Jim Dan Dee

Bourbon Fueled Funkabilly Grunge Blues....if that doesn't sound appetizing to you then I'm not sure we can be friends. That's how describe Jim Dan Dee. They're a 4 piece outfit that plays some greasy blues rock jams complete with a heavy dosage of slide guitar and a dash of saxophone to keep it hot. They released an EP last year called "5 Stiff Shots"...which absolutely would go down well while jamming their tunes. The EP opens with "Fucked Up" which also makes sense given the album title. That track is loaded with juicy slide guitar riffage and lyrics you'll be singing along with by the end of the track. I recommend these guys if you feel like tying one on this Friday April 1st. Jim Dan Dee rocks the Hideout! - The Deli Magazine

Jim Dan Dee's song "Friends" named in the Top 40 Best new blues songs of 2015. - HAWG 101.9, BluesRadioCanada.com, InsideTheBlues.ca

With songs like 'Chickie and the Toad', 'Burn it Down' and 'F'd Up', you can imagine these guys push the boundaries of the blues quite a bit, but that's okay. If the genre is to survive and attract younger audiences, that has to happen. - James Doran

“Pass me the bourbon-fueled funkabilly grunge blues!! Hometown Toronto heroes James Stefanuk, Shawn Royal, Scott Morris and Bobby Seweryneck hammer us with some pumped-up, alt blues booty-shaking tunes on this svelte, five-track release.” - Spill Magazine - Chris X

Toronto based James Stefanuk, Shawn Royal, Scott Morris and Bobby Seweryneck together form Jim Dan Dee. Alt-blues is as they themselves describe their music, so no mainstream, but raw and down-to-earth. Their EP is called "Five Stiff Shots" and contains six songs. Okay, one is a radio edit, so in that respect the sum is correct though. The disc starts with a nice bluesy slide guitar until a vicious guitarlick gets us back to reality again. What follows is a handful of nice catchy songs. The rhythms are catchy, pleasant melodies. It all sounds just great. Indeed, no mainstream work, but pure and honest. As a taster this EP is a nice calling card. I wonder what more the guys have up their sleeve. It sounds promising (Translated from Dutch) - Barn Owl Blues

I smiled listening to the first of 'Five Stiff Shots', as Jim Dan Dee recalled for me, legends like Mississippi slide-guitar king Elmore James and Nashville heroes Kings of Leon. Subconscious influences or otherwise - significant sounds from a band determined. - Radio Host and Author - Jeff Woods

"...a vibe was felt with this band. It wasn’t forced or mechanical in nature, but soulful and genuine."
"Individually technically sound as musicians, they meshed very well with each other. Jim Dan Dee’s live performance mimics their recently released studio recording “Five Stiff Shots” very closely, with obvious attention to details. It proves that their recording isn’t all smoke and mirrors, but true musicianship. They performed an impressively tight set. Well worth seeing.” - Music Life Magazine

Club NV at the heart of downtown Brantford was the place to be to witness one of the most exciting and all-inclusive music competitions southern Ontario has to offer this year: WTFest’s Battle of the Bands.

Hoping to find the next best band to contribute to the outstanding WTFest musical line-up, six incredible and very different bands from all across Ontario duked it out with their stellar tunes on stage, performing for not only local music connoisseurs, but judges including WTFest president Jamie Stephens, and several other industry professionals.

WTFest, Battle of the Bands

“There are so many deserving bands that should be a part of the show, but you can’t fit everyone up there. So, this allows them an opportunity to win their spot,” Stephens said during a pre-show interview.

The process to find the band to perform alongside greats such as Hedley and The Trews, began with an online competition, grabbing the attention of nearly 90 eager bands. After a rigorous online voting process, the final six bands were chosen to compete for their spot to play for Brantford on the main stage this June.

Slow Motion Victory, Toby Bey, WTFest, Battle of the Bands

All of the bands: Chico Dusty; Hangar 18; The Shenanigans; Slow Motion Victory; Lower Ground; and Jim Dan Dee, worked hard to put on a show that proved how incredible our local indie music scene truly is. Alongside event headliner and WTFest opener Harbour, their raw vocals, astounding instrumentation, and an electric, responsive audience made the judges’ decision-making process to be one of extreme difficulty.

Nevertheless, a verdict had to be reached.

After a grueling debate and much deliberation, it was Toronto’s “bourbon-fuelled” Jim Dan Dee that was honored with the opportunity to play at WTFest. Shawn (drums), Bobby (saxophone), Jim (guitar and vocals), and Scott (keyboard and bass) were ecstatic to hear the news.

