Jerry Joseph, holiday brass and wassailing

by Chris Aaland

One of the first slabs of vinyl that I played at KDUR back in the winter of 1987-88 was a five-song EP called “Life’s Just Bitchin’” by a band that I’d never even heard of, “Little Women.” My high school and college buddy and first KDUR on-air partner, Sean Nichols, just liked the album cover, which featured a beautiful, well-dressed woman standing beside a scruffy, bearded man holding up a cocktail in front of some retro dive bar. We quickly cued it up — and, being rookies, realized we needed to change the RPMs from 33 to 45 — and became instant fans.

The group was fronted by singer-songwriter-guitarist Jerry Joseph, and it played Durango quite a few times in the late 1980s, usually on the grand old Farquahrts stage. By the time they went digital for their first CD release, “Pretty Wiped Out,” two years later, they found themselves at the forefront of the burgeoning jam band scene, sharing bills with the likes of Widespread Panic and Blues Traveler. What those bands may have lacked in a poet for a songwriter, Little Women had in spades in the raw talent of Joseph. But Little Women never made it past the regional spotlight, forcing Joseph to ply his trade in the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains. In 1993, Little Women broke up, forcing Joseph and bassist Louis Butts to create Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons. The latter — sans Butts, who left the group several years ago — continues to augment Joseph’s schedule as a solo artist and with an assortment of collaborations, including Stockholm Syndrome, which includes Panic bassist David Schools, David Lindley’s longtime drummer Wally Ingram, plus some other top hired guns.

Since his early days with Little Women, though, Joseph has received a lukewarm reception from fickle Durango audiences … which is sad, given his canon of work of well-crafted rock and roll songs. He’ll be back at the Abbey Theatre at 9 p.m. Friday. Few regional artists have pressed on in the face of adversity as much as Joseph, belting out longtime favorites and clever new material to a diehard, if small, cast of characters who welcome each of Joseph’s new dates in their town.

Eleven brass players from across the Southwest ring in the holiday spirit with a special “Best Brass of Christmas” concert benefiting Music in the Mountains at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the First Baptist Church of Durango (332 E. 11th St.) Brass players from Farmington, Durango, Denver, Albuquerque and Santa Fe will perform such standards as Morten Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium,” Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” Victor Herbert’s “March of the Toys,” plus “Carols of the Bells” and more. The audience will be invited to sing along on “Dona Nobis Pacem” at the conclusion of this special event. A new twist this year has several Durango High school music students performing side-by-side with this exceptional group of professional players. Tickets are available by calling 385-6820 or online at http://musicinthe mountains.tix.com.

Firkin Friday gets seasonal this month with a traditional Yuletide wassail. Often associated with Christmas, wassail historically is a mulled hot cider made with sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Contemporary recipes often begin with a base of wine, fruit juice or mulled ale, with brandy or sherry, and apples and oranges added. “The base for our version is our Lizard Head Red, but we blend in some Spruce Goose,” said Steamworks brewmaster Ken Martin. “We made a concentrated tea out of dried cherries, figs and raisins, mixed it with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg spices, and added it to the firkin. It’s a little outside the norm, but I’ve wanted to do a warm beer for some time now. It should be a nice winter warmer for the holiday season.” As always, the Firkin gets tapped at 3 p.m. Friday and it’ll go quickly.

The Met: Live in HD continues its screening of live performances in the Vallecito Room of the Student Union at Fort Lewis at 10:55 a.m. Saturday with a new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera. This dreamlike setting of early 20th century Sweden provides a compelling backdrop for this dramatic story of jealousy, passion and vengeance.

The Summit’s slate is highlighted by “Watch This! Takeover,” Bump the Systems’ presentation of Two Fresh with Gvnkst, Mosis and Treazon on Friday. The Summit’s lineup also includes the Sweetwater String Band at 10 p.m. tonight (Thurs., Dec. 6) and an open mic/jam session at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Moe’s madness this week includes an exclusive performance by Luckyiam from 8 ‘til close Friday, dancing with Sonar at 8 p.m. Saturday, and regular occurrences like Salsa Night (7 p.m. tonight), Jazz Church (6-9 p.m. Sunday) and open mic night (a free drink for all performers, 8 ‘til close Tuesday).
Also of note: Tonight’s Ska Chili Night features the contemporary rock of Dave Mensch, while The Miserabillies bring traditional country to the Diamond Belle Saloon at 1 p.m. Sunday.

In honor of Jerry Joseph’s performance at the Abbey this Friday, this week’s Top Shelf list looks back at four of my favorite Little Women songs:

1. “Life’s Just Bitchin’,” from the EP of the same name, 1987. The quirky, rock/reggae groove set the tone for great songs to come.

2. “God, Guts and Guns,” from Pretty Wiped Out, 1989. It’s sad that Joseph’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics foreshadowed future public massacres, including a virtual prediction of the Columbine tragedy.

3. “Daddy Bruce,” from “Pretty Wiped Out.” Bruce Randolph was one of the greatest BBQ grillers in Colorado history but better known for his giant heart. For more than 25 years before his death in 1994 at age 94, Daddy Bruce provided free thanksgiving meals to tens of thousands of homeless and needy folks in the Denver area. His Cadillac roamed the streets of Five Points, easily recognized by his bumper stickers: a classic Denver Broncos one on the bumper, and big, white stickers that flanked his license plate reading “God Loves You” and “So Does Daddy Bruce.” Joseph’s song quotes those lines repeatedly in his homage to the Denver legend.

4. “Breakfast at Lucille’s,” from Life’s Just Bitchin.’” A happy-go-lucky beat, but lyrics dark as hell.

My main squeeze is an AK47, always takes their breath away? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.