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GETTING TOGETHER WITH JIMINY
PLEASURABLE ENTERTAINMENT YOU CAN ENJOY IN THE BATH
From left:
Andrew Dickson, Mark Ejack, Chad Reynolds, Ben Fawcett, Patrick Wood, and Enver Hampton
BY SHANNON MYERS
First published in The Sheaf student Newspaper
22 Jan 2009
Pg B1, B2
This Friday Louis' presents "Off The Hook," featuring The Gaff, We Were Lovers, Bitchface, Library Voices, and Jiminy. It's an event which even Captain Morgan has slapped his name on.
Indie pop-rock outfit We Were Lovers will kick off the night, delighting the audience with their whirlwind melodies. Things are heating up for them with new band members, an upcoming Eastern tour, and a slot in the highly revered South by Southwest showcase in Austin, Texas this March. Plans for a new album are set for the near future, with a glimpse of some newer songs in their set.
Between sets, The Gaff will keep things moving with his masterful turntable techniques.
Bitchface is the solo project by a man who wishes to conceal his identity for the protection of his future career in education; which he does by wearing bondage masks and not much else. His earnest attempt to DJ a Women and Gender studies class would have been his second gig "EVER" had it been accepted. It wasn't.
"I think it would (have been) very viable too, my songs are about genders and roles and women... and I study them!"
Library voices have a uniquely massive stage presence, due to the sheer number of band members (ten). Self-described as "pop as fuck," they bang out group harmonies, use accordions and glockenspiels, and switch instruments between songs. The band name is very apt.
The show is being hosted by Jazzy Shenanigans, a promotions company created by Jiminy drummer Mark Ejack at the mere age of nineteen.
I met up with Ejack, along with the rest of Jiminy in bassist Enver Hampton's basement, minus members Patrick Wood (trumpet), and Scott Martens (turntablist, or, decknitian as he prefers). Before the interview even began, the guys became preoccupied with emulating missing member Martens (aka The Turntable Terror Wrist).
"Yeah well, no, it is a good band... I just like, you know, throwing in some cuts every now and then and Uh... no, you know, it's good," said Martens, aka Hampton.
Jiminy found it's beginnings in 2006 with guitarist / vocalist Chad Reynolds, Ejack (known in some circles as "the Ejackulator”), and Hampton - who is also part of Volcanoless in Canada, and currently working with local hip hop artist, Factor. The three started jamming with songs Reynolds had written while he was supposed to be studying for finals. These origins were a bit unclear to the other members, who had previously thought the songs were written when Reynolds was in Thailand.
"You should have just lied," decided guitarist Andrew Dickson.
"I know," Reynolds replied. "I wrote them in Thailand," he corrected.
The band's members are constantly evolving, changing, and rotating. Early jams featured Sarah Romanuck, who played keys and sang, "bodly," as Reynolds put it. They soon adopted Dickson, and Romanuck was no longer in the picture. Gradually Martens and Wood (not to be confused with Medesky, Martin and Wood)were added, as a natural extension of the close friendship they all shared. On keys is the bands newest member: Ben Fawcett.
"I fill the gaps," he explained. "I think they felt sorry for me. They knew I was aching to play music so one day (Reynolds) just asked if I wanted to jam." Before then, Fawcett had proudly been "front and centre wearing a Jiminy shirt and looking Chad in the eyes at every show."
"We just needed something else to add that pretty sparkle," said Reynolds.
Each band member brings to the table a distictly different style.
"Andrew brings the jazz..." Reynolds began.
"...and I bring the ROCK," Hampton finished.
Wood's addition was agreed to be Ragtime. Wood later added that behind his mystery is "more mystery combined with a staunch drug habit," though it should be noted that heavy sarcasm also plays a role. Reynolds is the soulful, John Mayer/Jack Johnson backbone to the group. Ejack adds funk, and a hip hop side that is reverberated by Martens, along with a dance element.
"I kinda just bring my gear; I bring my reckids - one"r"," said Martens, aka Reynolds.
"Mark brings the hip, and Scott brings the hop," Fawcett sumarized.
From a band who's summation of members listen to everything from progressive metal, to folk, to old blues and reggae, and even some country; good country they insist, inspirations are sited as ranging from Saskatoon's Deep Dark Woods, to Hank Williams, to the Rat Pack.
"Literally everything," said Hampton.
"But not everything," Dickson argued. "There's so many different kinds of music. No one listens to Indian music, or New Age, or any of that."
"I do," stated Reynolds
"Man, there's this Miles Davis in India CD..." Hampton started.
So maybe they do.
"It's like pretty much like I used to DJ at weddings so mostly I, no no, well I like the Chicken Dance and YMCA, but lately I've been into things more like, uh, well I'm my own separate artist" said Martens, aka Reynolds
The name Jiminy, they insist, is from the 1800's, referring to a vintage wallpapered, hand-held ship used for personal pleasure and entertainment, "Like a bath duck, before they were invented" Reynolds explained. I challenge you to Wikipedia that shit, and am more confident the name stems from Ejack's formerly habitual use of the exclamation "Jiminy Cricket!"
Not willing to give up so easily, Reynolds continued on the subject of hand-held pleasure and entertainment:
"We're trying to be the Jiminy of today's age."
"You can take us in the bath." Dickson added.
And there you have it folks, straight from the horse’s mouth: Jiminy is the kind of pleasurable entertainment you can take with you in the bath.
When describing the typical Jiminy fan, the words "huge guns" were used, as well as "female" and "of age."
"You know that girl from Weird Science?" suggested Reynolds
"Except younger, and hotter," Dickson added.
Fawcett had a unique audience-member perspective for the majority of past Jiminy shows, and noticed that the typical Jiminy fan is "everyone and anyone," guided by the diversity and danceability of the music.
"I can say right now that our next recording is not going to sound anything like this one. Every song we've been writing now is completely different." - Reynolds
The guys are currently planning a Western Canadian tour for May, even discussing the logistics of which during the photo shoot, along with "Uncle" Josh (J-Palm) Palmer of The Rebellion (Jiminy's studio man). Most of their work as a band, including musical dimension, "usually happens outside of practice," Hampton explained.
"It's not like we're just a bunch of musicians. We're all best friends; we all party with each other, so (naturally) we want our music to appeal to people who like to party" stated Ejack.
"Yeah I like to party," agreed Dickson.
"Getting together, that's the Jiminy theme," Reynolds decided. "Getting together friends, musical influences, and getting together sexually."
"But not with each other" Dickson was quick to add.
"That's why all of our shows have to be outdoors." Reynolds continued.
Except, of course, for this Friday's upcoming show. And, well, every other Jiminy show in the past, save for one.
Be early for the show, which starts promptly at 10 p.m. SHARP with We Were Lovers. "The love is on."
-S |