Black Diet

As you’ll remember, last year David Byrne made a series of blog posts about Des Moines following his headlining slot at the 80/35 Music Festival. Those posts were among the things that lead to him returning to speak at the grand opening of the Des Moines Social Club this year.

Related: 7 80/35 bands you now know you love, including Black Diet

Who is taking up the mantle of Des Moines evangelist this year? The Minneapolis band Black Diet. Today the band posted a blog posted entitled “Iowa Knows,” which includes “we can’t help sitting back and reminding each other what a kick ass weekend we had at 80/35 in Des Moines” in the first paragraph.

I don’t want to quote the whole thing, but here’s how it ends:

“Iowa knows, people. Iowa knows how to throw a kick ass party, how to ensure that their festivals are of benefit to all. Iowa knows how to treat people right and we can’t wait to go back.”

Related: The 5 best moments from 80/35

According to their site, Black Diet has its next show July 22 in Ames as a RAGBRAI event, but the Forest City RAGBRAI site says they have Black Diet that day. Forest City is a longer drive than Ames, so if that’s the case hopefully they’ll be back for another central Iowa show soon. - Juice Magazine

Black Diet (4:45 p.m. Friday, Kum & Go Stage): Fronted by the charismatic Jonathan Tolliver and burlesque singer Mugsy, Black Diet is oozing soul with a bit of new-wave flare. This could be the weekend’s most dance-worthy set. - Juice Magazine

Black Diet caught our attention with their spirited, buoyant live show, performances that deservedly earned the band a trip down to Austin for SXSW after winning the Are You Local? contest. The group delivered on the promise suggested by those shows by releasing their stellar full-length debut, Find Your Tambourine, back in April. These vibrant, soulful numbers are a revelation. There is a thoroughly modern pulse and restless energy that courses through these tracks, with the band also stylishly paying homage to their soul and R&B influences that color their sparkling arrangements and effervescent vocals. - City Pages

Piñata Records, Minneapolis’s retro-inspired micro label, has been busy as of late, releasing a compilation record, last week’s Mystery Date single, and finally, Find Your Tambourine, the debut full-length from the soul-rock crew of Black Diet. The band has already established a big presence in the local circuit, playing—and slaying—March’s “Are You Local?” showcase and January’s Best New Bands showcase, so expectations are certainly high. Luckily, Find Your Tambourine is an energetic ten-song dance party: big, warm, colorful, and setlist-worthy from start to finish. Frontman Jonathan Tolliver shows off his brassy, warbly vocals and seemingly impossible range, backed up by fellow vocalist Mugsy’s elegant, sassy lilt. The record’s single, “Unbroke,” is impossible not to shake your hips to, as hand-clap percussion and funk organ carry the song to its delightful, earworm chorus. Find Your Tambourine will be released on CD and digital format on April 19, and the band will celebrate the release at Hymie’s Vintage Records’ Record Store Day Block Party, which features ten hours of performances beginning at 11 a.m. - The Current (Minnesota Public Radio)

If you live in the Twin Cities area, you've probably heard of Black Diet. At the very least you’ve glimpsed the image of frontman Jonathan Tolliver’s iconic hair, which is plastered everywhere from record shop windows to the front of their T-Shirts. Gaining recognition by winning Vita.mn’s 2014 “Are You Local” contest, the last few months have been jam packed with traveling down to Austin for SXSW, going on tour, playing an in-studio performance here at Radio K and releasing their first full-length Find Your Tambourine, out on local label Pinata Records.

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Find Your Tambourine pays tribute to lost sounds nostalgic of Otis Redding while providing a modern indie-rock twist. The album opens with a ballad-esque track entitled “Don’t Sleep Alone” and continues to impress with faster paced songs such as “Unbroke” while still paying homage to the days of Motown by providing energetic rhythm sections and call and response dialogue between Tolliver and back-up singer, Mugsy. Most notable for their live performances, Black Diet rocks almost every stage in town; from the Nomad to playing in Powderhorn last Sunday for Mayday, each one with undying energy from all members.



