Jimmy Leslie

Dance Until Forever		Time Dance
"Jimmy Leslie drops a funk and pop mix that's all his own."—Pacific Sun Guitar Player It's fitting that Jimmy Lesile is the first artist to release music through Guitar Player's new label imprint becuse Leslie has a decade-long relationship with the most respected player's magazine on the planet. Leslie is a fixture as a freelance writer for GP and coordinator of montly GP Presents events around the San Francisco Bay Area, but it was his fleet fretwork that caught GP's attention in the first place. Leslie has a signature "freehand" guitar style that incorporates flamenco-like flourishes, slapping & plucking, and inventive faux-slide leads. His tenor voice is equally unique, surprisingly versatile, and central to his distinct roots rock sound. "Almost all of my songs feature the vocals foremost," says Leslie, "but they are entirely guitar-based with an emphasis on GROOVE." Dance Until Forever Dance Until Forever is the long-awaited follow up to Leslie's 2007 solo debut, Surfin' the Swamp. [Leslie was sidelined witha debilitating repetitive stress injury for much of the time in-between.] Like its predecessor, it was recorded in New Orleans with a choice local rhythm section. "I chose to record with Garland Paul and Sam Price because we have a natural chemisty," Leslie explains. "We discovered it post-Katrina during the formative period of the Honey Island Swamp Band, and developed it as a trio gigging around the Bay Area until Garland and Sam eventually rejoined the rest of Honey Island in New Orleans," Leslie explains. "Save Us!" kicks off Dance Until Forever with emotive vocals and deep lyrics that consider the myriad natural and man-made disasters that plague our planet. The closing title track deals with similar subject material in acoustic fashion and with a more optomistic perspective. There's plenty of fun to be had in-between including the R&B tinged "Smile On," the sexy strut of "Soulful & Strange," and the Mardi Gras rock & roll hybrid, "Shake!" Keyboards courtesy of Garaj Mahal's Eric Levy, and horns courtesy of Ryan Scott (Monophonics, Vinyl) and Alan Williams (JeConte) flesh out the grooviest guitar release you're likely to hear for years. Onstage Leslie's live resume includes playing with Shana Morrison (Van's girl), LunaGroove, Visitor Jim, Samantha & the Ritual, and being the leader of the West Coast's premier Allman Brothers tribute, the Allmond Brothers Clan. He's played festivals including High Sierra, Harmony, Earthdance, Xingolati, and Burning Man. Leslie has interviewed everyone from members of the actual Allman Brothers Band to George Clinton, and jammed with the likes of Luther Dickinson and Papa Mali--you never know who may show up at his gigs. Guitarfish Adventures While on tour with Shana Morrison, Jimmy wrote a musicial, eco-aware kids story called the Guitarfish Adventures that tells the tale of a band of fishes trying to make it on tour without getting caught by ravenous humans. Still unpublished, it has inspired a new music festival--the Guitarfish Festival--which will debut September 23-25 at Cisco Groove campground on the Yuma River just off I-80 about 30 mins west of Truckee. The vibe will be based on the book---funky music, majestic camping in an awe-inspiring natural setting, blue eco-awareness and education, and healthy lifestyle encouragement with yoga, Pilates, and lucious food!		2004 - 2008 Jimmy gathers Galactic rhythm section Stanton Moore and Robert Mercurio to provide the pocket for Surfin’ the Swamp. The CD is available only at shows until its official national release in summer 2007. Jimmy’s live act emerges from a group of Katrina refugees called the Honey Island Swamp Band, which contains members of Eric Lindell’s band. When they return to NOLA, Jimmy forms a new group with SF musicians. He also plays gigs with Shana Morrison (Van the Man’s little girl). Leslie hosts Guitar Player Presents once a month around the SF Bay. Examples include Buddy Guy and Robert Cray at the Mtn. Winery, Yngwie Malmsteen at the Independent, John Scofield at Yoshi’s, and Oz Noy at the Boom Boom Room. 2003–2005 In the spring of 2003, Jimmy sits in with electronic musician Alex Theory at a peace party. The two strike up a new project and add keyboardist Jeffrey Gilliam to form LunaGroove. The electro-live act instantly draws the attention of the Burning Man crowd and hits the festival/party circuit. LunaGroove releases a self-titled live CD [Cyberset] at legendary Burner party krewe Anon Salon's Sea of Dreams New Year’s Eve extravaganza. 2000–2003 Visitor Jim is born out of the partnership with Jim Greer and former Crumb bassist Jim Bowser. The band releases a praised CD, gains national radio play at the Triple A format, tours the West Coast, and has a single mixed by Bill Bottrell (Tom Petty, Sheryl Crow). However, the project gets put on hiatus due to Greer’s new gig ghostwriting for Galactic. Leslie takes editorship of Gig magazine for a year before moving on to write for Guitar Player and Bass Player. 1998–2000 Jimmy transplants from Ohio to California when he lands a gig with DreamWorks artist Ira Marlowe, then joins a national touring outfit led by Fortune recording artist Jim Greer. The Fortune Cookies compilation includes Jimmy’s solo track, “I Don’t Know,” which gains significant college radio play in the Bay Area. Jimmy records an album of solo material called Motherboard on his home PC. Leslie develops his skill as a music journalist at the Gavin radio magazine. 1998 Jimmy Leslie and Friends’ Live Downtown CD is released independently. An album of studio material, Libra, is recorded in Leslie's hometown of Toledo, Ohio, that reveals Leslie’s two-sided musical identity: The melodic singer/song-writer, and the groove-rock guitarist.

