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Hoss & Juggernauts to record Morley show
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
Hoss and the Juggernauts are most in their element when on a stage performing for a crowd.
So to capture their sound at its best, the soul-funk quintet’s next album will be recorded live at Morley Pavilion next Wednesday.
“We wanted to release a new album, and we always felt that what we do live is a better representation of what we do, as opposed to going into a studio,” said Roger Lewis, drummer for the Youngstown-based band.
The show will also be captured with a DVD that will be recorded that evening. It will include backstage interviews, audience footage and more. The DVD and CD will be packaged together for sale.
Wednesday’s free concert will begin at 7 p.m. and last 90 minutes. The public is urged to bring blankets or lawn chairs to sit in the grassy amphitheater.
The band can also be seen Sunday at Vexfest, the rock festival on East Federal Street, downtown, where it will take the stage at 6:15 p.m. (see stories on page C6).
Hoss and the Juggernauts has been one of the Mahoning Valley’s top acts for a couple of years, which is as much a product of its talent as it is the fact that no one else around here is doing what the band does.
Led by frontman and band namesake Joe “Hoss” Jarman, the act swings from blue-eyed soul to brassy funk, delivered with tight instrumentals.
Further setting the band apart is Jarman’s husky and commanding voice.
Asked to describe his band’s sound, Jarman got technical at first. “Neo-blues and soul with an edge to it, a sprinkle of rock and a slice of Americana,” he said after giving it some thought. A moment later, he refined his answer: “Funk-soul with a dirty, raspy voice.”
Jarman’s route to the music world had its share of twists, including a long stint as a professional wrestler.
The burly Mineral Ridge High School graduate hoped to continue playing football in college but that didn’t pan out. He went to Youngstown State University and also a school in Cincinnati that trains wrestlers for the WWE.
“I wanted to combine athletics and entertainment,” he said.
Jarman wrestled on a lower-level circuit for more than four years, traveling across the country for shows.
He returned home and found himself singing in the band Audion. He met Lewis, who was in Relic at the time, and the two decided to form a new act.
Originally called Acoustic Juggernaut, the band would later go electric and change its name to reflect the move.
It was a natural continuation for Jarman, who has been singing since he was a small child in school and church.
His mother taught him the finer points of the art, and rooted in him a love of funk, soul, gospel and good songwriting.
“Gospel got me into the blues,” he said.
Songwriting for Hoss and the Juggernauts is a communal process, fueled by Dropbox communication, and bearing the influence of each band member.
Jarman writes the lyrics based on the varied input from his mates.
“It gets me out of my comfort zone,” he said. “We go with what’s organic. That way it all doesn’t sound the same. We don’t try to force it.”
In addition to Jarman and Lewis, the act includes Jordan Graham on guitar, John Anthony on guitar and Mike Geffert on bass.