| John
Nemeth and the Jacks |
By
Shannon
I received an email from John May on Saturday,
May 8th confirming the Midwest debut of rhythm
& blues singer/harp player John Nemeth playing
BB's on Sunday night. When I read the notations
in the email that John has played with some of
my west coast favorites including Mark Hummel,
RJ Mischo, and Curtis Salgodo-I knew I had to
go check out this gig! I was immediately surprised
when I walked into BB's and recognized the bass
player of the band-Vance Ehlers. Vance has played
in some well-known bands including Little Charlie
and the Nightcats and the Junior Watson blues
band. He has to be one of the best bass players
I have seen thus far in the blues world. We said
our hellos and then it was show time. The crowd
was decent considering it was Mother's Day Sunday.
The band-The Jacks-is comprised of Rick Welter
on guitar, Anton Craig pounding drums, Vance beating
the bass, and John Nemeth on vocals and harmonica.
From the opening song I knew I was going to like
the stuff these guys were putting down. It was
a superior combination of soul, blues, and rhythm.
John's voice is brilliant; it actually reminded
me of seeing Curtis Salgado a few weeks ago at
BB's. I truly hope that this club continues a
trend of promoting and booking remarkable rhythm,
blues, and soul bands on weekends. It's a nice
change of pace and it helps to promote some national
acts in St. Louis. I purchased both of the discs
that John had to offer (two for $20!). The newest
release "Come and Get It" and "Jack
Of Harps" are both tremendous offerings.
The discs offer fine originals by John Nemeth
and covers of songs including cuts by Magic Sam
and Sonny Boy Williamson.
I also found out that the band would be playing
the Alamo in Springfield, IL on Monday, May 10th.
I knew I had to go check these guys out again!
The Alamo always seems to do well for the Blue
Monday series and this particular Monday was no
exception. The joint was jam-packed when I arrived
around 10pm. The Central Illinois Blues Society
fans really dig their blues. It's no wonder John
has won numerous awards and performance credits
including choice 2003 Canadian tour artist with
Junior Watson and 2003 Mount Hood Music Festival
crowd favorite. The Washington Blues Society calls
him a "show stealer"! He and his band
put on a fabulous show and the people were more
than pleased. The band even managed to do an encore
song. I was very much impressed by the group and
John's lyrical and harp methods. You can learn
more about this exciting band at www.johnemethblues.com.
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