No two shows are ever the same, but each one is always great. Come out and show your support for local musicians just trying to please you ears. Good times will be had. – Lee

People ask me why I “stalk” JNH Band and that is an easy question to answer.  They are fantastic.  They have awesome personalities (yeah, even that one) and are wonderful musicians.  Over the past year I consider them more than just a band that I hear play, I consider them to be my talented family.  I was very sad when Barry packed his bandanas and washboard and said goodbye.  Then one evening Zach walked in Arizona’s in Shakopee and blew us all away on open mic night.  He auditioned for the band and what an amazing talent he is.  Kind of freakish in a way because he knows the words to every song ever written. (That may be a slight exaggeration).  These guys all compliment one another quite well.  Jud has an amazing talent for creating songs on the fly.  If you pay attention during the performance you will find yourself laughing, since Jud loves to change the verses and words to see who is really listening.

Whether you go to a solo Jud show, duo, trio, or full band they are fantastic.  So check the schedule and plan for an evening of great music.  Hope to see you at many shows in 2012. – Lee

Seriously… we got back to Jud’s last nite after our show at O’Donovan’s and I had to scrape my windshield. Stop. Just stop. We get it… it’s Minnesota which is practically Canada which is practically neighbors with Santa, Rudolph and cute little penguins doing cute little penguin things. Got it. But I digress… we had a great run of shows this week (thanks to those who made it out to see us!). The run started at Turtle’s in Shakopee on Thursday nite. We have a regular house gig at Turtle’s, so there’s no excuse to not see a show. Playing a house gig, or any one bar consistently, has it’s own challenges and benefits. Luckily for us the staff at Turtle’s are great to work with and the regulars are good, honest people which makes our job easy. When you play repeatedly for the same audience , new material is needed to keep things fresh. Besides adding new songs and working up requests from our fans we also have some “bits” that get pulled out of the proverbial hat. One being “The Subject Song”. Without giving away the MacGuffin, this bit begins innocently enough… we simply pull topics from the audience and make up the melody, groove, lyrics and punchline all on the fly. This is one of Jud’s truly unique talents… it’s a rarity in this genre to find a lead singer that can improv as well as Jud. And I don’t mean scatting like Sammy Davis Jr., I mean making up the whole freaggin’ song on the spot. Next time you’re at a show see if you can pick the tunes we’ve rehearsed and the tunes that are created in the moment… every show has a few gems that are inspired by that nite and Jud creates these so effortlessly they just become part of the set. All I have to do is follow along.  However,  “The Subject Song” is an intentional crowd participation/science experiment. We’ve worked out the formula on a beer coaster and it reads something like this: Band willing to gamble + engaged audience + copious amounts of booze = the musical equivalent of a wet t-shirt contest at your neighbors garage sale. If you haven’t heard this little drama play out at a show, put it on your to-do list. Seriously.

I quickly packed up and headed out to Kieran’s Irish Pub In MPLS corner of 1st and 6th. I arrived to a packed club. I am talking two tents and a huge restaurant full shoulder to shoulder. Except for the room that we were playing in. When I set up the stage there was still room to wiggle. Barry and I played this show as a duo. We started our set out with No Rain by Blind Melon. Suddenly there was NO room left in this room. People were struggling to find room to dance. Singing our music and the participation was incredible. We were playing during Belfast Cowboys on the main stage. That didn’t stop the participation in this room. I just uploaded a video highlighting the day. I hope you all had a great time as well!

Hey don’t forget to comment below! 300 of you read my last post and all stayed silent. How was your St, Patties day?

~Jud

I’ve been asked before where am I going in this industry. My simplest answer is “where ever they take me.” But in detail, I suppose I want to create music that reaches to the depths of a person and makes them think. Makes them stop what they are doing and listen. I want people to see what I see with pictures in their head. I guess I am not striving to make number on the pop charts. Yet I think that comes with have songs that make the listener stop and do just that.

Since the full band has been created; I can feel the music evolving. I am writing music with higher energy and not so single minded either. Our previous album titled Vol 1 had a single layer to it. The theme of the album was angst. This was intentional. It drove us to a new place. My co-writer/co-producer Nathan Ward helped me form the words and thoughts I needed to move the album down that road. The new Album we are working on should be something different. Something that hasn’t been done just yet. Only, with hints of the familiar. We have started the writing process for the album and hope to have it released by the end of 2011.

Well I hope to get back to you soon! I will keep in touch here. But try to make it our to one of our shows. We now list if it’s a FULL Band show or DUO. Look forward to seeing you!

~Jud

We played our first 4 hour gig as a band this past weekend and I must say it was a success. Being in a band really does become like being in a gang… or the mob. We tend to dress alike, have secret handshakes and get together alone once a week to discuss our business plans. Not to mention being in constant competition with other bands (or gangs) for stage time, well paying gigs and street cred.  Bandmates will even go so far as to back each other’s play at all times, bail each other out of trouble when things get tight and always show up to play. However, with all of those similarities to gang and mob mentality, we manage to pull it off without using lethal force… unless you consider a Jimmy Buffet cover lethal, which some do. Point being, playing music is in and of itself it’s own drug… it’s addictive, obsessive and unforgiving. Being in a band is simply a way to amplify the effects by finding like minded addicts. And while we do all that we can to take care of each other, sometimes the inevitable “creative differences” banner gets applied like the 13th step of the recovery program. But in the end, once a musician, always a musician… it’s an unbreakable bond formed with sound and the simple manipulation of molecules in the air. It’s funny how something so simple can breed such passion… but it does. I’m lucky. I’ve got my gang. Come to a show, I’ll introduce you…

Open Mic Night with JNH Band

February 13^th and 27^th (every other Sunday)

9PM-12AM

Jud and Kris will Jam with you (if you would like)

Guitar and Bass available for you to play

16 channel Mixer so plenty of room to plug in

Oh Yeah and its at Arizona’s in Shakopee

See you there!