Climb Jacob's Ladder

Recommended for fans of: Ben Harper, Blues Traveler, Ray LaMontagne, Dave Matthews, Michael Franti, Ziggy Marley

Climb Jacob’s Ladder presents an organic blend of lyrically charged songwriting; with an unusual and eclectic approach to vocal and harmonic styling. The music is steeped in the vibrations of Bob Marley & The Wailers, Eric Clapton, Willie Dixon, Al Green, Little Walter, George Clinton, P-Funk and Howard Levy. It's delivered with a unique instrumental resonance that features rhythmic and chordally rich acoustic guitar (Gary Mitchell) combined with wildly original modernist harmonica (Paul Messinger), groovy and riveting percussion featuring the cajón (Richard Klecka), funky electric bass (John Federal), and compelling dual keyboards (Jason Merritt and Tim Smith).

Our instrumentation and therefore our sound is unusual enough that it warrants description. It is dynamic, not bombastic. We prefer to play at comfortable volumes for listening. 3, 4, and 5 part vocal harmonies sweeten the sound. Paul's harmonica playing is outstanding and unique... no blasting blues through big amplifiers (and he has studied and played with the best harmonica teachers in the world). Gary plays acoustic guitar, not electric. Richard plays cajón (a wooden box) as the primary drum sound. That a person sits upon and beats a wooden box has been an attractive novelty that people notice and are curious about. The electric bass parts and keyboard parts are meant to enliven the dynamics of the tunes, but not overpower the acoustic nature of the sound. No electric guitar and no drum kit... they are generally too loud for the concept.