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Psychedelic Poobah jams
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
If Poobah’s heavy psychedelic rock sounds like the real deal, well, that’s because it is.
The iconic, bluesy music was born in the 1970s, and that’s when Youngstown native Jim Gustafson — who is the grand poobah of Poobah — started to rock.
Four decades (and probably about that many haircuts) later, and Gustafson & Co. are still doing it old-school. But with rockers like Jack White channeling Led Zeppelin riffs, Poobah is also getting a fresh round of appreciation.
Gustafson’s bands have opened for the likes of Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, James Gang, Judas Priest and Uriah Heep in their heydays.
And Poobah has clung to its time-warp connection with the arena-rock era.
In recent years, Poobah’s albums have become something of a holy grail for collectors. As a result, the band has earned mentions in magazines on two continents this past year, including Rolling Stone (who named the band to its top album reissues list), Goldmine, Classic Rock, This Is Rock (Spain) and Mojo (UK).
Poobah has also become a top seller for its California record label, Ripple Music. The band will re-release two more CDs this year.
In addition to guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Gustafson, the current incarnation of Poobah is Lori Powers (percussion/vocals); Mike Lewis (bass); and Mike Fortino (drums/backing vocals). The lineup is going into its fourth year together.
Gustafson now lives in the Marietta area, but he will bring Poobah back to his old stomping grounds three times this month, including a Saturday night gig at the Lemon Grove in downtown Youngstown.
Gustafson talked about Poobah’s resurgence in this exchange with The Vindicator:
Q. You had an interesting experience not long ago when you met up with Billy Cox, who played bass for Jimi Hendrix. What happened that night?
A. I was lucky to get to work with Cox in a recording studio in Memphis years ago. I learned a lot from him on recording techniques. I also got to open a show for him in Nashville. He was always nice, and as far as I could tell, he was craving getting back on stage after the untimely death of Jimi. I called him up recently and sent him some CDs of Poobah, and told him I wanted to let him see my progress since working with him years ago. He called me back, and said the Poobah CDs were incredible! He then invited me to see his show in Morgantown, W.Va., in January. It was great meeting up with the rock legend again. He even posed [for a photo] holding a copy of the Poobah “Let Me In” CD.
Q. Poobah’s back catalog is very much in demand. What album will be re-released next?
A. It has been pretty amazing that the Poobah albums continue to sell. I am always pleased that fans around the world email me, write, and call with praise for the Poobah albums. Next up for release will be the 1976 album “U.S. Rock” with an extra 40 minutes of bonus tracks. It will be a two-record set, with bonus photos, too. The deluxe collector’s edition CD will soon be available in WalMart, Kmart, Barnes and Noble, Target, Best Buy, and many more record stores in the United States, Canada and Europe.
Q. Poobah has three Youngstown-area shows in April (Saturday at the Lemon Grove; April 21 at Lucky Inn, Leavittsburg; and April 28 at Backyard Bar and Grill in Poland). What can fans expect?
A. We have been adding new Poobah songs, and getting older material revamped for inclusion in these shows. The band lineup has changed many times as years have gone by, but I am lucky to have a powerful, well-oiled thing going on now, musically.
With all the international press we have received recently, along with being chosen by Rolling Stone magazine for Top 10 reissues of the year, many offers have come our way, including being asked to play rock festivals in Europe, which we hope to do next summer. I love to play guitar, and it doesn’t matter if there are 20 or 20,000 people there. I want to rock out!
Q. What’s on deck for Poobah’s schedule this summer?
A. In addition to festivals in Kentucky, Columbus and Maryland, new dates are being added all the time. We still love to play clubs, where you have a close feel of the audience to feed off. It creates an energy that is magic. You feel so great, when everything is going as you want it.
This summer and fall will see the release of two more Poobah CDs, too. I love seeing my songs get out in the world market, and it gives us more draw in areas we might not have visited before. It is a lucky thing to get your songs out there, and be able to continue to enjoy the music you create. We have played thousands of shows, and still love being able to live the dream of traveling and rocking as a musician. I have had so much fun and it seems unreal at times, but being able to do this makes me feel blessed and grateful to the fans who buy our songs, and keep the fires burning for Poobah.