Their debut album was released on Record Store Day with a whirring party at Hymie’s Vintage Records for their fourth annual block party. Playing alongside twenty other local acts, Black Diet headlined the outdoor stage on the closed off 36th Avenue. The band hung around their merch table prior to their performance, selling personalized tambourines with their logo and their split 7 inch with labelmates Southside Desire, released last summer.

Rain fell as they began their set but the crowd stayed put, dancing like crazies as Keyboardist Sean Richard Schultz head bobs while grinning over his keys and Tolliver jumps into the audience and dances with a youngin’ who’s rocking out. Mugsy drew in the crowd with her shimmying dance moves and wild red ringlets as the rain provided us all with a second wind.

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With tracks skirting a scope of genres and time periods, their first album does not disappoint. “Don’t Tell Me” gets you dancing with lengthy key parts reminiscent of a Hammond Organ and the energy continues throughout, especially on the last song, “Slow it Down” which very much makes me want to do the opposite. “Thrown Stones” gets you grooving with a conga beat that perfectly accompanies Tolliver’s rich and confident vocals, while “You Did It To Yourself” brings it down and makes you think of every breakup you’ve ever had.
Recorded on analog tapes, this ambitious album fully encompasses soul revival but makes you want to party like you're in your best friends basement. We are all anticipating what will come of the next one, which is said to be in progress. Catch them playing around town and pick up their album on their bandcamp, or at your local record shop! - Radio K

Garrison Grouse didn’t expect to find himself being chased by chickens after waking up in a tent in Austin, Texas. But for the bassist, it was just another part of the ride.

After just one year of playing together, the six-piece Minneapolis band, Black Diet, is facing a whirlwind of success.

“It came out of nowhere,” vocalist Jonathan Tolliver said.

After being named one of the seven “Best New Bands of 2013” at First Avenue in January, Black Diet quickly garnered attention. Ultimately, they landed a spot in Vita.mn’s “Are You Local?” contest and won first place and a trip to play at SXSW.

This Saturday, the group will headline Hymies’ Record Store Day Block Party and celebrate the release of their first album, “Find Your Tambourine."

Authentic soul and Motown elements are abound throughout the album, especially on the first track, “Don’t Sleep Alone,” in which minimal keys accompany a four-part harmony sung into an omnidirectional microphone.

At the same time, Black Diet puts their own twist to soul. David Tullis’ drumming, Mitch Sigurdson’s guitar riffs, Sean Schultz’s groovy keyboard parts and Grouse’s bass mix garage rock sounds with the fervent passion of Tolliver and back-up vocalist Margaret “Mugsy” Keller.

The band still vividly recalls a time before a dozen emails a day, a period of playing as much as they could, wherever they could. Though there were small victories here and there, all of their work seemed to be going under the radar — until January.

“It was basically like we were shouting into a void for the longest time, and then someone yelled back,” Schultz said.

“Thank you for shouting back,” Keller added.

Since Tolliver first began his quest in 2011, members have come and gone — the current combination has been together for roughly a year. Tolliver wrote the songs on “Find Your Tambourine” before all the present-day members were together, but each individual’s experience and talents helped develop their current sound.

“This music is organic to us,” Tolliver said.

The group doesn’t seek to recreate picturesque suit and tie soul music, but rather to perform the type of music they enjoy while skillfully making it their own — a sentiment corroborated by the fact that most of the members’ other bands are R&B- and blues-focused.

“We’ve played this set, like, come on, how many times? And it’s exciting every time,” Tullis said.

However, the group is excited to be more involved in the creative songwriting process for a future album, which is currently in the works.

“Now we get a chance to interact with a song in its most infant stage,” Keller said. “This new [future] album will involve all of us much more.”

Though most were absent for the origins of the tracks, each member has a chance to shine on “Find Your Tambourine,” which epitomizes the group’s aim for perfection with room for personable quirks.

The album’s fifth track, “It’s No Secret,” is a jam session that was recorded by accident.

This spontaneity contrasts sharply with the structured nature of the other songs, in part because of their age.

The album was recorded on two-inch analog tape three different times for the sake of improvement. The group opted for minimal editing, leaving in human moments such as vocal peaks on the mics, two coughs and a bottle being thrown.