Jim Dan Dee, WTFest, Battle of the Bands, Brantford

The mainly independent musicians have only been performing as a band for one year, creating sounds that incorporate blues, rock, funk, and “a dash of rockabilly.”

According to Scott, the band likes “to keep everybody moving and bumping.” They’re a band that likes to “be spontaneous,” however; they know “exactly what’s going to happen on the stage.”
With excellent transitions, and silence that fails to derive from both the crowd and the musicians, they created an atmosphere in the venue that is hard to describe as anything but incredible.

Make sure to catch the Jim Dan Dee band, alongside other fine artists at WTFest at Lion’s Park, Saturday June 13th, and Sunday June 14th.

You can also find these self-proclaimed festival darlings performing at multiple venues across Toronto and southern Ontario this summer, with new music coming soon from their new EP, which will be released later this year. - B Scene

“Bourbon-fuelled; funkabilly; grunge; blues” are the genres which Battle of the Bands winner Jim Dan Dee stake their claim. With an electrifying stage presence, the soul filled music and lyrics that shine through during sets consistently impress. It’s earned them the win at Battle of the Bands and unlocked their chance to play the main stage at WTFest.ca this coming weekend, all alongside headlining acts such as The Trews, Hedley, Big Wreck, U.S.S, Lights, and more.

This Toronto based four piece came together under a year ago, and with passionate immediacy began to fuse the blues, rock, funk, and added by their account “a dash of rockabilly.” With Sean on drums, Bobby playing the sax, Jim slaying both vocals and guitar, and Scott rocking the keyboard and bass (also via keyboard); the band fluidly comes together to create an impeccable sound that will beautifully accompany the acts within this exciting festival.

Influenced mainly by Jimi Hendrix and various 90’s grunge styles, Jim Dan Dee is able to create music that, without even being released, makes an impression on fans. One of their newest songs, “Friends”, has been popularized by their following. The song is currently unreleased, along with a new EP currently being mixed in Vancouver.
“The biggest compliment we get from people is ‘You guys sound like no one else out there, but you blew us away.’” According to band members, lead man Jim’s song-writing techniques have allowed them to develop the unique and powerful sound that resonates even with first time listeners, which has clearly catapulted the band into a realm of success.

Playing various stages this summer, including Rivoli for NXNE and The Painted Lady in Toronto for the TD Jazz Festival, these festival darlings are excited to showcase their music to those that are seeking tunes with depth and angst mixed in with whole lot of rhythm. You won’t want to miss this.

Article by Jessica Whittingham
Photography by Patrick Mceachern - B Scene Magazine

Canadian Rock and Roll music took over Lions Park in Brantford Ontario for two days this past weekend as it was transformed into the new WTFest [What The Festival]. Each day of the festival started with local bands such as Ghost Town Orchestra, Sons of Revelry, and Peeler all from Brantford. Other bands playing on Saturday were Jim Dan Dee from Toronto, Gloryhound from Halifax, and The Mohrs originally from Winnipeg now from Toronto. All of this amazing music was followed up by three major headliners: I Mother Earth, The Trews, and closing the show was none other than Big Wreck.

Although the weather preceding the festival did not fully co-operate with the organizers, they were able to pull it all together in time for the festival. For the first year of the festival, the crowds were large throughout the day and everyone seemed to be fully enjoying all of the music. We can`t wait to see who will be there next year! - Concert Addict

WTFest held a battle of the bands competition to add an up-and-coming talent to the two-day rock festival taking place in Brantford on June 13 and June 14. Six bands competed in the finals at Club NV on Friday for the chance to play in the festival with such acts as I Mother Earth, Big Wreck and Hedley. - Brant News

(Brantford, ON) – The first annual WTFest got underway to a great start despite many locals wondering if this was actually going to go on after a failed attempt for another festival a couple years ago.

The two-day festival took place at Lions Park on Saturday June 13 and on Sunday June 14. Canadian artists included Big Wreck, The Trews, I Mother Earth, The Mohrs, Gloryhound and more on Saturday while Hedley headlined Sunday’s lineup along with USS, Lights, Dear Rouge and more.

I was only able to attend Saturday’s show but what I experienced was one of the best festivals I’ve been to in a long time – and for the price that was charged fans got their money’s worth! The entire weekend of music was just under $70.00.

Gates were slightly delayed in opening due to crews still cleaning up after the previous day’s heavy downpour. Today (Saturday), however, the weather was sunny and warm – perfect for a festival!

