“My dad is a drummer, and while I was growing up he played in several funk/soul/blues bands. I remember vividly looking at the covers of all his mostly 80s vinyl, full of Prince, Michael Jackson, Rick James, Tina Turner, and even that Eddie Murphy record. Needless to say, there were lots of jheri curls, men in dance belts, and variations on the jumpsuit.”
“Growing up in the blanche suburbs of Minneapolis, it goes without saying that I didn’t have the best grasp on a normative African-American male image. These album covers were part of my norm. My mother was also a seamstress and made many of my brother’s and my outfits to reverse color match (she had a line of matching mother daughter wear.) Again, I assumed this was just the norm.
I loved spandex (and still do), tap dancing, James Brown and his loyal side man, Maceo. I knew that the words “give the drummer some” or “tighten up” meant a good time was to be had. I played saxophone from the age of 10, and joined my dad’s 10-man soul band on some of those funk dates once my chops were decent. In my pre-adolescence, my dad’s vinyl collection seemed to be a portal to a distant but very real world. The crackly sound of the needle dropping affirmed these strange kindred spirits were living out the very lives pictured on the big, tactile jackets while I was growing faint facial hair in my parent’s basement.
I concurrently also secretly recorded hours of bizarre, emotionally over-wrought, piano based singer-songwriter improvisations on our home camcorder and cassette recorder, a hobby I would resume later in my college career. My dad found these tapes at some point, but we’ve never talked about it…I went on to study jazz saxophone and composition. Now I play guitar in a folk band, and write songs about the American Civil War.
Clearly there was a period of musical growth (and more secret home recordings) that led to this present musical venture, but these early experiences gave foment to much creativity and flexibility which is at the root of all my musical endeavors.
Presently I own 3 different record players: A vintage portable GE with built-in speakers which I carry up to my Brooklyn rooftop for BBQs, a tiny 70s era “Clarinet II” which sounds really terrible, but I can bring it to work in a tote bag, and then a traditional home player.
My first record was a gift—Rahsaan Roland Kirke’s Early Roots. The record I play the most right now is either the Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner Porter and Dolly or Jeanie C. Riley’s Harper Valley P.T.A. The records in my collection which I most value are Malvina Reynolds’ Malvina (1972), Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962), Pete Seeger’s Gazette Vol. 2 Songs by Pete Seeger (1961), and Buffy Saint-Marie’s Little Wheel Spin and Spin (1966).
We are excited to release our new album Oh July on vinyl and digital only, cut by Brooklyn Phono inBrooklyn, NY. You will be able to order it directly through our website.”
—Geoffrey Wilson, lead vocals/guitar/keys/horns
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Jus Post Bellum Tour Dates:
Nov 05 – Washington, DC – Hill Country
Nov 06 – Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub
Nov 07 – Chicago, IL – The Burlington
Nov 08 Louisville, KY – Atlantic No5
Nov 10 – New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall
Nov 14 – Philadelphia, PA – Tin Angel
