Go Jimmy Go
Encyclopedia
Go Jimmy Go is a ska
, rocksteady
, reggae
and soul
influenced band from Honolulu, Hawaii
. Although chronologically, the band belongs to the third-wave, their mellow, slower tempo
sound is reminiscent of the classic style of the original 1960s Jamaica
n first wave of ska
.
. Several of the regulars of Ska Night had discussed forming a band which would be Hawaii's answer to the thriving "traditional ska" scene. After several false starts and frequent jam sessions featuring a rotating cast of trial members, a small core emerged consisting of Wright on bass guitar
, Gordon on alto saxophone
and vocals, Eric White on tenor saxophone
, Ian Ashley on guitar
and Tyson Balmores on drums
, with several musicians rotating in and out of the lineup to fill in at various positions. "We had so many members come and go that first year. We were picky from the start," remembered White. "By the second year, we must have had about 20 total members pass through." These included a trio of female back-up singers, an organist and a trumpeter.
From the beginning it was decided by the band that Go Jimmy Go's sound would be more influenced by early ska and rocksteady
pioneers such as The Maytals
, The Wailers, The Skatalites
, Alton Ellis
, Ken Boothe
and more recently L.A.'s Hepcat
. Eventually soul music
, rocksteady
, reggae
, funk
and even Hawaiian
began to blend seamlessly with the band's sound, reflecting the many musical influences of the core members. The band decided that a focus on original music as opposed to covers would set them apart from many of the traditional ska groups currently performing on the scene. "Egyptian Ska", "Mafioso
", and "Jericho" were early favorites that were staple tunes in GJG's early set.
In 1997, a turning point came when Go Jimmy Go was introduced to Santa Barbara roots reggae
favorites Dynamic Pressure, who had recently relocated to the islands. However, the stress of maintaining the band, playing shows and living in a new state were too much and Dynamic Pressure unfortunately disbanded. The premature demise of the group led to former lead singer Jason "Bison" Friedmann being offered a spot in Go Jimmy Go.
During a show at the Karaoke
Ninja House in Honolulu, guitarist Tino Olsen was invited to join the Go Jimmy Go. Olsen's strong song writing and vocal skills were a valuable asset to the group and led to many great GJG songs featuring a solid three part harmony that further strengthened the band's sound.
1998 was an important year for Go Jimmy Go as several high profile gigs, including the Spring Skalabration, which featured Go Jimmy Go along with ska superstars Hepcat
, Save Ferris
, and Dance Hall Crashers
helped cement the band as Hawaii's premier ska act. Several compilation CDs were released nationally on Stubborn Records and Steadybeat featuring Go Jimmy Go, which helped expose the band to a much wider audience. 1998 also saw the departure of Gordon from the group, as well early studio sessions which helped expose the band to a studio setting, helping pave the way for the group's debut CD "Slow Time".
Much of 1999 was spent in studio working on "Slow Time" as former Red Session drummer Shon Gregory and Exit 24 trombonist Fernando Pacheco
joined the group, cementing the lineup.
2003: Go Jimmy Go's second full length album "Soul Arrival" released on Moon Room Records
2004: "Slow Time" re-released on Moon Room Records with un-released tracks and re-mastered by Chris Murray
2005: Go Jimmy Go's third full length studio album "The Girl With The Fishbowl Eyes" released on Moon Room Records
2006-2007: Currently Go Jimmy Go are scheduled to begin their first tour of Europe spanning 14 countries over 5 weeks to include dates in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and several eastern European nations with The Toasters
.
2007 : Moon Ska World
release " The Girl With The Fishbowl Eyes " in the United Kingdom. "Holiday Hell Yeah!" released on Moon Room Records as Go Jimmy Go's fourth full length album.
2009: Go Jimmy Go's self titled and fifth album released on Ska in the World Records
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, rocksteady
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
influenced band from Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
. Although chronologically, the band belongs to the third-wave, their mellow, slower tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
sound is reminiscent of the classic style of the original 1960s Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n first wave of ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
.
History, 1996 to 2000
Go Jimmy Go was formed in 1996 during the height of the third-wave ska craze by Larry Gordon and Cameron Wright during the weekly Ska Night at a club then known as The Vibe at the renowned Puck's Alley near the University of HawaiiUniversity of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
. Several of the regulars of Ska Night had discussed forming a band which would be Hawaii's answer to the thriving "traditional ska" scene. After several false starts and frequent jam sessions featuring a rotating cast of trial members, a small core emerged consisting of Wright on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Gordon on alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
and vocals, Eric White on tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
, Ian Ashley on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and Tyson Balmores on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, with several musicians rotating in and out of the lineup to fill in at various positions. "We had so many members come and go that first year. We were picky from the start," remembered White. "By the second year, we must have had about 20 total members pass through." These included a trio of female back-up singers, an organist and a trumpeter.