Though it reps some fine-tuned songs, the album itself is an almost untouched recording of a live performance in Garrison’s basement, completed in one day.

Despite their growing local acclaim, band members remain modest with a sense of humor.

“I just want people who aren’t my friends to like [the album],” Schultz said. - MN Daily

Black Diet have band practice every Tuesday evening at the south Minneapolis home of bassist Garrison Grouse, fondly dubbed the "Grouse House." The event feels less like rehearsal and more like a weekly family reunion, complete with home-cooked food and playful bickering between bandmates.

Grouse has prepared a yellow Thai curry that sits simmering on the stove. Vocalist Jonathan Tolliver paces, his tall frame seemingly too large for the narrow dining room, and his signature untamed dreads tower higher still. "I see that guy from Black Diet walking downtown all the time," a fan once said of Tolliver. "His hair is epic."

Last summer, the band released a self-titled split EP with Southside Desire. Since Radio K and First Avenue selected Black Diet as one of 2013's best new bands, bookings to play several local music festivals this summer have followed, and there have been few dull moments for Black Diet since.

At the time of their sit-down with City Pages, the band prepares to leave town again for a week-long Midwest tour fresh off the heels of performing in Austin at South by Southwest. To top it all off, this weekend's show at Hymie's Vintage Records will herald the release of their long anticipated full-length, Find Your Tambourine.

"I think one of the funniest highlights was seeing Macauley Culkin," says keyboardist Sean Richard Schultz of the band's time at SXSW. "I don't think anyone noticed, but I saw it. He brushed by Mitch. Mitch touched Macauley Culkin!"

"I had no idea," admits guitarist Mitch Sigurdson, who was standing in line awaiting entry to the Totally Gross National Product Showcase when the alleged Culkin sighting occurred.

Back in Minneapolis, the band members are finally able to enjoy some quality time together without worrying about recording. When asked if he is nervous for the new album's reception, Tolliver cracks, "I'm looking at David's Facebook wall, and his friends seem to like it."

Drummer David Tullis laughs. "Well, okay. Here's the deal," he says. "Friends whose music tastes I have historically not liked — those are the people that are saying they really like our music."

"Oh, great," guitarist Mitch Sigurdson exclaims, shaking his head.

"That's the fucking weird thing," Tullis continues. "Like, you were into Mumford & Sons when they came out, and now you like our music. I don't know how to interpret that, but... I'm super flattered.

"Your friends are going to hate you now, by the way," says Tolliver.

Following dinner, while kicking back with some beers in the production room of Grouse's basement recording studio, the members of Black Diet reminisce about the process of creating Find Your Tambourine. After agonizing for months over digital recording and re-recording the initial versions of the album, the band made the decision to switch over to analog.

Tape can be precarious. This antiquated method of recording demands that the artist accomplish perfection within one single take, but also provides a means of emulating the vintage Motown style that Black Diet blends so seamlessly with its modern garage-rock vibes. The sound is entirely raw and organic.

"I think every song of ours is about death or sex — two sides of the same coin," says Tullis.

During their digital recording sessions, the musicians were overwhelmed by the accumulation of tracks on each song. "There would be 30 Mugsys," Sigurdson says. "30 Mitches!" shoots back vocalist Margaret "Mugsy" Keller, the band's leading lady.

"There was one track, when I was recording for the previous incarnation of the record, that literally had 86 tracks," says Grouse. Using tape rendered this method impossible. For example, the first track off Find Your Tambourine includes a four-part vocal harmony that was recorded in one take by an omnidirectional microphone.

Each band member has a specific bone to pick with the final material. Tolliver is upset with the initial bar of his vocals on "Don't Sleep Alone." As the opening chords sound over Grouse's system, he stands abruptly and says, "I'm going to get another beer."

Tolliver's voice is almost always best in its casual, flawed moments, and his ability to soar into a startlingly higher register in songs like "Cry" are an indication of years spent cultivating his natural talent with jazz-style vocal training.

"It's No Secret" best captures the band's natural chemistry. A trippy instrumental track found halfway into Find Your Tambourine, the song is actually a jam session secretly recorded by producer Mike Wisti.

