Jemo

:"For the Pacific island, see Jemo Island.":"Jemo is also a soil type on tropical islands and atolls, characterized by raw humus overlying phosphatic hardpan. It originates from leaching of guano."Jemo is a Canadian acoustic rock band, consisting of Jeff Dantowitz (vocals/guitar), James Bastable (bass), and Michael Beauclerc (drums.) The band began as a solo project in the mid-1990s, and has expanded to become one of Toronto's most powerful live acts, often performing their highly dynamic live sets without breaks between songs. Jemo is signed to Label Records, the Canadian record label of California's Lustra.

Members

Jemo originally began as a solo project in the Acoustic music genre by multi-instrumentalist Jeff Dantowitz. A versatile Toronto musician, Dantowitz played various instruments in several acts during the time period when he started writing and performing songs under the name Jemo. With only his guitar, Dantowitz played the coffee houses and cafes of Toronto, winning over conservative and alternative audiences alike with his emotional vocal expression and carefully crafted songs. He recorded all of the instruments on the first Jemo album himself during the summer of 2000.
Dantowitz became bandmates with James Bastable while playing in a cover band in which Bastable played guitar and Dantowitz played drums. Bastable became a fan of Dantowitz's solo project, and would join Jemo in 2005 as the bassist. The two then added accomplished drummer Michael Beauclerc, a former Drum Corps International champion and Yamaha-sponsored percussionist.

Recording History

The first Jemo album was recorded in 2000, with the instruments performed entirely by Dantowitz. He played drums, guitar, bass, and other percussion instruments, during late nights at a friend's basement studio. The album reached heavy rotation on American and Canadian College Radio stations in 2001, and received critical acclaim from radio and print in North America as well as Europe and Australia.

Dantowitz recorded "The Six-Fingered Salmagundi" in late 2004 and early 2005, using acoustic solo live performances as a "bed track" for other instrumental parts, which he added in the studio.

The group's current lineup was formed in Toronto in 2005. They began to do shows in and around Toronto, and in 2006 travelled to the east coast of Canada in a frenzied tour. In order to satisfy crowd demands, Jemo recorded and released an album that would capture the live sound of the three talented musicians: "Oaks With Rushes".

Discography

2001: "Jemo"
2005: "The Six-Fingered Salmagundi"
2006: "Oaks With Rushes"

External links

* [http://www.Jemo.Net/ Jemo.Net]
* [http://www.myspace.com/jemo/ Jemo Myspace page]
* [http://www.jemounofficial.com/ Unofficial page maintained by fans]
* [http://besttuna.blogspot.com/2007/02/jemo-whos-army.html/ Toronto show review February 2007]
* [http://torontoist.com/2007/01/shaken_all_nigh.php/ Magazine interview January 2007]
* [http://www.minor7th.com/m7_4_02.html/ Review of first "Jemo" album March 2002]