Where have the Jelly Rollers been?....... Are the Jr's still playing? People keeping asking us... The answer is ....YES We have continued to play select gigs and private engagements. The last few years has been an unofficial hiatus for the Jelly Rollers. We've taken time to focus on family, work and our individual eclectic interests, musical and otherwise. Jim, Dan, and Sean have lent their efforts to "The Soul Truckers", an ecstatically funky R&B combo. Sean formed "Jangebones" a rollicking, old time Bluesamericana band. Darren continues to compose for film, play sessions and is completing a debut EP due out in early summer. We've started performing shows again and we're excited to be playing with Guitar Shorty on April 24th at one of our favorite venues in Seattle, The Tractor Tavern. Check back for more updates, new photos and showtimes ~ ~ ~ ~ 12/13/03 Rollers perform with Kim Field at Wild Buffalo As part of the Wild Buffalo's "Harmonica Heaven" month. Kim Field is a master harmonica player and veteran of the northwest blues scene. He is also responsible for writing THE book on harmonica, "Harmonica, Harps, and Heavy Breathers" (available at Amazon), generally credited as being the best reference book ever written on the harmonica and the 20th century harp masters. The 3rd set of the night is a dual harp spectacular, with Sean Divine and Kim Field trading songs and exchanging blows and licks. Earlier in the day, Sean and Kim present a free harmonica workshop at Musician's Center, directly next door to the Wild Buffalo. 12/6/03 Dusty Strings Annual Holiday celebration Sean and Darren perform Jelly Rollers songs as a duo for the Dusty Strings open house on a brand new stage in the newly remodeled store. Other great acts on the bill include Zazou, Hot Club Sandwich, The Yes Yes Boys, and Lightnin' Wells, one of our favorite blue-eyed blues pickers who came all the way from North Carolina. 11/22/03 Jelly Rollers open for Little Charlie and Nightcats One of the very top international touring blues bands in their class, Little Charlie and the Nightcats are always highly entertaining with world-class musicianship. 7/28-8/2/03 Port Townsend blues and Heritage Festival and Workshops The Jelly Rollers are fully involved again this year with Darren teaching guitar at the workshops, and the full band playing for the wharf dance on Thursday evening and at Sirens Friday and Saturday nights. The Port Townsend Blues and Heritage Festival focuses on traditional, rural and acoustic blues in a stunning setting: historic Fort Worden State Park, a turn-of-the-20th century fort overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with expansive views of the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges. This is the 11th year that this unique festival has been held and the lineup includes Lightnin' Wells, Del Rey, Steve James, Robert Lowery, John Cephas & Phil Wiggins, Rich Del Grosso, Cora L. Jackson, John Dee Holeman, and one of the world's most famous elder bluesmen, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, among many others. A couple of highlights of the festival occurred Friday night at Sirens when Lightnin' Wells sat in with the Jelly Rollers to sing "Jump Little Children" and Rich Del Grosso sat in for an entire fiery third set on electric mandolin. What a blast! More info on this superb festival can be found at http://www.centrum.org/events/blues.html 7/27/03 Sean's Amplifier Takes a Little Walk Brazenly lifted from a curb outside of the New Orleans club in Seattle's Pioneer Square, where it may have been sitting a little too long (but let's not talk about that). Rumors of this vintage Flot-a-Tone surfacing have not yet led to its recovery. Check out this page for details and do give a shout if you've seen or heard it. 7/17/03 The Jelly Rollers play the Winthrop Blues Festival again At the fabulous Street Dance with Daddy Treetops and Bump Kitchen. The Winthrop Blues Festival is the biggest in the state of Washington. This year, it also featured Junior Watson, Roomful of Blues, Sonny Landreth, and headliners Joe Louis Walker, Shamekia Copeland and Koko Taylor. 6/21/03 The Fremont Fair Rollers on the Mainstage. At the best damn street event of the year! The clouds swelled ominously. But the bucketfulls didn't fall until shortly after we finished the hour and a quarter set. Check out the fair’s web site at fremontfair.com for more info. 4/13/03 The Rollers win BB Award for "Best Traditional Band". The award ceremony was held at About The Music in Seattle. We are truly delighted to receive this very cool recognition as well as the shiny plaques. We are now simultaneously inspired to become both more and less traditional. 3/11/03 The Jelly Rollers are nominated for a BB. For the title of "Best Traditional Band". This marks the first "BB" nomination for the Jelly Rollers. This annual award process is conducted by the Washington Blues Society and is kind of like the Grammies for blues in Washington State. 12/29/02 Jelly Rollers open for Bo Diddley at his Birthday Party! The legend himself! With a career spanning six decades, his impact on the worlds of both blues and rock & roll has been so monumental, he's often called "The Originator". He's best known for his wild stage shows, innovative guitar tones, unusual custom guitars, and the pounding, hypnotic 3/2 clave beat which bears his name. This show also serves as a special party for Bo Diddley as the strike of midnight rings in his 74th birthday. 