"We were playing for a while, and he just hit record," says Schultz. The echoing guitars and chilled-out drumbeat soothe like moving water.

Schultz looks over at Tolliver. He smiles and says, "And in this song especially, we all fuck up."

The album is quite a joyful body of work for a band named after a method of prison torture. "I'm over it now," says Tolliver of his obsession with death.

"I'm excited. I'm not very nervous," he adds, regarding the album. "It's finally coming out, and we're kind of looking past it in a lot of ways, because this thing has been a long time coming." - City Pages

Crammed together sipping wine on the couch in producer Mike Wisti’s basement-based Albatross Studio, the members of Black Diet looked more cozy together than most young rock bands. Which was surprising, since this young soul-rock band mostly came together as complete strangers a couple of years ago via Craigslist and Facebook postings — the musical version of a successful online dating story.

“I didn’t know a thing about you for the longest time,” singer Jonathan Tolliver said to keyboardist Sean Schultz. “I thought you were from Iowa, and I thought you were Jewish.”

The couch erupted with laughter, as neither is accurate. However, most of the other facets of Black Diet’s story that have gotten around so far are true: The lanky, stalagmite-haired, Chicago-reared Tolliver indeed is a son-of-a-preacher-man (a fiery Baptist minister, no less); flaming-red-headed Iowa backup singer Margaret Keller (“Mugsy” to her bandmates) honed her sexy stage presence as a burlesque performer with Le Cirque Rouge; and yes, Black Diet was the act that made the biggest impression at last month’s Best New Bands showcase at First Avenue.

On stage that night, the sextet balanced an indie-cool garage-rock grind with a smoother, organ-heavy, groove-laden coating of soul music, applied to world-weary but libido-happy original tunes (such as “You Did It to Yourself”) and an absolutely rapturous cover of LCD Soundsystem’s“All My Friends.”

With “the adrenaline from that First Ave show still in our system,” the sextet entered Wisti’s studio two weekends ago to try to capture their live energy for their debut album, due in April.

Headed to 7th Street Entry for Vita.mn’s fifth annual Are You Local? contest next Thursday — and the main-room stage again if they win — the band is even better thanks to that studio experience, said bassist Garrison Grouse: “Recording sort of teaches you how to communicate with each other better and pay more attention to the different parts, and to do all that without ego.”

Not that ego is entirely ruled out in Black Diet, whose members are all under 30. There’s a cocky, Jagger-ian swagger to Tolliver’s stage presence, which he doesn’t deny. “I’m a confident person,” he admitted, adding glibly but truthfully that the sexiness in their songs also comes from the fact that “a lot of our songs are about sex.”

With an ambiguous band moniker — it’s a term for starving prisoners to death — Black Diet grew out of the even more uncomfortably named group JT & the Sloppy Seconds. “A lot of people already told me they didn’t like the old name,” Tolliver recalled, “then we were booked to play an ACLU gig, and they said, ‘No way.’ So I put a stop to it then.”

A key ingredient is Keller as backup vocalist. She adds a sensual tone to Tolliver’s vibrato vocals and sexually laced songs, and plays a prominent, delectable role on stage, too. She credits her burlesque experience: “It’s important in burlesque and cabaret performances to make sure you look good, and make sure you make eye contact and connect with people.”

She, too, was found through Craigslist. Tolliver knew the obvious question before it was asked. “Yes, we were lucky,” he smirked. “The ad didn’t ask for a sexy redhead, but we were definitely looking for it.”

The couch erupted again. - Star Tribune

Events that simultaneously take place in First Avenue’s Mainroom and the 7th Street Entry become mini-festivals, all about the ebb and flow of fans placing bets on where the must-see action will be at any given moment. Last night at Vita.mn’s Are You Local? showcase, all streams were flowing towards Black Diet.

The showcase featured four acts who are planning performances next week at SXSW, as well as five aspirants competing for a trip to Austin—and, last night, a brief set on the Mainroom stage following the five finalists’ scheduled appearances in the Entry. Though the night’s Mainroom attractions included a much-anticipated set from Trampled By Turtles’ Dave Simonett and a headlining performance by critics’ darlings the Cloak Ox, the night’s most avid eyes were definitely on the Entry, where the five finalists played their hearts out for sizable crowds that included mystery judges who relayed their scores for Vita.mn editor Simon Groebner to tally.

