The Jonah Kit

Bio:

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If you want to call The Jonah Kit's hard-bitten acoustic music "folk," you have to qualify it - this is acerbic Americana that's just as at home in a raunchy barroom as it is in an intimate coffeehouse; this is folk music with blood in its veins. It's a refreshing spin on the singer-songwriter tradition that draws inspiration from the indignant, inflexibly at-odds-with-the-world misfits of decades past: Hank Williams, Fred Neil, Townes Van Zandt, Lou Reed. A sound that blends folk, punk, country, and rock with literate, honest lyrics to create something new, impassioned, and real.

From the unpredictable vocals and guitar of Jonah Watchman—soft-spoken one minute, explosive the next—to the dynamic grooves of upright bassist Dave Herman and drummer Taylor Still, The Jonah Kit is unique in their attention to stylistic range, expression, and boldness. Each song conjures its own scene, a combined evocation of character, location, atmosphere, and emotion that is reminiscent of the dark, immersive grit of old westerns or film noir.

In fact, The Jonah Kit will catch audiences off-guard if they're expecting a milder brand of acoustic music. But when an audience catches on to what the band is doing—when it sees that the trio is taking folk traditions to their outer limits—that audience responds with the kind of cheers and howls reserved for only the most original genre-benders.

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East Bay Express: Your Daily Lick:
The Jonah Kit
American Songbag (Fugitive Kind)
December 31, 2008

Jonah Watchman sounds a bit like Bob Dylan - in the sense that he's almost always off-key. Instead of mumbling, Watchman tells his everyman tales with Broadway spunk in a high-pitch croon. Acoustic guitar, upright bass, and drums play their part, but even if it's hard to listen to some of his vocals, they so dominate the spectrum it's harder to tune them out. — Nate Seltenrich

I take umbrage with this review. (But then, I take umbrage with most postmodern cultural criticism!) The first mistake in this failed attempt at describing Watchman's CD is the author's assumption that something as immeasurable as Watchman's talent and originality can be condensed into a single paragraph. Who can say--perhaps the fault lies with the editors. Nevertheless, the minutiae so carelessly selected by the reviewer to focus on within these regrettably tight parameters evoke the image of a would-be astronomer more interested in looking at a telescope than the Moon itself.

To his credit, Mr. Seltenrich blithely sprinkles window dressing like "off-key" and "high-pitch" less as a means to ridicule Watchman's musical abilities and more to inflate his own misguided sense of critical and cultural superiority. An objective he no doubt believes is accomplished in the opening sentence, courtesy of the smug deconstruction of Bob Dylan as nothing more musically significant than a tone-deaf mumbler. Consequently, nary a word is given to Watchman's lyrics, which Mr. Seltenrich would be compelled to admit are themselves Dylanesque--provided, of course, his critical faculties were capable of anything deeper than redundancies such as "Acoustic guitar, upright bass, and drums play their part. . .(Thus begging the question: if instruments didn't "play their part", would they even be instruments?)"

So yes, in one sense, Mr. Seltenrich is correct in illustrating the connection between Dylan and Watchman, although his qualitative analysis of the parallels misses the mark entirely. Besides that particular canonized sage of folk music, Watchman's picaresque narratives also remind discerning listeners of the angelic lucidity of Leonard Cohen leveraged against the earthbound and streetwise snarl of Lou Reed, all united into an original and unassailable hybrid of musical ferocity. Ah, how many hidden critical layers could one discover beyond the perimeter of a pithy paragraph? No one knows--least of all Mr. Seltenrich.

Suffice it to say that if such a folk/rock powerhouse did exist--which indeed it does in the person of Jonah Watchman--those of us who have had to survive on the thin gruel of hip-hop, techno, emo, indie (and all the other subgenres du jour!) should get down on our knees and thank Heaven for such unique refreshment. Would that that Holy Day would arrive with swift and uncompromising vengeance! Amen.

Comment by Sky Rabbit - December 28, 2008 @ 07:02 PM

Dylan? Are you tripping? Does the East Bay Express actually pay you for this drivel? Acoustic guitar, upright bass, and drums play their part? This has to be the most idiotic comment that I've read this year. I own the CD. Nobody is going to accuse Jonah Watchman of sounding like Perry Como, but his voice is original and his style is effective, emotive, and gutteral. His lyrics and arrangements are all literate, unusual, and always interesting. Your curt judgment is as banal as your taste.