The music got underway just after 3 p.m. with Ghost Town Orchestra, Jim Dan Dee, Sons of Revelry and Peeler.

The park was pretty empty for the first few bands but as the day went on with the bigger bands playing the park began to fill up.

Next up was Halifax band Gloryhound and Toronto’s The Mohrs.

After The Mohrs‘ set there was over an hour wait till I Mother Earth took over the stage.

I Mother Earth is currently playing several shows throughout the summer with no album and no record company. The band recently released a new single to Canadian radio back in February called The Devil’s Engine – the follow-up to 2012’s We Got the Love.

I Mother Earth played for about an hour and showed what a great, tight band they still are. But what fans saw at WTFest is just a fraction of what this band is capable – playing for 2-3 hours on their own!

Up next was The Trews, originally from Antigonish, NS. The Trews recently released their new single on June 1 called Under the Sun – off their self-titled album released last year. A great set by The Trews!

Headlining the night was Big Wreck playing almost 90 minutes worth of hits and songs off their latest album, Ghosts (2014). The music ended just before 11 p.m.

I am sure the next day (minus the rain) was just as successful. Can’t wait to see what WTFest does next year!

© 2015. All photos are copyrighted. Please DO NOT copy or use without permission - Music Life Magazine

A photo Montage - Urban Hero Magazine

http://urbanheromagazine.com/issue/march-2015/article/jim-dan-dee-indie-week-international-2014-the-hideout-toronto - Urban Hero Magazine

To build anything you need to start at the foundation. Rock music did not just spawn out of thin air. It was like a storm, the perfect conditions simply arose, out of which rock was born. So when a band plays music rooted in the blues, one of those perfect conditions, it is obvious that they know where rock music truly comes from. Jim Dan Dee played The Hideout on a Friday night to a room of dancing drunkards having the time of their lives. Following a rousing swing blues set by the Quickshifters, the boys took the stage at 1:30 AM, they were the perfect late night minstrels to bring the rock crowd from a drunken stupor back into a full on frenzy.
It’s clear Jim Dan Dee have worked tirelessly to produce their uniquely tantalizing mélange of Mississippi blues and 90’s hard rock, held up by heavy horns and powerful keys. James Stefanuk plays lead guitar and sings lead vocals. His licks are blues driven, his chords are rock, and he often descends into full on slide guitar mayhem. His vocal style is very much like a crooning mix between Cake and Pearl Jam. While the room shook and swayed to the rhythms of masterful drummer Shawn Royal, quite frankly his playing faces outweighed anything else on that stage.
This night was a great reminder of why I love new music. We all need experiences and music in our lives that occasionally let us jump out of our routines, to explore the unexplored. This one turned out to be way more than a regular old rock show, even with four guys on stage. It serves as a good reminder that not only is the blues truly the heart of rock and roll, but bands who truly respect it can make better music. This band is going to be noticed. - Toronto Music Reviews

"...a completely honest evolution of the Blues in the form of the Jim Dan Dee band."

"Marked by the tight syncopation and sly musicianship, the message is one of hazards and good fortune, deceit and redemption set to a rhythm that you can drink to." - Barbershop Podcast

Jim Dan Dee’s latest effort “The Silence” packs an old school punch with modern-day smarts, and well it should. While the band has its roots deeply cemented in the Blues, “The Silence” was produced by “The Tea Party” frontman Jeff Martin, lending a unique edge and a decidedly Motown feel to this great track.
Recorded in Toronto and mastered in New York, ‘The Silence” has an upbeat feel and super-slick production without ever sounding sterile. It is equally at home blasting from your car window as it could be in the latest crime/thriller movie soundtrack.
As a follow-up to Jim Dan Dee’s EP Five Stiff Shots, “The Silence” has the potential to propel this great Blues-Rock outfit to the next level. Expect to be hearing more from Jim Dan Dee in the very near future. Until then, take a look and listen to their new video for “The Silence”. Your eyes and ears will thank you. - Spill Magazine

For the last set of the night, the stage belonged to my buds Jim Dan Dee. I never get tired of seeing these guys. They are self described as “bourbon fuelled funkabilly grunge blues” and they bring it. They are another one of those very original sounding bands with their own style, and I can’t say enough how much it works. They kill it every time and tonight was no different. Jim Dan Dee recently released a new single titled The Silence. There is a Tea Party connection here too, as Jeff Martin produced this single. And it’s awesome. The band will be playing a few shows around the area but then plan to announce an east coast tour soon. Go check them out! I highly recommend them. - Tour Bus Entertainment

