Jeff Howell
"Jeff Howell is a 'porch-pickin' fool!!!" Or so says JAM magazine 8 \ 93. The singer-songwriter, guitarist has toured extensively throughout the States, Canada and overseas playing his unique brand of Louisiana acoustic blues and rock and roll. The original styling of his songwriting extends from fat five-piece horns and New Orleans funk on his debut album, "Gimme' A Dollar" through the imaginative soul of "Blues Junk'' to the down home acoustic finger-picking of his just released third album "The Tree." This latest effort brings Howell back to the provenance of his musical influences. He explains "All of my early musical deities were acoustic. While all of my friends were into 'The Stones' or 'Black Sabbath' or 'Zeppelin,' I was into Doc Watson, Hank Williams (Sr.) and Jim Croce! I've always loved the ring of acoustic guitars!"
After graduating high school, Howell began honing his performance skills in small (really small!!!) redneck bars around his hometown of Baton Rouge, La. "My first gig ever was for free but, at the end of the night, they didn't have a hat so they passed around a spittoon and I ended up making $12 in soggy bills."
Several months later, he was asked to join "Clutch," a 50's style rock and roll band that traveled some around the states but mostly covered the "Crawfish Circuit" throughout the state of Louisiana. The guys in "Clutch" taught Howell to sing harmony and encouraged him to experiment with other instruments, allowing members to trade off at any time during the show. As "Clutch" began to broaden their horizons, they found a welcome refuge in Orlando, Florida at the nefarious "Inferno" nightclub (half 50's club, half topless bar.) Howell decided that he had found a home.
After five years of "sha-na-nas" and "dip-dip-dips," he had had enough. He quit the 50's and landed a job in a studio in Orlando and started writing seriously. The years of playing "oldies" and studio experimentation laid an unusual foundation for musical expression. "Howell mines the Walkling touts that "Howell is adept at many moods." (Jam Magazine 5/95)depths of the music to produce his own eclectic mix." says Mick Rainsford of Blueprint Magazine (UK) 5/96. "His rich and powerful voice being as ideally suited to the blues as it would in a rock orientated setting."
Later, Howell took his guitar and original songs to Boston and then Los Angeles for periods of six months and a year respectively. Then he moved back to Orlando and, just for convenience's sake, started playing solo in clubs around town. There, he has built a strong and loyal following and is never at a loss for work. "The formula...finds club owners singing his praises because of solid alcohol sales, and keeps fans coming back." (Orlando Weekly 6/93) Recently, Howell and Rick Bailey (of "Heartattack Diner" and co-producer of his first two albums) completed an acoustic tour England.
In June of '96, Jeff signed with Hand To Mouth Records out of Los Angeles. "The Tree" (Howell's latest offering but first effort on the new label) takes him full circle to his acoustic roots. Finger picking and alternate tunings have opened a broader scope of songwriting for Jeff. The album ends up being on a plane somewhere between Muddy Waters and David Wilcox. The production is pared down to mostly just acoustic guitar, harp and voice complemented by the haunting fretless bass and spirited piccolo bass of producer Brad Cobb. The album consists of eleven songs including two instrumentals which "...especially highlight Howell's impressive guitar technique." (Andy Burr, Jam Magazine 6/97)
Recently Jeff has had his bizarre songwriting abilities exploited by an unlikely (and often unseemly) assemblage of radio talk show hosts. The program is called "Monsters of the Midday" and is #1 in its time slot in whatever that category is that advertisers lust after. Howell's capacity on the show is one likened to a "musical Ed McMahon." Says Howell, "Pretty much, all I do is sit around and laugh and towards the end of the show, write and perform a comical song about whatever they're talking about. Which is real easy because all they ever talk about is sex and beer!" The songs themselves have garnered such strong interest from listeners that it has spawned a fourth CD "Blues Dumps " containing seventeen satirical tunes penned by Howell in twenty minutes (or less if needed.) Also, Jeff's cut of "Way Off In That Jazz" has landed on the acoustic blues compilation CD, "Back Porch Blues," just released by Kingsnake Records.
Addendum: The Gras-Dads consist of a group of musicians that presently live in Central Florida. Their backgrounds range from the best of the Pittsburgh Blues scene (in Guitarist Warren King and drummer Ron "Bird" Foster [formerly with Roy Buchannan]) to the funky "homeboy" New Orleans sax of Charley Brent. CURB/MCA recording artist Ace Moreland. Followed up by the bass virtuosity of the rockinest jazz dude I've ever met, Danny "Muddy" Walters! And, of course, the "Waffle House" genius of Rick Bailey on keys , organ, guitar and background vocals. And , finally, Jeff Howell on acoustic guitar, harp, lead and background vocals.
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