J.P. McDermott and Western Bop
Last Fool Here
© 2005 Shower-Tone Records (783707194608)
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Red-hot Rockabilly and Vintage Honky Tonk. DC's Country Vocalist of the Year on the Country Recording of the Year (Washington Area Music Assn Wammie Award winner). "Keeper of the Rockabilly Flame" -- OnTap Magazine
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Last Fool Here, the first album from J.P. McDermott & Western Bop, is a sit-up-and-take-notice collection of red-hot rockabilly and vintage honky tonk from a singer who can really sing, with a band that can really rock.
"Country Recording of the Year" - Washington Area Music Association
A Fool's Paradise...
Perhaps it was foolish to wait and worry as the studio tracked down some of the last reel-to-reel tape ever manufactured in order to finish the mixing of their debut release, Last Fool Here, but what J.P. McDermott and Western Bop have found in their fool's paradise is real rockabilly: the straight-up, genuine article, and their CD delivers it with authenticity and authority.
Any doubts are cast aside by the very first track -- My Damn Baby is a raucous, rocking original number -- this is going to be a ball! McDermott teams up with veteran Washington DC rockabilly guitarist Bob Newscaster (Tex Rubinowitz, Billy Hancock) on several originals including the high energy rocker, Go Cat, Go! and the Tex-Mex flavored Lucky Stars. One of McDermott's own, Not Enough of You, takes a straight-forward ballad, and builds it up to an exhilarating finish, thanks to J.P.'s soaring vocals. Another of McDermott's songs, Last Fool Here, closes the record. A last call waltz, it summons up the lonely feeling that hits "when they turn off the jukebox, and they put up all the chairs".
Despite the passion and enthusiasm J.P. McDermott brings to these memorable songs, he could be considered the "last fool here" in that title song because nobody records this way anymore; most music today is direct to the hard drive with digital mixing and editing. But Last Fool Here was made the old-fashioned way -- on magnetic tape using aging analog equipment -- more dependent on vacuum tubes than computer chips. Many of the tracks were recorded with the entire band playing live, all in the one room -- it's a pain to mix, but there is no better way to capture the exhilarating raw feeling of live music. But this isn't mimicking the old process for some sort of history project -- what comes across is not an academic exercise, but a celebration of heartfelt honky tonk tunes and the thrill of rip-roaring rockabilly.
In addition to originals, the collection has plenty of well-chosen covers. A particularly fine rendition of Johnny Cash's Cry Cry Cry features an authoritative guitar solo from J.P. along with his solid vocals. It's not surprising that McDermott was named Country Vocalist of the Year by the Washington Area Music Association. After listening to him on the Harlan Howard classic, Heartaches for a Dime, it's clear that this band is fronted by an impassioned and powerful singer who does more than just energize the rockers. J.P. possesses the tone and control to deliver what the Washington Post has called "honky tonk the way it should be".
It might seem foolish for J.P. to sweat it out to capture the vibrancy and purity of a good strong rockabilly song like That Ain't Nothin' But Right , but he beams with pride when local critics call him "the keeper of the rockabilly flame." The Washington area has always been a welcome home for roots music, and J.P. likes to tell the story of the Buddy Holly song, Blue Days, Black Nights. Buddy used to fib that the song was a big hit in Washington DC (it was so far from Lubbock, TX, how would anyone be the wiser?) but the record never actually got much play. Here, J.P. McDermott gives the song new life, turning out the classic rockabilly sound with sparkling simplicity. Buddy Holly got the western and bop rocking and now it is J.P McDermott's turn to keep it rolling.
