On Saturday night, Kingston celebrated the release of debut EP by JD and The Electro-Tones. It was a completely sold-out event and everyone had a fantastic night, from staff to the band and of course the audience too!
JD and The Electro-Tones in The Ram Jam
The band comprised of main man Julien D'imperio on harmonica and vocals, Chris Corcoran on guitar, Francesca Shaw on double bass and Loris Peverani on the drums.
Julien D'Imperio in The Ram Jam
The staff at The Grey Horse know Julien outside of music, and we'd have never guessed he had this harmonica BEAST inside of him! He's always the one dishing out bags of compliments to musicians who come and play at The Ram Jam and is completely modest about his talents. He has a really rounded, easy-to-listen-to Blues voice and a gritty harmonica sound to contrast with that. During the second half of the evening, he jumped down off stage to play harmonica in the crowd and the audience LOVED it! His lovely and cheeky personalities shine through and he had everyone hooked.
Julien is a really clever songwriter and arranger and has music that Blues enthusiasts and anyone else can enjoy, and he picks his musicians really well - they're all really lovely, easy to work with, great in their field and brilliant to watch!
Accompanying him were 3 regulars on the Blues scene in London, including badass bass player Francesca. I love seeing her play - she's a petite woman playing one of the largest and most physically demanding instruments, yet her energy on stage is awe-worthy and she never breaks a sweat!
Francesca Shaw
Francesca Shaw and Loris Peverani
Chris is Julien's regular guitarist and features on the EP - I always hear high praises from Julien about him and on Saturday I got to see why. He's an influential and professional Blues guitarist with a smooth tone, perfectly complimenting the rest of the musicians.
Finally, Loris is a solid drummer with fantastic groove, and I eagerly await the part of the night where he can let loose when introduced by the frontman. I particularly like the way Loris builds up gradually to excite the audience, making it a formulated solo rather than just going crazy.
If you're interested in getting your hands on a copy of the EP, contact Julien via his band's Facebook page.