Dance Until Forever

Time Dance

"Jimmy Leslie drops a funk and pop mix that's all his own."—Pacific Sun

Guitar Player

It's fitting that Jimmy Lesile is the first artist to release music through Guitar Player's new label imprint becuse Leslie has a decade-long relationship with the most respected player's magazine on the planet. Leslie is a fixture as a freelance writer for GP and coordinator of montly GP Presents events around the San Francisco Bay Area, but it was his fleet fretwork that caught GP's attention in the first place. Leslie has a signature "freehand" guitar style that incorporates flamenco-like flourishes, slapping & plucking, and inventive faux-slide leads. His tenor voice is equally unique, surprisingly versatile, and central to his distinct roots rock sound. "Almost all of my songs feature the vocals foremost," says Leslie, "but they are entirely guitar-based with an emphasis on GROOVE."

Dance Until Forever

Dance Until Forever is the long-awaited follow up to Leslie's 2007 solo debut, Surfin' the Swamp. [Leslie was sidelined witha debilitating repetitive stress injury for much of the time in-between.] Like its predecessor, it was recorded in New Orleans with a choice local rhythm section. "I chose to record with Garland Paul and Sam Price because we have a natural chemisty," Leslie explains. "We discovered it post-Katrina during the formative period of the Honey Island Swamp Band, and developed it as a trio gigging around the Bay Area until Garland and Sam eventually rejoined the rest of Honey Island in New Orleans," Leslie explains.

"Save Us!" kicks off Dance Until Forever with emotive vocals and deep lyrics that consider the myriad natural and man-made disasters that plague our planet. The closing title track deals with similar subject material in acoustic fashion and with a more optomistic perspective. There's plenty of fun to be had in-between including the R&B tinged "Smile On," the sexy strut of "Soulful & Strange," and the Mardi Gras rock & roll hybrid, "Shake!" Keyboards courtesy of Garaj Mahal's Eric Levy, and horns courtesy of Ryan Scott (Monophonics, Vinyl) and Alan Williams (JeConte) flesh out the grooviest guitar release you're likely to hear for years.

Onstage

Leslie's live resume includes playing with Shana Morrison (Van's girl), LunaGroove, Visitor Jim, Samantha & the Ritual, and being the leader of the West Coast's premier Allman Brothers tribute, the Allmond Brothers Clan. He's played festivals including High Sierra, Harmony, Earthdance, Xingolati, and Burning Man. Leslie has interviewed everyone from members of the actual Allman Brothers Band to George Clinton, and jammed with the likes of Luther Dickinson and Papa Mali--you never know who may show up at his gigs.

Guitarfish Adventures

While on tour with Shana Morrison, Jimmy wrote a musicial, eco-aware kids story called the Guitarfish Adventures that tells the tale of a band of fishes trying to make it on tour without getting caught by ravenous humans. Still unpublished, it has inspired a new music festival--the Guitarfish Festival--which will debut September 23-25 at Cisco Groove campground on the Yuma River just off I-80 about 30 mins west of Truckee. The vibe will be based on the book---funky music, majestic camping in an awe-inspiring natural setting, blue eco-awareness and education, and healthy lifestyle encouragement with yoga, Pilates, and lucious food!

2004 - 2008

Jimmy gathers Galactic rhythm section Stanton Moore and Robert Mercurio to provide the pocket for Surfin’ the Swamp. The CD is available only at shows until its official national release in summer 2007. Jimmy’s live act emerges from a group of Katrina refugees called the Honey Island Swamp Band, which contains members of Eric Lindell’s band. When they return to NOLA, Jimmy forms a new group with SF musicians. He also plays gigs with Shana Morrison (Van the Man’s little girl).

Leslie hosts Guitar Player Presents once a month around the SF Bay. Examples include Buddy Guy and Robert Cray at the Mtn. Winery, Yngwie Malmsteen at the Independent, John Scofield at Yoshi’s, and Oz Noy at the Boom Boom Room.

2003–2005
In the spring of 2003, Jimmy sits in with electronic musician Alex Theory at a peace party. The two strike up a new project and add keyboardist Jeffrey Gilliam to form LunaGroove. The electro-live act instantly draws the attention of the Burning Man crowd and hits the festival/party circuit. LunaGroove releases a self-titled live CD [Cyberset] at legendary Burner party krewe Anon Salon's Sea of Dreams New Year’s Eve extravaganza.

2000–2003
Visitor Jim is born out of the partnership with Jim Greer and former Crumb bassist Jim Bowser. The band releases a praised CD, gains national radio play at the Triple A format, tours the West Coast, and has a single mixed by Bill Bottrell (Tom Petty, Sheryl Crow). However, the project gets put on hiatus due to Greer’s new gig ghostwriting for Galactic.

Leslie takes editorship of Gig magazine for a year before moving on to write for Guitar Player and Bass Player.

1998–2000
Jimmy transplants from Ohio to California when he lands a gig with DreamWorks artist Ira Marlowe, then joins a national touring outfit led by Fortune recording artist Jim Greer.

The Fortune Cookies compilation includes Jimmy’s solo track, “I Don’t Know,” which gains significant college radio play in the Bay Area. Jimmy records an album of solo material called Motherboard on his home PC.

Leslie develops his skill as a music journalist at the Gavin radio magazine.

1998
Jimmy Leslie and Friends’ Live Downtown CD is released independently.

An album of studio material, Libra, is recorded in Leslie's hometown of Toledo, Ohio, that reveals Leslie’s two-sided musical identity: The melodic singer/song-writer, and the groove-rock guitarist.