I arrived shortly after 7:30, to find the Entry already packed for finalist Jillian Rae. The vocalist-violinist, long familiar from having played with a number of local bands, has had a big year with the release of her solo debut Heartbeat. It’s a strong album and she played a strong set, but you’d hardly guess at one from the other: while the record is lucid and rootsy, Jillian Rae’s live set was fierce and swampy, the fiddler’s animated sawing fitting right in with her band’s yelping guitars.

First up in the Mainroom was Gramma’s Boyfriend, an act I’ve heard described as Haley Bonar’s “freak-out band.” The lauded singer-songwriter, whose much-anticipated new solo album Last War is due out on May 20, is also planning to release an album with Gramma’s Boyfriend and will be playing SXSW in both configurations. Gramma’s Boyfriend allows Bonar to freak out, yes—last night, in a gold lamé dress that’s relatively restrained compared to the outré bodysuits Bonar has been known to sport when fronting that band—but it also allows her to sneak some strong songwriting into a percussive, lo-fi group that recalls early 80s worldbeat-new-wave acts like Bow Wow Wow.

Back in the Entry, Teammates were turning that game around and sneaking some new-wave synths into a ferocious rock sound that suggests what grunge might have been if anti-electro purism hadn’t been the order of the decade. They weren’t the most demonstrative team on the field—frontman Alan Skamser-O’Neil was often hidden behind his long dark locks, offering giggly banter between songs as he tuned his axe—but musically, they hit as hard as any of the five finalists, with the standout being power ballad “Hong Kong.”

The sweaty Entry got even sweatier—and hit capacity, with a long line winding up the Mainroom stairs to await their turn to get in—as Black Diet burst onto the stage. The big soulful band had the most momentum going into the showcase—among their many fans is Dave Campbell, host of the Current’s Local Show, who calls them his favorite new band—and they made the most of it, playing an exuberant set that included a fun cover of Echo and the Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon.”

I squeezed out to let others soak in the good vibes, and to find pop-folkie John Mark Nelson playing a perfectly pleasant set in a mellow Mainroom. The precocious young singer-songwriter plays with a poise beyond his years, and cut a dapper figure as he played “The Moon and the Stars,” the song that put Duluth’s S.S. William A. Irvin on MTV.

The Entry crowd eased up a bit, to my surprise, for up-and-coming MC Botzy. (Maybe it was the fact that he was the only rapper on the bill, so the showcase wasn’t exactly a magnet for hip-hop heads.) Projecting trippy graphics the likes of which I haven’t seen in the Entry since the last time I caught Toro Y Moi there, Botzy and a pair of confederates did their damnedest to get the crowd hopping around. Meanwhile, two people independently turned to me and said Botzy buddy Bobby Phisher made them think of me because he looks so much like Jay from Jay and Silent Bob.

In the Mainroom, Simonett was playing a hushed set to a crowd that wasn’t exactly hushed itself, to the consternation of some aggravated tweeters. That didn’t matter for long, though, as Simonett and his crack band worked up to a reverb-laden squall that placed the Trampled By Turtles frontman firmly on #TeamDrone with his fellow Duluthian Alan Sparhawk—who produced Trampled By Turtles’ forthcoming album. The show was an impressive first public outing for Simonett’s solo material, and it will be interesting to see what Austin makes of it.

The final band to take a turn on the Entry stage were the arena-ready Step Rockets, whose polished stage presence—friendly frontman Josh Van Mink goofing around with guitarist Brady Lillie like Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons—enlivened radio-friendly songs like “Kisser.” They were good—but like the other three runners-up, not quite good enough to overcome the tsunami of support for Black Diet.

Introduced by Groebner and the Vita.mn staff, Black Diet bounded back onto the Mainroom stage—familiar to them from January’s Best New Bands showcase—like they owned the place. The theatricality that’s helped Black Diet make such an impression on local audiences was in full effect for the band’s victory lap, with vocalist Jonathan Tolliver jumping into the photo pit to commune with fans while backup vocalist Mugsy shimmied across the stage and dapper bassist Garrison Grouse climbed an amp.

