Jimmy "Flim" Johnson

[JimmyJ]

Hey Rusty,

Thanks in advance or supporting the team.  I'm sorry that we can't chat but hopefully another time.  Enjoy the show and watch for the flying artichokes (you'll see what I mean). 

Jimmy J

[rustyg61]

Maybe I can catch you at The Spud sometime! I'll definitely be on the lookout for "flying artichokes!" Enjoy your time in Texas!


Rusty

[rustyg61]

Just got to our seats, looking forward to a great show!

[rustyg61]

Hey Jimmy, the show was amazing! The musicianship was top notch, the sound was crystal clear, and the light show was one of the coolest I’ve ever seen! The “flying artichokes” were very cool and unique! Has anyone ever been hit by one? How in the world do they move that enormous tree?? I loved how James did all the song intros! It was like watching a live documentary on how the songs were written! I never knew how funny he is! He has a great sense of humor! I only had two disappointments, y’all didn’t play “Your Smiling Face” (I was looking forward to seeing you do Lee’s disco pops!) and they weren’t selling Jimmy Johnson T Shirts! 😎 I was also bummed I didn’t get to meet you, but someday…….


Keep living the dream! You are blessed to get to do what you do!!

[JimmyJ]

Hey Rusty!

Thanks for the nice review.  Glad you enjoyed the show.  Also great to hear Bob Glaub laying down his classic bass playing for Jackson, right?  It's like a lesson hearing him play exactly the right thing to support those tunes every night.

None of us has been nailed by any artichokes so far (whew!) but yeah, pretty trippy visual stuff going on.  My eyes are closed most of the time so I'm generally unaware, but everybody says it looks cool.

And JT does have a great sense of humor and a funny, dry delivery.  He's also a really smart guy who seems to know something about everything.  He can carry on a conversation with anybody on any subject.  Pretty interesting.

Yeah, JJ T-shirts, that will be the day!  HA!

I know how lucky I am to be part of this band but thanks for reminding me.

Jimmy J

[rustyg61]

Sorry for the late reply, I've been out of town since your show. Yes, Bob was great too! I really enjoyed both bands! Here's a few shots of the stage so you can see the artichokes working their magic! I didn't take the video, but it was from the Houston show I was at & it has a good angle on you so here's what you sounded like!


https://youtu.be/Tup13vhqoWc

[JimmyJ]

Thanks Rusty,

That's a heck-of-a TV set we're playing in front of.  I kinda had no idea.  Ha!!  Looks pretty cool.

Jimmy J

[jazzyvee]

Wow that’s how the other half gig!!!
Jimmy, i’m glad you still have that love of gigging and touring.  I hope to get to one of the UK dates.

[jacko]

Will James be bringing that same light show to Glasgow Jimmy?  That would be pretty cool!  last time round in 2017 he brought the US show to the UK although it didn't look as sophisticated as Rusty's photos.

Graeme

[JimmyJ]

Hey Graeme,

I'm not sure what the plan is, or how large the production will be over there.  JT's biggest "market" is still here in the US.  And although he loves to take his music all over, my understanding is that he does not come out ahead when he tours the EU.  He does well in the UK, able to play large venues, so the size of the band and production often reflects that.  But the last time he carried us ALL around the EU probably cost him a bundle...  So that's why it is often a scaled down show anywhere but in the US.  He says that during his heyday he never nurtured the rest of the world simply because he could go round and round in the US every year.

All that said, I also have to say - without actually saying - hang on to those tickets but use a pencil when writing the date in your calendar. 

Cheers!
Jimmy J

[hankster]

Looking forward to seeing Jimmy with JT in Victoria, BC - the cancelled October show is now rescheduled to May 11, with Jackson Browne!  Last time I saw Bob Glaub was with Linda Ronstadt in 1976 or so.

[JimmyJ]

Hey Richard,

Thanks for hanging on to your tix.  Bob is such a great solid bass player, and a swell guy too.  I've been enjoying hearing him play exactly the right thing at exactly the right time for many years.  We're looking forward to our run across Canada in the spring.  Let's hope the pandemic has petered out by then...

Jimmy J

[eddievig]

Jimmy,
I saw clips from the Billy Childs/Baked Potato rehearsal on Instagram...wow! I have some of those CD's from when they were first released, beautiful stuff.

I know that there is some video-on-demand on the Potato website, but do you know if those gigs will be posted for purchase? I'd happily pay twice the cover for that since I'm so far away.
Best,
Ed V

[JimmyJ]

Hey Ed V,

Childs has a very strong left hand and writes accordingly.  His music has been kicking my a$$ for years!     Thankfully he gives us plenty of notice so we can shed before we get to the gig.  And we had a wild and fun weekend with Gary Novak on drums and Andrew Renfroe on guitar. 

The Baked Potato set up a good system for streaming, which thankfully helped keep the place afloat over these past couple years.  They also transformed the back parking lot into patio seating with live audio and video piped in from the stage.  That's technically "outdoors" so it allows more people to attend.

They haven't done the streaming thing for a while though.  I think it may be a little complicated legally.  Keep in mind the club is still owned by Don Randi of the famous Wrecking Crew rhythm section so I'm sure he wants the composer's, publisher's, and performance rights to all be legit.  But frankly I doubt that's even possible in the streaming medium.  Music is free (don't get me started).

Anyway, to the best of my knowledge, they still have the control room set up (for the closed circuit patio) and are very likely archiving all these performances.  So sometime in the distant future there could be a treasure trove of content made available.  We will see.

Cheers,

Jimmy J

[goran]

Wow I didn't know that, last time I was at Baked Potato was in 2003... I would love (and many more people) for Baked Potato to have streaming service, I know jazz cub Smalls has that. I would pay for most of gigs to sit home and watch them, or even just to listen.

Hope future is bright for Baked Potato.