JWW And The Prospectors
Austin, Texas, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
Here is a brand new album of 12 exciting cuts from a young and refreshing Western Swing band. In the spotlight on vocals and playing guitar is the very talented Jeremiah W. Wade while Ben Massey handles the enjoyable steel guitar licks. The talent doesn't stop there.
Tom Umberger is heard playing lead guitar and does vocals and Mike Alfred plays trumpet. Heather Rae Johnson plays fiddle and also does vocals and Shannon Marino plays doghouse bass and also does vocals. Massimo Gerosa plays piano and Bobby Trimble is the drummer.
There are many wonderful original tunes. Tom wrote the swinging Insufficent Funds, Lone Star Beer, Big Bend Boogie and A Love Eternal, with huge hit potential. Jeremiah also penned four, It's High Past Time, Forgettin' 'Bout You, No Friend to the Lonely and the Texas dance hall styled Where I Thought You'd Be. Massimo wrote the final original, the instrumental, M.G.Boogie. Then there are three wonderful classics, What Have I Done That Made You Go Away? from the pen and hit parade of the great Moon Mullican, Live and Let Live from Wiley Walker and Gene Sullivan and the Tennessee Ernie Ford and Kay Starr duet standard, Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own.
The album can be obtained through Cd Baby for $13.99 or order via mail: $15.00 (Includes shipping) Send checks and/or money orders made out to Jeremiah Wade, 1507 Holstein Drive Austin, TX 78758 Autographed copies available by request. For more information call (512) 689-0315
Mike Gross, KSEY-FM, Seymour, TX and www.swinginwest.com - Western Swing Monthly
The self-released CD, It’s High Past Time, from JWW and The prospectors reminds me of the happy upbeat Western Swing my grandparents generation used to dance to. Sometimes we think of old school country as full of heartache and woe, and it’s CDs like this that remind us that there was plenty of upbeat dance music for country fans back in the day. This stuff will make you tap your feet if not want to sign up for swing lessons. Entertaining from front to back. Highlight tracks are “It’s High Past Time, “What Have I Done That Made You Go Away,” “Live And Let Live,” and “Big Bend Boogie.” - Taproot Radio
J.W.W is Jeremiah Wade, and the group features another name that crops up with some regularity, in lead guitarist Tom Umberger. Wade & Umberger share equally the songwriting duties in this outfit, though pianist Massimo Gerosa also composed one—“M.G. Boogie”, which is also a highlight of the program. Of the 3 covers, only “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” is really familiar, and then they may have written their own lyrics to much of it, or gotten them from a version I hadn’t heard. Moon Mullican and Lou Wayne provided “What Have I Done To Make You Go Away,” sung by fiddler Heather Rae Johnson. The group mixes grooves and tempos well, not forgetting to play a few two-steps. They do feature steel guitar of course, and even a trumpet. I guess Umberger’s “Lone Star Beer” and “Big Bend Boogie” are my other favorites, but the whole program is enjoyable, and I’d sure go out to dance to this group whenever I’d get a chance! - Blue Suede News
Few bands keep the Western swing banner flying high, but J.W.W. & the Prospectors wave that flag with nimble style. Their first full-length brings to mind traditional voices such as Tex Williams while also possessing the rebellious nature of revivalists like Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen. A Moon Mullican cover and longtime Big Sandy drummer Bobby Trimble augment the local septet's bona fides. - The Austin Chronicle
Discography
Handmade E.P. 2008
It's High Past Time 2010
Photos
Bio
JWW & the Prospectors are the most exciting, most authentic western swing band around today. True to the spirit of Texas, they are known both for raucous live shows and a reverence for the traditions of their musical ancestors.
Top-notch professionals, members of the Prospectors have toured all over the United States and Europe, with acts including Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys, Deke Dickerson, Kim Lenz, the Racketeers, and Wanda Jackson.
The band was brought together by a shared passion for the great honky-tonk and western swing music of the mid-20th century, including artists such as Milton Brown, Ernest Tubb, and, of course, Bob Wills.
While some of their peers dabble in music from this period, the Prospectors uniquely capture the unbridled energy of the great bands of the past, bands that had to keep field hands and roughnecks happy and dancing till the cows came home. While they have received accolades from fellow musicians for their instrumental virtuosity, entrancing vocal harmonies, and the caliber of their songwriting, it is their sheer joy of entertaining an audience that makes JWW & the Prospectors a band not to be missed.
Over the last three years, the Prospectors have gigged throughout Central Texas. Their versatility is such that they are equally at home playing smoke-filled honky-tonks, elegant hotels, and events ranging from corporate parties to bar mitzvahs. In Austin, they have regular gigs at Ginny’s Little Longhorn, the Driskill Hotel, the Broken Spoke, and the Continental Club.
In 2009, JWW & the Prospectors released a well-received EP of western swing and hillbilly standards. In 2011, the Prospectors released It’s High Past Time, their first full-length CD. It’s High Past Time primarily features material written by the band and demonstrates the authenticity of their sound, ranging from honky tonk tearjerkers to Tejano waltzes to impeccably arranged swing.
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