9/14/02 Cirque de Broadway festival The band plays from 6:00-8:00PM at this great new festival in Seattle's Capitol Hill. 8/30/02 The Jelly Rollers do Bumbershoot The largest annual festival in Seattle, this 4 day event features literally hundreds of artists, both local and international. The Jelly Rollers play on Friday at 12:45 at the mural stage. Visit the Bumbershoot site where you can find lots more info. 8/11/02 Rollers headline Washington Blues Society Picnic Part of the Peace Concert series which goes every Sunday during the Summer in Seattle. This one takes place at Gassworks Park. Also performing: Mark Riley, Stickshift Annie, the Howlers and many others. More info can be found at http://www.seapeace.org/ 8/2-3/02 Port Townsend Blues and Heritage Festival Dan rejoins the band for this festival. Nearly a one-of-a-kind event in the country, The Port Townsend Blues and Heritage Festival focuses on traditional, rural and acoustic blues. As many elder statesmen of the art form from around the country are recruited to teach and play at this festival, this is a great opportunity to hear the real deal from people who are still well connected to the "roots" of blues and gospel. This 10th Anniversary lineup includes Cephas and Wiggins, Henry Gray, Corey Harris, Ethel Caffie-Austin, Paul Rishell and Annie Raines, the Jelly Rollers and many more. The Jelly Rollers play at Sirens on Friday and Saturday nights as part of the "Blues In The Clubs" and at noon on Saturday during the main festival. More info can be found at http://www.centrum.org/events/blues.html 7/24/02 Darren's Gibson Fixed! With a little adhesive and the steady hand of a master luthier at Dusty Strings, Darren's prized acoustic plays as good as ever. 7/21/02 Art on the Ave Festival After leaving Winthrop and detouring to Port Townsend to play a wedding, the Jelly Rollers do this annual street festival on 6th Ave in Tacoma. Tim Miller fills in on drums as Dan perfects his diaper changing skills. 7/18-21/02 Winthrop Blues Festival The largest of its kind in WA state. The Rollers open the second day as an acoustic duo. A mischievous gust of wind launches Darren's acoustic Gibson thru the air and snaps the headstock. Darren heroically plays the set with a borrowed spare guitar to thunderous applause. 7/13/02 The Old Town Blues Festival A day and night of blues in Tacoma's historic old town. The Rollers headline the outdoor stage, with Jim Plano filling in on drums for the new dad. 7/10/02 Dan's Family Grows by One Dan and Kim give birth to their first child, Ella Elizabeth Weber. Ella marks the second child of the Jelly Rollers rhythm section (counting her future playmate Cannon). Go rhythm! 5/24/02 Cannon Learns to Crawl Cannon has discovered self mobilization and will soon wreak toddler havoc on the unsuspecting Greenwood neighborhood. Hide your valuables! 5/18/02 Sunbanks Blues Festival First festival of the year at the Sunbanks resort in Grand Coulee. The bands play on a carved wooden lakeside stage. An excellent location for a dynamite festival. 3/11/02 Jelly Rollers Open for "Superharp" James Cotton, one of the few remaining giants of the classic Chicago sound, descends upon Seattle. This dynamic performer has become a harmonica institution over his long career, which includes 12 years as Muddy Waters' sideman. The Rollers capture numerous new fans and Mr. Cotton turns on the juice. 1/9-1/12/02 A Mini Tour of Idaho! The Rollers do 2 nights in Sun Valley and 2 nights in Pocatello. In Sun Valley, we do an acoustic radio show and sneak in a day on the slopes. In Pocatello, the band gets an article in the Thursday Arts section of the local newspaper, makes the front page on Friday, and learns that "Mashed Potato is a Fruit Loop" 12/31/01 Jelly Rollers do New Years Eve in Port Angeles A very wild night of dancing and noise making at Sirens, one of our favorite peninsula haunts. 10/3/01 Jim's Family Grows by One Well, there couldn't be a better time for the band to take a month off from performing as Jim's beautiful wife, Chryssa, just gave birth to Cannon Clay Steffen. During Cannon's first month, Jim will likely need to remain near the "nest" to participate in the endless, sleepless series of feedings and changings. Best wishes for Jim, Chryssa, and their new child! 9/26/01 Istanbul goes without Darren's Guitar You may have heard about Darren's three month planned sojourn into the world of Turkish lounge music. Darren was hired to play guitar in a house trio at Istanbul's Hyatt Regency for the final three months of 2001. However, due to economic and political fallout from recent events, this arrangement has been canceled. As a result, the Jelly Rollers will NOT be on a hiatus through the end of the year. But since most clubs book a month or two out, October is a bust. As is most of November. Check this site for upcoming dates... 7/17/01 The Jelly Rollers release New CD In July, 2001, the Jelly Rollers new self-titled CD hit the streets. See for yourself why all the critics are shaving! Check out the New CD page for more info.