Jim the Mule

Band Members:
Artist Information

Instrumentation Tom Swanson : Vocals, Guitar Jason Gilliland : Bass, Vocals Dan Videtich : Guitar, Vocals Ryan Koning : Percussion Steve Merritt : Drums, Vocals

Biography Jim the Mule is a five-piece band from the Iowa & Illinois Quad Cities that blends the gritty rock and roll textures birthed in the late sixties and early seventies with a modern pop-rock sensibility. Their take on the classic rock-song structure appeals to music fans far and wide. A testament to this, the band was voted Best Local Rock Band by readers of the River Cities' Reader in their Best of the Quad Cities Poll for two years in a row and has been called “one of the best practitioners [of rock and roll]” by local media. If you appreciate tight musicianship delivered in an original and energetic package, Jim the Mule is your band.

HISTORY... Jim the Mule formed in May of 2000 when Jason Gilliland (bass, vocals), Tom Swanson (guitar, vocals), and Ryan Koning (drums, percussion) decided to resume making music after a two-year hiatus. The trio had performed under the monikers Hot Wax Residue, The Nightcrawlers, and Tribello while attending St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA. After graduation, Swanson moved to Portland, OR for a brief stint. Upon his return to the Quad Cities he was approached by Koning and Gilliland about a serious band effort. He agreed, and the group underwent a rigorous, seven-month writing and practicing period in order to prepare for live performance.

Seeking a tight, soulful sound, JTM recorded the Common Antecedents Single in the basement of the house of friend Pat Connelly during their preparation period. Connelly would go on to record three more live albums for the band. In December of the following year, JTM went on to record Live at Mound St. Landing, a single-performance album that was released in January of 2002. Just after the release, Koning left JTM. Hesitating to settle on a quick replacement, Gilliland and Swanson went on an exhaustive search for the perfect drummer, but the process wasn’t easy.

Later in the winter of 2002, Swanson attended a local blues jam and ended up on stage with a fiery slide-guitar player named Dan Videtich. The two were all but escorted off the stage after they’d locked into an Allman/Betts style jam that was excessive for the format. The guitarists hit it off immediately and, that very night, Swanson asked Videtich to try out for JTM. After meeting Gilliland, he was soon invited to join the lineup. The addition of Videtich sparked the desire for JTM to perform again and they resumed searching for a drummer. At this time the band was introduced to Jesse Reimer, who filled the slot to get JTM back in the saddle.

JTM performed for about a year with this lineup and their work culminated in the recording of the live To a Sunday, released in October of 2003. Ironically, the CD-release performance for the album would be the last time Reimer performed as a member of JTM. A few weeks prior, Koning expressed interest in re-joining the band as a percussionist, a proposal that was greeted with enthusiasm. Shortly thereafter, JTM auditioned the experienced, soon-to-be drummer Steve Merritt. Merritt proved to be the missing link, and the band asked him to join.

A rejuvenated JTM performed as a five piece for the first time in late 2003 and entered a productive year of writing and performing, establishing themselves as a premier regional live band. They went on to win the Best Local Musical Act and Best Local Rock Band titles in the annual readers’ poll of the Quad Cities’ independent weekly paper, the River Cities’ Reader. They went on to record the impromptu Dust, from the band’s first and only all-acoustic performance in December of 2004. Continuing to garner an ever-growing following, JTM was voted Best Local Rock Band for the second year in a row in early 2005. Shortly thereafter, the band entered the studio in March of that year and released their proper debut, Jim the Mule, in July of 2005.

Website http://www.jimthemule.com

Discography "Jim the Mule", released July 2005

OTHER RELEASES:

"To A Sunday", released October 2003 and currently unavailable

"Dust", released 2004 and currently unavailable

"Live at Mound Street Landing", released 2002 and currently unavailable

"Common Antecedents" Single, released 2001 and currently unavailable

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