Acoustic show with Jerry Joseph

Jerry Joseph is not a highly well known name around here. In fact, before I found out they were playing this Saturday at Hopmonk Sebastopol, I had never heard of him before in my life. But upon listening to him play with his band, the Jackmormons – from the heartaching “Most Beautiful Day” to the rhythmic guitar in “Happy Book” – I was hooked.

The band hails from Portland, Oregon, and are on an extended tour that has them visiting the Bay Area this week before heading back out across the states. Along with Jerry Joseph (who plays guitar along with lead vocals), the trio of musicians include JR Ruppel (bass, backing vocals) and Steve Drizos (drums, backing vocals).

Jerry Joseph and Jackmormons

Many of the songs on Jerry Joseph and Jackmormons’ latest album, Happy Book (March 2012), were written following the passing of Joseph’s father. The result is “an emotional and sonic wallop fueled by the tightest, tastiest playing” the band had ever captured in the studio.

But music has been in Joseph’s blood for as long as he can remember.

“Columbia Record Club used to have 20 records for a penny and I filled out form after form, and these boxes of records came to my house and my parents would flip out. Those were my influences,” says Joseph on his website. “I was a kid, so I was as into The Monkees as I was The Beatles. Then, my mother would tell you, it was all over on my 9th or 10th birthday with [Black Sabbath's] Master of Reality and Steppenwolf Live. Then at 12, it was jazz. I saw every jazz act that toured in the 70s Herbie Hancock and Tower of Power after we went to see Steely Dan. All that and then my older babysitter bought me Exile on Main Street and I saw [Bob Marley and] The Wailers in 1976 and moved to New Zealand. And then The Clash came out and changed my life. But I also loved ZZ Top and all those guitar bands. When I lived in New Zealand, I sat in my window and read Lord of the Rings while listening to prog like Gentle Giant and Camel. Later, I learned a lot from Chris Whitley touring around Europe with him.”

Joseph’s wide range of musical influence is apparent as he takes everything he has and knows and puts into his music, creating a melodic dagger that breaks through barriers and gets right to the heart of the matter.

Jerry Joseph plays a solo acoustic show this Saturday, January 19th, 8:30 p.m. at Hopmonk Sebastopol, located at 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. More info at hopmonk.com/sebastopol, or at the band website at jerryjoseph.com.