5 Stars - Muscular, hard-driving rockin’ blues is what you’ll find on this Toronto-based outfit’s debut full length release. This baby has plenty of horsepower and sass, it’s one of the most exciting albums I’ve heard in awhile- like Downchild meets Powder Blues. So many things to dig about Jim Dan Dee it’s hard to know where to start. Singer Jim Stefanuk’s intense, passionate voice is a beefy combination of Colin James and Jeff Healey. Shawn Royal’s drumming is slinky yet solid, creating an irresistible backbeat along with Brian McCarthy’s wonderfully inventive bass lines. Stefanuk plays guitar (including some smokin’ leads), and the melodies are tied together by the tasty sax work of Bobby Sewerynek. Together they create an urgent, gritty, bluesy, soulful sound that just grabs you and refuses to let go. I have not heard their 2015 Five Stiff Shots EP and so can’t compare this to it but if it’s as good as this, I gotta get my hands on it. - Gonzookanagan

“Their name comes from the phrase ‘Everything is just Jim Dandy’ and it is also a stage persona, a character played by Jim Stefanuk, who handles the vocals and lead guitar. Big band saxophonist Jason ‘Bobby’ Sewerynek, bassist Brian McCarthy and drummer Shawn Royal round out the band. Stefanuk does indeed make for a fine ‘character’, the kind of front man many bands would die for. He delivers eleven quality blues rock originals with this smoking band a band that is augmented for the album by “Sweet” Jules Cordosa who provides sterling support vocals throughout and Jesse Karwat who adds keys throughout...This is a most impressive debut!” - Maple Blues Magazine

Full of pounding staccato guitar riffs, grunting Morphine-like sax, piercing guitar solo and the raw throat of Jim Stefanuk....The slowblues Payday sounds just as intense as the up-tempo work of the band. This is partly due to the raw growl and the filthy wall of sound that is built up by the cutting guitar work and the massive grunting sax...Jim Dan Dee is a pretty strong Canadian band with a surprising American sound !!!” - Blues Magazine

“(Translated from French) an eponymous first album, one of those pucks that dig deep into traditional blues and modern rock to send us completely mind-blowing titles, and that's nothing to say. All in nuances and changes of rhythm, the collection of eleven tracks will not need much time to convince the public as he managed to put everything in the right place, some well-received vocal gimmicks, very elegant saxophone clusters, soaring organs to be damned the most demanding and of course a very nice balance between riffs drawn with chalk and guitar solos that manage never to do too much or too little. Carried by a baritone voice full of warmth and relief, Jim Dan Dee does not need artifice to make his music percussive wish and it is the strength of his talent and his desire that the group serves us very successful titles like "Save My Soul", "Just Cuz", "When You Move Like That There" or "Stand By My Woman"” - Zicazic

“The signature sound of this weeks featured artist "Jim Dan Dee" is a clever mix of Blues, Rock and Motown perfectly blended to give one of the best track-lists on a new album that we have heard this year.” - Shangrla Radio

“​4.5/5 - The new album contains a mix of fan-favourites and the songs closest to JDD’s road-worn hearts: Songs of struggle, loneliness, love and lust. Yet it is far from a typical Blues album. A heavy dose of Motown and just enough gritty Rock & Roll is there to keep the listener’s heart pumping.” - Keys and Chords

“Jim Dan Dee’s self-titled debut studio album clearly shows the evolution of JDD's signature sound. With a smart mix of blues, rock and Motown 'Jim Dan Dee' will undoubtedly stay in the ears of the fans for a long time and, will also attrack new ones outside of North America and beyond...” - Roots Time

“Jim Dan Dee — which for the record is a brilliant name for a band — embrace their roots and meld them all together, and out comes this gritty, rocking, bluesy, traditional country. Lead by Stefanuk and his searing guitar and growling vocals, it is pure magic. Dirty magic, but magic... Jim Dan Dee is an excellent album. It is a very impressive one, and one that will be a welcome addition to most record collections.” - Spill Magazine

“Every single track is well complimented with all the instruments and vocals that made up the release. Intensity, quality, powerful, strength…these are all words that could describe the new Jim Dan Dee album. They have really shown how much they have evolved through the years, reaching a new musical success.” - Canadian Beats

“Jim Dan Dee's New Album is Bourbon Fueled Blues Perfection! ... absolutely jam packed full of amazing rocking blues and loaded with tasty licks and killer hooks.” - The Rock Source