Though they weren’t the headliners, Black Diet’s reprise set marked the night’s climax—judging not only by fans’ excitement, but by the fact that a lot of them left immediately afterwards, leaving a sparse crowd to enjoy the Cloak Ox’s heavy, heady brew. The band seemed to mystify some of the patrons wandering in in from the Bungalow R&B dance night in the Record Room, but captivated the true fans who took advantage of their room to roam, dancing the night away on the checkered tiles. - Minnesota Public Radio

The question on the minds of everyone who wasn’t at Vita.mn’s fifth annual Are You Local? contest last night has got to be, “Who was local?”

The answer is Black Diet, the soulful rock band who delivered the most charming set out of five finalists in the 7th St. Entry last night.

Black Diet wins $1,000 in cash and a gig in Austin, Texas on March 14. (#SXSW!)

“This is the best day of my goddamn life,” lead singer Jonathan Tolliver said in between grooving out and wooing the crowd during the band’s victory lap in the Mainroom, following performances by Dave Simonett, John Mark Nelson and Gramma’s Boyfriend (featuring Haley Bonar).

The competition saw Black Diet best country-pop violinist Jillian Rae, rapper Botzy, the psych-pop foursome Step Rockets and the electro-rock band Teammates, all of whom competed in a packed 7th Street Entry.

The members of Black Diet first met online, via Facebook and Craigslist. This year, they were in First Ave’s Best New Bands showcase, which means they’re close to the local music version of the Triple Crown – all they need to complete the series is a Picked to Click win.

After the winner was announced last night, the crowd thinned out a little. Those who stuck around for the Cloak Ox’s set were treated to a solidly fine performance (and not “fine” in the passive aggressive sense—wouldn’t that be local!—but fine as in good.) - Vita.MN

They have the least-cool band name ever to begin with the word “black,” but never mind that: what matters is the music, and that’s where Black Diet deliver. They also pride themselves on their “sartorial flair” and passionate live shows (when a band tags their Bandcamp track “sweaty,” you know they mean business). Best not schedule a pizza break for this set—you might have to see this soulful ensemble to believe them. - The Current (Minnesota Public Radio)

" Black Diet is a really unique band, a great live act, and we think an entire album by them will be an awesome listen — you can get a sense of this from their live set, that they’d be better heard in several songs, rather than just one here and there."

"So here’s the first song from Black Diet’s debut album, as much Style Council, if you ask us, as Neville Brothers. We’ll welcome a full-length release by this band in any format — album, CD, download, anything. Just so long as we get to listen to songs this good for a solid half-hour."

Dave Hoenack - Hymie's Vintage Records

Black Diet’s Debut

It’s not often that an artist can take me from zero to fan in under 30 seconds, but that’s exactly what happened the first time I played this debut video from Black Diet. Hit play and see if that big, powerful voice doesn’t pull you in just as fast—and if you dig it as much as I do, you can pick it up as a limited run split-7″, which also features tracks from Southside Desire.

-Andrea Swensson - Minnesota Public Radio-Local Current

You can’t miss Jonathan Lee Tolliver. Tall, skinny, and donning an epic fro and black-rimmed glasses, the “J.T.” and lead singer of J.T. and the Sloppy Seconds has the laidback, artsy vibe down. Dude looks like a musician. But it’s his voice—at once soulful and hard driving, chill and intense—that makes him one.

J.T. and the Sloppy Seconds got their start back in summer 2011 when Jon and his friend, Mark James (vocals), decided they wanted to start a band. Some Craigslist perusing led them to Josh Gottlieb (drummer) and Mitch Sigurdson (lead guitar), with Lindsay Collins (vocals), Mugsy (Maggie Keller, vocals), and Shaun (keyboard) soon to follow. From there, they chose a name, booked a gig (their first show was at Coles in Chicago—30 people showed up), and set to writing more music and meeting more fans. The rest, as they say, is history.