From the beginning it was decided by the band that Go Jimmy Go's sound would be more influenced by early ska and rocksteady
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton...
pioneers such as The Maytals
Toots & the Maytals
Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
, The Wailers, The Skatalites
The Skatalites
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone". They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many other Jamaican artists who recorded during that period...
, Alton Ellis
Alton Ellis
Alton Nehemiah Ellis, OD, was a Jamaican musician best known as one of the innovators of rocksteady music and was often referred to as the "Godfather of Rocksteady". In 2006, he was inducted into the International Reggae And World Music Awards Hall Of Fame.-Biography:Ellis was born in 1938 and...
, Ken Boothe
Ken Boothe
Ken Boothe OD is a Jamaican recording artist.-Biography:Ken Boothe was born in the Denham Town area of Kingston in 1948, the youngest of seven children, and began singing in school...
and more recently L.A.'s Hepcat
Hepcat
Hepcat is a ska and reggae band formed in southern California in 1989.Their soulful harmonies and mellow rhythms were unlike those of contemporaries and more akin to musicians from the heyday of 1960s Jamaican ska, also referred to as the first wave....
. Eventually soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, rocksteady
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and even Hawaiian
Music of Hawaii
The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Hawaii's musical contributions to the music of the United States are out of proportion to the state's small size. Styles like slack-key guitar are well-known...
began to blend seamlessly with the band's sound, reflecting the many musical influences of the core members. The band decided that a focus on original music as opposed to covers would set them apart from many of the traditional ska groups currently performing on the scene. "Egyptian Ska", "Mafioso
Mafioso
Mafioso may refer to:* Mafioso , a 1962 Italian crime comedy film* Mafioso , a member of an Italian mafia clan* Mafioso rap, a hip hop sub-genre...
", and "Jericho" were early favorites that were staple tunes in GJG's early set.
In 1997, a turning point came when Go Jimmy Go was introduced to Santa Barbara roots reggae
Roots reggae
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor...
favorites Dynamic Pressure, who had recently relocated to the islands. However, the stress of maintaining the band, playing shows and living in a new state were too much and Dynamic Pressure unfortunately disbanded. The premature demise of the group led to former lead singer Jason "Bison" Friedmann being offered a spot in Go Jimmy Go.
During a show at the Karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
Ninja House in Honolulu, guitarist Tino Olsen was invited to join the Go Jimmy Go. Olsen's strong song writing and vocal skills were a valuable asset to the group and led to many great GJG songs featuring a solid three part harmony that further strengthened the band's sound.
1998 was an important year for Go Jimmy Go as several high profile gigs, including the Spring Skalabration, which featured Go Jimmy Go along with ska superstars Hepcat
Hepcat
Hepcat is a ska and reggae band formed in southern California in 1989.Their soulful harmonies and mellow rhythms were unlike those of contemporaries and more akin to musicians from the heyday of 1960s Jamaican ska, also referred to as the first wave....
, Save Ferris
Save Ferris
Save Ferris was a ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.-History:...
, and Dance Hall Crashers
Dance Hall Crashers
Dance Hall Crashers is an American ska punk band formed in 1989 in Berkeley, California.-Early years:The original incarnation of the Dance Hall Crashers was formed in 1989 by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong, formerly of the seminal Bay Area ska-punk band Operation Ivy, after both musicians...
helped cement the band as Hawaii's premier ska act. Several compilation CDs were released nationally on Stubborn Records and Steadybeat featuring Go Jimmy Go, which helped expose the band to a much wider audience. 1998 also saw the departure of Gordon from the group, as well early studio sessions which helped expose the band to a studio setting, helping pave the way for the group's debut CD "Slow Time".
Much of 1999 was spent in studio working on "Slow Time" as former Red Session drummer Shon Gregory and Exit 24 trombonist Fernando Pacheco
Fernando Pacheco
Fernando Pacheco , current lead singer and trombonist for the ska/rock/reggae band Pimpbot, and improv/sketch comic artist with Chocolate Squirrel, is a native of Hawaii. The band's founding member, he has toured the Western U.S...
joined the group, cementing the lineup.
