and onto the stage. It made a god-awesome sound under his nimble fingers. Here is quote about him in a review of one of his bands: Midnight Hour by ReverbNation: you'd swear the man has four hands. With two keyboards and an array of electronic gizmos Bruce's solos are truly mind boggling to hear and see!

Now add an absolutely movin' bassman, Darryl was smoking.

Calvin was cooking on the lead guitar. He also added most excellent vocals. Again the sound was thick and many layered. Great stuff, I stayed up close to watch the artists at work.

Joseph was back at the drums again, he changed more than his hat. This was a totally different sound, beat and vibe. He is a talented fellow.

This was a killer sound. 4 guys that sounded like a small orchestra. You can connect on Facebook with them here: https://www.facebook.com/newmethodblasters/?fref=ts

I love Darrells. Jenna and Damien were playing around and having a gas all night. It is wonderful to see folks having fun at work. These two have fun, but they can crank out the killer drinks too.

Here is Jenna sporting a Hijab.

Scott had pulled the video screen down and I was excited at the thought of visual stimulation. He and I had been talking early in the evening and he asked me if I had ever seen JoJo before. He gave me a little smile when I said no. I was going to hear some heavy psychedelic rhythms that would shake my loins.

This group of three guys were creating another totally different, fantastic sound. This one was right up my alley. I loved the dark, heavy, grungy stuff they were laying down.

The light show was also very cool. It was reminiscent of the light shows of old. I will never forget the oil-on-water light shows of The Retina Circus back in Seattle in the 60's and early 70's. This was a nice touch.

JoJo Jupiter is: Darren Dencklau- guitars, vibes, Skin Richards- drums, vocals, percussion, Mateus Vaga- "the thing". The Thing is an electric cello; a fantastic machine that made a fantastic sound.

Mateus could make The Thing growl, and howl, and coo, and cry like a banshee. Sometimes he plunked or picked, and sometime he used his bow. The Thing was awesome.

Skin provided great percussion as well as the growling vocals that are the trademark of this band. It  was an incredible rhythmic beat that the boys were making. It was mesmerizing and another totally different sound for the evening.

I had purchased some of their music and did a little home work the week before, so I knew what I was going hear. But there is nothing like seeing them live.

Here is Darren shredding the cool psychedelic rhythms that made this dark sound so crazy good.

You can connect with JoJo Jupiter here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jojojupitertheband/timeline
You can download some of their music here for free: https://jojojupiter.bandcamp.com/album/into-the-sun

Again, as with the New Method Blasters, Jo Jo Jupiter had a big sound. They filled the venue with driving tribal rhythm and grungy vocals. Here is quick clip of JoJo Jupiter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxW9DbKsKNY&feature=youtu.be

What a great evening of fun and great live music. There is nothing like standing next to the artists as they play and perform. It is one of the only places you can see an artist perform up close.

Thanks to all the bands who played for the love of it. They get paid, if that is what you call it. I will bet that they didn't get enough to pay for the gas it took to get them there. Thanks again fellows (and to the wives who facilitate it).

Thanks to Scott and the people who produce music. Thanks to Dan, the owner, for continuing to sponsor local live music.

Here Scott is with Jonathan Plum, Co-Owner, Producer : London Bridge Studio.

See some live music soon.

Thanks to Six Gun Romeo for the use of their killer skull logo. They are a fantastic rockabilly band from Vancouver B-C.  See them here: https://www.facebook.com/sixgunromeo/?fref=ts