Jethro Jeremiah Band

By Cecelia Sutton

"Hot Day In the City," performed by the Jethro Jeremiah Band, serenaded the crowds of folks vying for entrance to the Chronicle Pavilion in Concord, CA, on July 16, where SADE was the main attraction.

This fabulous San Francisco born and bred band should have been the opening act as they had the people walking up the road jammin’ long before SADE hit the stage. Although the band was forced to perform on the Levi Stage, a place near the entrance and away from the main stage, they put all their heart into giving the people what they wanted: good music, good vibes and smooth grooves.

This band hails from the Haight District, a place where artists, singers, musicians and others with soaring spirits call home. The Jethro Jeremiah band rocks. Their mainstay is Reggae music, but they have a way of winding various music forms through a song that is unique and quite creative. This in itself will make the Jethro Jeremiah band stand head and shoulders above the average band trying to break into the music business. They have that gimmick needed to set them apart, that will make them shine.

The band members are an eclectic crew from young to old. The saxophone player Steve Munger hails from England. He claims he cut his musical teeth by playing and listening to all the R&B greats in his native town of Aylesbury, England. He has a smooth vibe on the horn. His vibe on the sax gives the downbeat of Reggae an R&B feel. Yet when Munger plays that sax, backing up Jethro’s vocals you have gone to jazz and landed in reggae heaven.

Andrew Seidel, the wisdom of the crew, is a dreamy keyboardist. He mesmerizes himself as well as the crowd with his Reggae renditions on the keys. "I’ve played all kinds of music. This isn’t the first band I’ve played reggae with." He appears to delve into what he wants to say and finishes, "The way I play the keyboard is indicative to how the drums are played."

Ears may listen and think they hear Reggae but they also hear rock, country and even a little bit of Punk vibes too. "Through the world of Punk", says Tim Darvesh (bass player), I learned how to groove all types of music. I learned improvisation, and to me, ‘skankin’ is the key to the reggae vibe so it was easy to cross the reggae music with Punk." He says it created a "poly-rhythmic sound," and when it’s played you can hear both backbeats and groove to them yet wonder how it’s done.

Ryan Tatarian, keyboardist and vocalist, compliments both instruments as he accompanies the band. A strong silent type, sporting a colorful Rasta hat, he is the extra gravy needed to complete the band of soulful, reggae sounds.

The drummer Lou Neuberger, is a musician unto himself. His hard-hitting, spicy beats provided the backbeat needed to bring the whole Jethro Jeremiah sound to fruition. For everyone knows that with out the drums, something is truly missing. Neuberger is set to tour with R. Kelly soon.

The brilliance of the band lies not only in the music but also the vocals of Jethro Jeremiah himself. Watching him is like viewing a caterpillar- you can actually see the osmosis occur and by the time he’s ready to spread his wings or in Jethro’s case, rock his Dreads, he’s a full fledged butterfly. Singing freely, he colors his music with heartfelt verses that are spiritually and socially enlightening. Unlike many new-age reggae bands trying to imitate what they perceive reggae to be, the Jethro Jeremiah band is original. Rasta want-to-bes they are not. As they continue on with SADE on her western tour of the United States--they will be in San Diego and other points west--the band is hopeful that their sound will continue to grasp the audience of people who are and are not familiar with reggae. "We want to reach folks who may not know the music and get to know it through our sounds," says Jethro.

While still a young band, they’ve only been around for a few years, they are paying their dues and playing the music that folks want to hear. Their new CD, untitled right now will be available soon featuring three of their best hits: "Warning," "Jah Be with I," and "Sometimes."

The band’s manager Diana Arnspiger says the inspiration for the band came from hearing him sing with someone else at the acoustic lounge at the Fillmore. She says listening to him "I thought wow, he must be some famous, visiting musician from another country." She was so impressed by his unique singing style and was further encouraged to manage for the band after receiving more demos from his friends Steven Capozzola who was an influential force behind Jethro.

Staying true to reggae music is his goal and he maintains that by singing and performing smooth joints that gives back to the roots of reggae yet allows the band to have their own sound.

"A major goal for the band now," says Arnspiger, "is getting the band exposed, which is a difficult task to do in the Bay Area as residents here have too many musical choices. I plan to send Jethro’s demo to college radio stations in California, following up with noontime campus appearances. The long-term goal for the band is of course a solid record deal." This would enable the band to play and create music, tour without wearing themselves out and to sell al lot of records."

Related Info:
Offical Jethro Jeremiah Band Website