JERRY JOSEPH & The JACKMORMOMS

Jerry Joseph and The Jackmormons, North By Northwest, Philadelphia, PA- 5/10
by Wilson Brooks 2003-05-18

Jerry Joseph is one of my favorite songwriters and performers, and NXNW is a small club with a nice PA, so for me this loomed as a fine convergence of venue and artist.

I didn't leave my house till 7PM, due to many other things that needed to get done. The girl who had answered the phone at NXNW said there was no opener, and JMOS was to go on at 10PM. I set a new personal record for Arlington, Va to the Maryland/Delaware line, and arrived in Northwest Philly at 9:20. Noticed that the city was rather "fragrant" while I was crossing the Schuykill River, not sure whether it was the humid weather or Bush's tough new environmental initiatives. Found NXNW and got inside with my gear by 9:40. Everybody at the club was polite and helpful, and they also have fine cuisine on the menu. With a little help from a friend who was patching out of me, everything was set up and patched for my board/audience matrix in plenty of time. Colin, the Jackmormons' soundguy/tour manager, even patched in his deck, something I always take as a compliment. Still had a few minutes, and had the opportunity to meet and pet the owner's pooch, who was making a brief visit out in back of the club. The owner of NXNW is a fellow dog lover and a sweet lady, and made a one time exception which allowed me to put my dog Samson out on the back patio once the kitchen closed, where he received much attention, as well as some treats and a constantly full bowl of water during the evening. He is also briefly heard barking from the doorway while the band was tuning, between Fastest Horse and Election Day during the second set, but overall he was quiet, well behaved, and stayed out back till after the show so that no health codes were broken. He had a great time! By the end of the night when everyone had left and the band was tearing down, he was asleep on the floor in the club. He has also slept most of the time since we left to come home, and is a big fan of any road trip where I can *safely* take him along.

The band took the stage at about 10:25 and quickly turned the show into a hard driving rock and roll event. Pre-show tuning turned loud and segued into Mary, Star Of The Sea, and they didn't stop playing till after they were four songs into the set. A tune called Hallelujah Train followed, one that I don't remember ever having heard before. The 1st set finished strong, with Spanish Bombs>Back In The Hole. The band took a break after that.

The 2nd set opened with Ten Killer Fairies. Before playing this one Jerry explained to the audience that he doesn't play the song as much as he used to because telling the story behind the song takes a couple minutes. Then he told the story, about an entire Mexican family that was murdered by narco-fascist drug traffickers, and played Ten Killer Fairies, in it's always haunting style. Brad Rosen has an intense way of hitting the snare towards the end of the song that sounds like machine-gun fire, and totally gets me every time, just chilling the way the band puts it all together. Chrome Koran is also a favorite of mine, and was next. A few songs later, Jerry brought up J. Pat, who recently toured with Jerry and Dave Schools in Europe, and Jerry explained that J. Pat had started out as the opening act, but wound up playing with them at all of the shows for the rest of the tour. Then they proceeded to play Chainsaw City, and J. Pat added a new twist to the band's sound that I really like. Jerry also seemed to enjoy trading licks with him quite a bit, and he stayed for the remainder of the show. The band played right up till closing time, and the show neared three hours in total length. Well worth the trip, and also worth taking the the nap to follow which will enable me to recover.