Jim. The Band

Jim the Band was a short-lived but regionally successful fusion rock outfit that blended hippie jam rock with funk, soul, lite jazz, '80s pop, and a tripped out sense of humor. The band was founded in 1995 under the name Nurse Rick by University of Illinois graduates Frank Gattone (piano), Dave Werba (guitar), and Barrett Schultz (bass). After helping to expand the small Champaign, IL, music scene by playing several near-abandoned clubs, the trio embarked on an ambitious West Coast tour. Then, in 1996, they moved to Chicago and recruited two new members: drummer Bryan Waldo and lead vocalist James Paul Gattone, the pianist's brother. The band began working the Chicago circuit under the goofy new moniker Jim the Band. Their Phish-like funk and weirdness helped to develop a faithful following in the city and Jim soon began scoring corporate sponsorships, festival prizes, and television appearances. In 1998, their debut record, The Way We Were, earned distribution from locally based AEMMP Records. It received some radio airplay and favorable press, but the divergent musical tastes of the band members were already beginning to strain against each other. By their 1999 sophomore effort, The Blue Album, the group's most recent members had departed. The remaining trio worked more independently than before, with Gattone focusing on airy keyboard pop, Schultz experimenting with modern rock influences and Werba digging deeper into the wacky jazz rock vibe that would characterize his later work as the California-based solo act Mr. Rose. Shortly after the release of The Blue Album, Jim the Band disbanded. ~ Evan Cater