2000 to 2007
2000: Go Jimmy Go's full length debut album "Slow Time" released on Jump Up! Records2003: Go Jimmy Go's second full length album "Soul Arrival" released on Moon Room Records
2004: "Slow Time" re-released on Moon Room Records with un-released tracks and re-mastered by Chris Murray
2005: Go Jimmy Go's third full length studio album "The Girl With The Fishbowl Eyes" released on Moon Room Records
2006-2007: Currently Go Jimmy Go are scheduled to begin their first tour of Europe spanning 14 countries over 5 weeks to include dates in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and several eastern European nations with The Toasters
The Toasters
The Toasters was one of the first American bands in the third wave of ska, and is one of the longest active third wave ska bands.They have released nine studio albums, most of them on Moon Ska Records. The Toasters experienced a small degree of commercial success in the late 1990s due to the...
.
2007 : Moon Ska World
Moon Ska World
Moon Ska World, formerly known as Moon Ska Europe, was formed in 1998 as the European sister label of the defunct record label Moon Ska Records. It is based in the United Kingdom. The name change was revealed through the Moon Ska Europe website in 2006...
release " The Girl With The Fishbowl Eyes " in the United Kingdom. "Holiday Hell Yeah!" released on Moon Room Records as Go Jimmy Go's fourth full length album.
2009: Go Jimmy Go's self titled and fifth album released on Ska in the World Records
Current members
- Jason "Bison" Friedmann (Lead Vocals) [1998 to current]
- Andrew McClellan (Bass) [2009 to current]
- Ian Ashley (Lead Guitar, Vocals) [1996 to current]
- Shon Gregory (Drums, Backup Vocals) [1999 to current]
- Eric White (Tenor Saxophone) [1996 to current]
- Brandon Hutton (Trombone/Keys) [2009 to current]
Notable Former Members
- Cameron Wright (Electric/Stand-up Bass, Founding Member) [1996 to 2007]
- Fernando PachecoFernando PachecoFernando Pacheco , current lead singer and trombonist for the ska/rock/reggae band Pimpbot, and improv/sketch comic artist with Chocolate Squirrel, is a native of Hawaii. The band's founding member, he has toured the Western U.S...
(Trombone) [1999 to 2007] - Larry Gordon (Alto Saxophone, Vocals, Founding Member) [1996 to 1998]
- Tino Olsen (Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Vocals) [1997 to 2002]
- Andrew McClellan (Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Vocals)
- Lindy Patterson (Percussion)
- Tyson Balmores (Drums, Founding Member) [1996 to 1999]
- Jayder Kalk (Bass, Vocals) [2007-2010]
Other media
- MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
recorded a live performance of Go Jimmy Go for The Real World: HawaiiThe Real World: HawaiiThe Real World: Hawaii is the eighth season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships. First airing in 1999, the...
. Although the performance ended up on the cutting room floorCutting room floorThe term cutting room floor is used in the film industry as a figure of speech referring to unused footage not included in the finished film. In fact offcuts of film are retained in a special cutting room bin and numbered during the editing process in case they are required later...
, Teck Holmes mentions the band in an episode. - ABC NetworkAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's hit prime-time series "LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
", which is filmed in HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
on the island of OahuOahuOahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, features Go Jimmy Go lead singer Bison Friedmann in an uncredited, non-speaking role as a U.S. Marshal who helps arrest Evangeline LillyEvangeline LillyEvangeline Lilly is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Kate Austen in the ABC drama, Lost.-Early life:...
's character Kate AustenKate AustenKatherine Anne "Kate" Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. She is the de facto female lead...
in the episode "What Kate DidWhat Kate Did"What Kate Did" is the 34th episode of Lost. It is the ninth episode of the second season. The episode was directed by Paul Edwards, and written by Steven Maeda and Craig Wright. It first aired on November 30, 2005 on ABC. The character of Kate Austen is featured in the episode's...
".
Albums
Slow Time (Jump Up! Records, re-released in 2004 by Moon Room Records) (2000)- Soul Arrival (Moon Room Records)(2002)
- The Girl With the Fishbowl Eyes (Moon Room Records) (2005)
- Holiday Hell Yeah! (Moon Room Records, released in 2007) [(Image:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61iKflpvV9L._SS500_.jpg)]
External links
- Moon Room Records
- Official Band Website
- Go Jimmy Go's Myspace Page
- AbsolutePunk.com's review of "The Girl with the Fishbowl Eyes"
- Honolulu Star Bulletin review of "The Girl with the Fishbowl Eyes"
- Star Bulletin feature on Go Jimmy Go
- Star Bulletin review of "Soul Arrival"
- Skaisdead.com interview with trombonist Fernando Pacheco
- Honolulu Advertiser feature on Go Jimmy Go
- Honolulu Advertiser feature on Go Jimmy Go's first European Tour
- Honolulu Star Bulletin feature on Go Jimmy Go's 10th Anniversary
- Moon Ska Europe profile on Go Jimmy Go