Comment by shawnee - December 27, 2008 @ 12:12 AM

East Bay Express: Letters: January 28, 2009
"The Jonah Kit: American Songbag,"
Local Licks, 12/31

YOU'RE OFF KEY
I suspect that this need, for reviewers to compare to Bob Dylan every singer-songwriter with balls hanging between his legs and an acoustic guitar hanging from his neck, is a virulent strain of cultural rigor mortis. Someone unusual surfaces, writes and sings unique songs that are funny, serious, entertaining, and moving, and the vampires come out of their creaking coffins to tell the rest of us that there is no escape from cliché, that singers who stray from the status quo should be discouraged because the sound of their "off-key" voices will cause hacks everywhere to recoil.

Jonah Watchman is an artist. We should be grateful he performs for little thanks and even less remuneration. His band-mates, Taylor Still and Dave Herman, are musicians. Together they created one of the most original and thoroughly American albums recorded this year. They deserve better than a three sentence vacuous blurb by a tone-deaf "critic."

Dan Weber, San Francisco

East Bay Express: Letters: February 4, 2009
"The Jonah Kit: American Songbag,"
Local Licks, 12/31

CRITIC OR BITCH?
Hmmm, finally someone has defined sprechstimme. It's off-key. Thanks. Now I can hate Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, and Kurt Weill. Oh yeah, and Bob Dylan. Let's throw in Captain Beefheart. If I had more faith in this community, I would hope that this "review" would only further expose the critical shortcomings of this community. Is this our musical journalism? If so, I must say that it is off-key. Anyway, if you long for the lost art of songwriting, buy this damn album. It's more legal than killing an indie rocker, and it accomplishes more. Enduring art never fails to provoke this response from critics, aka professional bitches. It presents a challenge. Please meet the challenge.

David Hernandez, Felton, CA

IMPERFECT PERFECTION
I've seen The Jonah Kit live, and Watchman does a credible job writing and performing his caffeinated folk tales of modern life. While some of his lyrics may be a little Dylanesque, my guess is he's been listening to Bowie for vocal inspiration. His voice is quirky, but perfect pitch isn't everything — if it were, we'd have to condemn such talented songwriters as Jonathan Richman and Lou Reed to the trash bin.

Bruce Kaplan, Point Richmond

DAMN YOU, JONAH
Being a music reviewer in the SF Bay Area is a very relaxing gig. So much diverse talent packaged into non-threatening pillows of bliss. I get sleepy just thinking about it ... yawn. And just when I'm about to nod off to never-never "outsider folk" land, here comes the Fricking Jonah Kit daring to scream original songs in my ear. Damn you, Jonah, for being so original and in my face. Let me deal with this one quickly ... ignore how great the songs are ... ignore the brilliant production ... dwell on how his voice makes me squirm ... throw in a Dylan reference for good measure ... so I can finally go to sleep and dream of two-chord songs without choruses.

John Swerdan, Berkeley

Member Since:

February 02, 2005

Members:

Jonah Watchman: acoustic guitar, vocals
Dave Herman: upright bass
Taylor Still: drums, percussion PURCHASE OUR DEBUT ALBUM THROUGH CD BABY!

Influences:

Currently listening to:

