Spotlight - Jim Whitley
After spending the past few years playing guitar for the Sunbury based band Jesse,
Jim Whitley, with a passion for doing original music, decided it was time to step out
on his own. A short time later, he released "Beyond Control," a twelve song, instrumental album.
On this release, Jim wrote, produced and performed everything on his own and, what can you
expect to hear on this release? Well, bottom line is this, it's a guitar driven album because
that's what Jim is known for. This release gives you a good idea of what he can do. But,
in all honesty, if you really wanna see what Jim Whitley can do with a guitar,
you have to see him in a live setting.
I saw him perform with Jesse a few times. I even walked about ten miles or so to a
show because I couldn't get a ride. That's how bad I wanted to see this band and,
if you ask me if it was worth it, I'd be quick to tell you that, yes, it was. Got to
see a good show that night, got a shirt from the band, got drunk and the band was kind enough
to make sure I got a ride home because I didn't have one of those either. Okay, so it wasn't
one of the brightest things I ever did. But, when I wanna go to a show,
I do what I have to do to get there.
I recently got to see Jim Whitley perform at Whitey's Hotel, between Treverton
and Sunbury, with his new band. No, I didn't walk to this show although this was
the same place that I did walk to when he was in Jesse. Anyway, this was the third show
with his new band, which features former Bon Fuhrer drummer Tommy Dai and bassist
Jon Williams. They performed a mixture of original material and good old rock 'n'
roll, with that "guitar madness" that Jim Whitley is known to perform. The crowd was a bit
disappointing, but, that's what this area is known for. I've been to a lot of different shows
at a few different places and people just don't seem to show up. There's some lazy ass people
in Northumberland County, that's for sure. These people need to wake up and smell the
coffee. I could rant and rave on this subject, but, I won't go into it here. But, I will
say this, they missed one hell of a performance. The crowd was disappointing, but, the
show itself was the total opposite. Jim, Tommy and Jon work real well together on
stage and they give it their all for each and every song. It's good to see a band that
can actually put on a show without worrying about their image, which a lot of bands
out there are guilty of...and I'm sure we don't need to mention any names. Clothes don't
make a good band, people...remember that. It's the music, that's what's important.
While the band goes under Jim Whitley's name, this is not a solo project. This is very much
a band effort here, which Jim was quick to point out. It's all about making good music
and having fun, which is something Tommy mentioned to me in a conversation we had in
between sets. I can't remember exactly what he said, but, it was something about how
he was having a great time in this band and the word "fun" was mentioned
numerous times. I do remember that much.
All in all, I would suggest keeping an eye on these guys. Like I said, this was only
their third show together and they've already got it going on. An album is in the
works and I believe we'll see a new release from them by the end of the year. So,
it'll be good to see how they grow and progress as time goes by. Gotta catch
them live when you can, people! I'm already making plans to attend their next show
in my area, which I believe will be at Studio 15 in Selingsgrove. Not exactly sure of
the date yet, but, I'll be there.
On the web:
http://hometown.aol.com/liksntriks