The band's sound can best be described as “sweaty soul,” says James. “Our writing process is pretty spur of the moment. Jon writes most of the songs, I come up with the harmonies, then the rhythm section pieces the rest together during practice.” The result: true-to-life lyrics set to sorta funky, sorta poppy, can’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-it-but-makes-me-wanna-dance melodies.

After just a year and a half, the band has gone from playing crowds of 30 to booking such venues as the Fine Line Music Café, Triple Rock Social Club, and Nicollet Avenue’s newest music joint, Icehouse. This is a band on the rise if ever there was one, and Thursday is your chance to say you saw them first. Go, dance, sweat, and repeat. Soon you’ll have to pay much more than $5 to boogie down with this funky bunch. - Minnesota Monthly

You can’t miss Jonathan Lee Tolliver. Tall, skinny, and donning an epic fro and black-rimmed glasses, the “J.T.” and lead singer of J.T. and the Sloppy Seconds has the laidback, artsy vibe down. Dude looks like a musician. But it’s his voice—at once soulful and hard driving, chill and intense—that makes him one.

J.T. and the Sloppy Seconds got their start back in summer 2011 when Jon and his friend, Mark James (vocals), decided they wanted to start a band. Some Craigslist perusing led them to Josh Gottlieb (drummer) and Mitch Sigurdson (lead guitar), with Lindsay Collins (vocals), Mugsy (Maggie Keller, vocals), and Shaun (keyboard) soon to follow. From there, they chose a name, booked a gig (their first show was at Coles in Chicago—30 people showed up), and set to writing more music and meeting more fans. The rest, as they say, is history.

The band's sound can best be described as “sweaty soul,” says James. “Our writing process is pretty spur of the moment. Jon writes most of the songs, I come up with the harmonies, then the rhythm section pieces the rest together during practice.” The result: true-to-life lyrics set to sorta funky, sorta poppy, can’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-it-but-makes-me-wanna-dance melodies.

After just a year and a half, the band has gone from playing crowds of 30 to booking such venues as the Fine Line Music Café, Triple Rock Social Club, and Nicollet Avenue’s newest music joint, Icehouse. This is a band on the rise if ever there was one, and Thursday is your chance to say you saw them first. Go, dance, sweat, and repeat. Soon you’ll have to pay much more than $5 to boogie down with this funky bunch. - Minnesota Monthly

Black Diet is a band that started life as JT and the Sloppy Seconds. This is their first appearance on record, but they posted another sweet new track on their bandcamp page (here) back in May. They are one of several awesome bands added to the growing Pinata Records roster. - Hymie's Vintage Records

Black Diet’s two tunes on the EP are the group’s first recorded material.They have a bluesy soul sound that is fronted by versatile lead vocalist Jonathan Tolliver. “You Did it To Yourself” is a bass-heavy blues number while ironically “Slow it Down” actually speeds things up to the tune of rollicking guitar and organ. Both bands will officially release their EP at Palmfest, which takes place at Palmers Bar on July 21st. You can currently stream the tunes at Piñata Records where you can also pre-order one of 300 limited edition copies. You can also stream the tunes below. - Reviler

Two fun new bands with hints of vintage soul and punky overtones, Southside Desire and Black Diet have teamed up for a split 7-inch single that they’re releasing Sunday for the annual Palmfest bash at Palmer’s Bar.

Black Diet, formerly known as JT & the Sloppy Seconds (smart name change!), shows off the heavy, Heavy-like punk-soul power of Jonathan Tolliver in the gem of a kiss-off jam “You Did It Yourself.” Southside plays around 7 p.m. and Black Diet at 8:30 p.m. - Star Tribune

Black Diet would fit in at your mom’s high school prom just as well as they do today at the 7th Street Entry. They have a flair for old fashioned motown charm, but they’re certainly not dragging their heels musically. Their self-described “garage incarnation of soul” has the off-the-cuff, unkempt groove of a band like The Strokes, but they manage to bring the soul and sex appeal of Al Green.

Black Diet will play at the Paper Darts Pop-Up for the launch of Volume 5. You definitely don’t want to miss these guys, so make sure to stick around after you pick up your hand-sewn magazine. We asked them a few questions to get you frothing with anticipation before they take the stage tomorrow. - Paper Darts Magazine