The Jimmy Watts Band Bio:
Growing up in South East Queensland’s Toowoomba, where fresh mountain air is sold in a can and conservatives rule with an iron bible, it’s no wonder Jimmy Watts is a little backwards at times. After all, it takes a special kind of individual to start a career as a One Man Band; but playing the high hats, a kick drum, slides and acoustic guitars while blowing a harmonica and singing is certainly one way to stop a lad from fidgeting.
With blistering finger-picking guitar solos, lung popping harmonica riffs and freight train beats of the drums; there’s an initial ‘deer in the headlights’ moment that happens the first time audiences see Jimmy play. Whether it’s busting out solos’ while playing a lap slide standing up or singing a sweet and heartfelt ballad, he dances between genres' and styles to create a unique, transfixing and intimate performance, that soon has audiences bouncing up and down.
After cutting his teeth playing lead harmonica and guitar for several bands around Brisbane, including alternative folk staple Timbah, Jimmy Watts gave into the urges to play his own songs, and with a second hand kick drum and a set of high hats, he started blitzing stages all over the East Coast.
The current line up of rotating session players that make up the band include Mellissa Hender on African style percussion, Paul Young on Drums, Mike Leo on Bass, and Clinton Cox on keys. The extra energy and input contributed by the hard working backing band creates a full, yet friendly and easily accessible sound.
Whether Jimmy is performing solo, or with a 4 piece band, the night is always a groovy and percussive affair; either driven by Jimmy’s stomp box and symbols, Mellissa Hender’s Dununba’s and Djembe (large cow and goat hide skinned wooden drums) or a hot as hell drum kit. The sheer power of so many infectious rhythms infused with melodic harmonica playing, intricate piano parts, and an array of guitar styles; has audiences up on the dance floor and bopping around despite themselves.
The new line up variations have turned an already pumping live show into a groovy, rootsy, bluesy, folked up and funked out explosion uniquely delivered on acoustic guitars free of distortions and effects. It’s this natural sound from a unique blend of instruments playing melodically complex and catchy tunes that stimulates the primal urges to dance; and it’s the stripped back, simple and honest approach that allows the musicianship to come to the fore.
It should come as no surprise that’s it’s a fairly warped road that leads to being a one man band, one full of busking and late nights in the basement tweaking mad scientist inventions, but few have taken the road and even fewer can combine the sheer physical skill of playing so many instruments at once with the raucous and emotional delivery that Jimmy does night after night.
Here a few of the festivals Jimmy Watts has played at:
Greenfest (Brisbane)
Grass Roots Festival (Brisbane)
Hampton Food & Wine Festival (Hampton)
The Wallaby Creek Folk Festival (Cooktown)
Redlands Folk Festival (Brisbane)
River To Reef Festival (Mackay)
Grape & Apple Festival (Stanthorpe)
Jimmy has opened shows for some of Australia's finest artists, including ARIA award nominee ASH GRUNWALD, QLD blues band of the year BLIND LEMON, internationally renowned swamp rocker 8 BALL AITKENS, blues artists CHASE THE SUN, Golden Guitar nominee NIK PHILLIPS, Activist rockers ANARCHIST DUCK, Folksters THE LITTLE STEVIES, North QLD favourites SWOON, and THE DAVE FLOWER BAND, Ska groups including AREA 7, DE JAH GROOVE, SIMON WRIGHT & THE GROOVE COLLECTIVE and many many more.