Art of Flying-Though the Light Seem Small, Hasil Adkins-Out to Hunch, Emperor of the North soundtrack, John Swerdan-Vinyl Wings of Joy, Rodd Keith-I Died Today and Saucers in the Sky, Dick Campbell-Sings Where It's At, Bob Martin-Midwest Farm Disaster, Willis Alan Ramsey's eponymous debut, David Mallett-Pennsylvania Sunrise, Hoover-eponymous debut and the Lost Outlaw Album, Rodriquez-Cold Fact and Coming From Reality, Francis B. Ashby-Ashby Country, Smoke-Heaven On A Popsicle Stick, Blaze Foley's eponymous debut, Cold Sun-Dark Shadows Always: Hank Williams, Fred Neil, Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground, Townes Van Zandt, Wild Man Fischer, David Blue, Phil Ochs, Leonard Cohen, Syd Barrett, Tim Buckley, Bob Gibson, Dino Valente, Roky Erickson (especially the mostly acoustic Never Say Goodbye), David Ackles, Edward G. Robinson in Scarlet Street, Judee Sill, Tom Paxton, Paul Siebel, Tim Hardin, Bob Frank, Lefty Frizzell, Jimmie Rodgers, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Mickey Newbury, Buddy Holly, Edgar Allen Poe, John Cassavetes, Jack London, Victor Sjostrom, Dostoevsky, Orson Welles in Touch Of Evil, Ben Gazarra, Timothy Carey, and Seymour Cassel in Killing Of A Chinese Bookie, Sonoma County Transit, Benjamin Joseph Cobb/Max Whitney/Will Beiderbecke/Nate Peterson/Annika/Tristen/ Big Ben/Joe/Jim/Robert/Cisco/Marilyn/Noah and many other drivers/hobos/crazies/fools from the 20, Vincent Price in Witchfinder General and Confessions of an Opium Eater, Alan Lomax's Folk Songs of North America songbook, Nico, The Sex Pistols, Roy Orbison, Peter Cushing in Twins of Evil, Raymond Chandler, Hoyt Axton, Jack Kerouac, Robbie "the Werewolf" Robison, Kirk Douglas and Yul Brenner in The Light at the Edge of the World, Dashiell Hammett, Jim Thompson, Winston Churchill, Montgomery Clift, The Wicker Man, Marlon Brando in The Fugitive Kind, Apocalypse Now, and The Island of Dr. Moreau, Richard Widmark in Night and the City, The Shaggs, Stephen Sondheim, Steve McQueen in Baby, The Rain Must Fall, Diana/Jerry/Allen/Skeptical Boy aka Tom/Bob/Willy/Colin/Alex from Grassland Cocktail Lounge (Where-good friends & girls meet) at Kearny and Jackson

Sounds Like:

"Armed with a punk rock sneer worthy of Jello Biafra and a love of traditional roots music ranging from Fred Neil to Townes Van Zandt, The Jonah Kit's Jonah Watchman is one of the most fascinating frontmen to emerge in some time. His San Francisco-based trio comes with classic country instrumentation, while Watchman presides likeably over the arrangements with an almost irascible charisma. He's a strange dude for sure, and his delivery casts him as a lanky prairie iconoclast, traversing the American Heartland with a Mohawk tucked under his cowboy hat. Vibrating away through such numbers as the prickly "Rebound Shit" or the doleful "Mercy Kit," Watchman brings to each composition a real originality that's complemented by his band's studious rootsty accompaniment. He can play it pretty straight ("Uncle Cadillac," "Another") or go wild before a campfire ("I've Got Something In My Eye," "Even My Dog Done Made A Fool Outta Me"), but either way, Watchman is never dull company."
— Alex Green/Caught In The Carousel


"Thanks for your music, it's really fine stuff!"
- Don Campau/No Pigeonholes/KKUP

"I got American Songbag, and it's very original and good stuff, blending roots music with a punk attitude; in fact, I'm playing it on my radio show of American roots-based music here."
- Massimo Ferro/Highway 61-Radio Voce/Spazio Alessandria, Italy

"I've been listening to American Songbag, and I like it alot. It has some good songs on it, and some good pickers too. I can dig where you're coming from, the way you twirl those notes around when you sing, having fun playing with the language and music. I used to do alot of that, and it still appears from time to time in my own singing."
- Bob Frank

"Caught up on a big back log of CDs from emerging artists this week, and I especially liked The Jonah Kit. They describe their music as folk music that's 'just as at home in a raunchy barroom as it is in an intimate coffeehouse' and I can agree with that."
- Calvin Powers/Taproot Radio

“Great! -- wavering voice, ‘I've Got Something In My Eye’” - KZSU DJ Pat Blue Ribbon reviewing the Live at the Hotel Utah compilation. The DJ also named the track one of the top picks of the disc.

Record Label:

Fugitive Kind Records

Label Type:

Indie