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Very good voice (and strong band too)
author: Fred "Virgil" Turgis - Jumpin' from 6 to 6JP Mc Dermott is one hell of a singer and backed by talented and competent musicians of the Washington area like Bob Newcaster (Tex Rubinowitz, Billy Hancock and more recently Dagmar & The Seductones) he produced a album rich in styles and genres. Whatever the kind of rockin’/roots stuff you like, you’ll find one here for you : from wild and fast paced rockabilly (the first song My Damn Baby that is a real killer or the cover of 16 Chicks), a bluesy song with a hot greasy sound on the guitar (Do I Love You), or some classic country (Cash’s Cry Cry Cry) and honky tonk (Harlan Howard’s Heartache for a Dime). Go Cat Go is an instant hymn for all the rockabilly cats and would have made Carl Perkins proud. Lucky Stars, a song also played by Dagmar And The Seductones, is a fine rockabilly tune that sounds like Buddy Holly goes to Mexico if you see what I mean. The kid from Lubbock is also represented with Blue Days, Black Nights, a nice rendition with perfect harmony vocals. On the slow side Not Enough Of You is a beautiful ballad but the real gem has been kept to end the album : Last Fool Here, a soulful waltz with a 60’s country feel. Backed by just a piano and a light rhythm section, the amazing voice of Mc Dermott could make the strongest man in the world cry.
"You may hear the gates of honky-tonk heaven swing open..."
author: Mike Joyce, The Washington PostNo, you won't find the ghosts of Bob Wills and Charlie Parker collaborating when J.P. McDermott and Western Bop step onstage. But if the band's debut CD is any indication, you may hear the gates of honky-tonk heaven swing open now and then. A vintage term for hardcore country and rockabilly sounds, "western bop," as defined by McDermott here, is all about unvarnished ballads and unfettered spirit. Echoes of Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Wynn Stewart and many of their lesser-known contemporaries resound throughout this 12-song collection, along with classic Chuck Berry double stop guitar riffs and some low-end, Luther Perkins-inspired twang. All the while, McDermott gets a big assist from guitarist Bob Newscaster and other local musicians well versed in rockabilly rhythms and honky-tonk tales. After opening up with "My Damn Baby," an original tune that comes across as a convulsive tribute to Sun Records' Billy Lee Riley, McDermott and company conjure a trove of analog sounds: Cash is saluted with a chugging reprise of "Cry Cry Cry." Holly is remembered by the relatively obscure ballad "Blue Days, Black Nights." Orbison's popera flair is evoked when McDermott caps "Not Enough of You," another original tune, with a dramatic flourish. In addition to having a voice versatile enough to pull off these songs, McDermott is the sort of tunesmith who knows how to put a lost soul in his place. For proof, look no further than the title cut, a barroom blues that concerns "the last fool here at closing and the first fool to show tomorrow night."
"A mighty fine addition for the entire roots genre"
author: Uncle_B, BlackCat RockabillyI've just finished listening several times to this new J.P. McDermott CD and let me say right away, it rocks. The first song, "My Damn Baby",is damn fine song to start off with, an itsy bitsy raunchy, foottapping rocker you expect to hear in a truckstop roadhouse. My kinda song so to speak. Next track "Do I love You" continues this mood. Greasy, bluesy and a steady beat. Than J.P.'s interpretation of Johnny Cash's "Cry, Cry, Cry" pleases me very much, and I think it would please Mr. Cash as well. "Coulda Shoulda Woulda" takes me back to the beerjoint. Great rocker tune, with a cool mix of trashy distortion guitar and a twangy Dixie guitar. "Not Enough For You" brings up the first real chance for J.P. McDermott to demonstrate that he also is an old fashioned crooner in the great tradition of the Big "O", and like him, J.P. is capable to put all his pain and broken heart into his voice. Than a rendition of Buddy Holly's "Blue Days Black Nights" with razor sharp vocal harmonies, completed with a groovin' slapbass. To be honest, not entirely my taste, but I 'd give it an A+ for musicality. Another real treat is "Lucky Stars", a catchy Tex-mex tune in a greasy Buddy Holly sauce, pay attention to that guitarsolo and enjoy! "Sixteen Chicks" is a rockabilly bopper of the purest kind. Dancefloor alert! The rest of this CD is equally strong, but you should listen and decide that for yourself. For me this CD is worth 5 stars, no doubt about that! J.P. McDermott delivers a mighty fine addition for the entire roots genre.
LOVED IT!!
This was a surprise gift to my mom, she emailed me with the subject "I LOVE It!!!" and said the following: "The CD put a smile on my face from the very first bar. A bit of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Roy Oberson & Cash. Very rock-a-billy, took me back to my jitterbugging days."
- author: Klaas Roos, The Netherlands
Very nice rockabilly . Strong voice and good backin band!!