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Whoa! Here you are in the Kentucky bluegrass. - Sure, we know - you thought
the grass would really be blue. Ahh...the smell of distilleries, coal mines
to the East, Jesuit seminarians to the west. When the glaciers melted after
the ice ages, the water run off actually stopped here, making a distinct
groove in the earth that became the Ohio river. For a short time, Kentucky
was beach front property.
And here, amidst all the other historical relevances, you will find Java
Men. Four young men making music, putting another distinct groove into the
mortal coil...
Todd Hildreth (organ, piano, accordion) Craig Wagner (guitars, stick) Chris Fitzgerald
(electric and upright bass) and Paul Culligan (drums and percussion) have used
time and patience to combine their strengths and experiences with strong
writing and a shared passion for free improvisation.
Graduates from every musical style made in these parts, the band is
mainstream jazz and indie rock, experimental fusion and bluegrass. Their
music is accessible but never predictable. They simultaneously fit and
forsake the genres of straight ahead, acid jazz, and modern music with an
elasticity and eclecticism that comes from playing hours on end in the
backyard. What began in 1992 as an organ trio (bassist Fitzgerald joined the
group in 2001) has become a modern music ensemble that incorporates piano,
synths, Chapman Stick, accordion and percussion.
The band has been featured in Keyboard, Acoustic and Just Jazz Guitar
magazines, Signal To Noise, and the syndicated Jazz South radio program.
Java Men were voted "Best Jazz Band" in The Louisville Eccentric Observer¹s
1998 reader poll. A Letter To St. Paul and Void were named
"Top Ten
Albums Of The Year" (1995,1997) by the Louisville Courier Journal. 1999¹s
Orbituary received air play on over a third of the jazz stations in the
country, plus international air play in Canada, Portugal, Columbia, and
beyond. Java Men have appeared with Victor Wooten, Royal Crown Revue, Spyro
Gyra, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Orleans, Buckwheat Zydeco, The Racheals,
and others.
Initially, Hildreth formed Java Men with the intent of one day being
Louisville¹s best kept musical secret - a local band with a reputation that
penetrated music fans and musicians listening far outside the city. Java Men
have become just that. Lovingly referred to by members as ³a sonic sandbox²
where anything goes, the band continues to develop their writing and unique
performance chemistry.
Members of Java Men have played the Montreaux Jazz Festival, Lollapalooza,
and the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship.They have lent their
talents to Eugene Chadbourne, King Kong, Jamey Aebersold, Days Of The New,
Edenstreet,
Jimmy Raney, Papa M, Lynne Arialle, Love Jones, Pat LaBarbera, and Bob from
Sesame Street.
The Fall of 2004 will mark twelve years since Java Men first played together.
No longer a local secret, Java Men are preparing compositions for a
recording later in the year that will be the first to feature the band as a
quartet.
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Bellarmine University Music Department
We maintain an ever growing mailing list for our listeners. If you would like to be included, or have any comments, questions, criticisms, etc., then please contact us via E-Mail or write to:
Java Men
1324 Lydia St.
Louisville, KY 40217
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Updated on Aug 19, 2004
©2004 Java Men, All Rights Reserved.
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Todd Hildreth