Elwood James Band

Mike Monroe, Brynn, and Kirby are joined in studio by local musicians The Elwood James Band on this edition of Soundstage for an interview and acoustic performance. They perform their songs "Black Cherry" and "In the Dark".
- WCHE 1520 AM West Chester PA

Mind TV folks put together a real nice documentary on the band.
Thoughts on our music, our relationships and our influences. - Mind TV

The Elwood James Band begin their self-titled EP with Rain, a vocal-focused track that possesses a delightful set of harmonies. These vocals harmonies work perfectly in tandem with the ropey bass lines and on-point drum lines. After providing listeners this introductory track, The Elwood James Band are able to expand their sound with Nobody Rolls. This track begins in a slower, more deliberate fashion. The guitars will draw listeners even as the narrative weaved by the vocals draw listeners in. Hints of soul, pop, and late-seventies / early-eighties rock blend together into something contemporary and current.
Love At All demarcates the two halves of the album, and pushes the vocals and instrumentations to their limit. Whether it be the drums, the synths, or the vocals, each part contributes equally to the overall sound presented listeners by the track.
I personally appreciate the density of each of this EP’s tracks. The overall replay value is bolstered considerably due to this density; listeners will be able to pick out new bits and pieces from the band even on their third or fourth listen. The EP may end with Kinda Lost, but I feel that the compositions on this self-titled EP will stick with listeners long after the disc ceases to spin. The Elwood James Band are heads and shoulders above other current acts, as they give a darn about their music. There is a sense that every piece has its place; the tapestry generated by an effort like Nautical Star is closer to art than it is to what is on the radio. Give their EP a spin and you will be a convert; The Elwood James Band have a success on their hands.
Top Tracks: Nobody Rolls, Love At All
Rating: 8.6/10 - NeuFutur Magazine

Philly-based rockers The Elwood James Band drop their five-song self-titled EP. The band is a bit of a family affair with co-lead vocalists Vincent Vescio aka Poppa Vin on keyboards and Dennis James on acoustic and electric guitar. The two have known each other since childhood. Then there’s drummer Danny Wagz, and Vincent’s son, Vinnie Vescio on the bass. EJB was named as a tribute to Dennis’s dad, Elwood.

To get right to it, “Nobody Rolls” has the catchiest hook, but I found “Kinda Lost” to have the funkiest groove out of the five songs. Its focused drums and tough bass provide a nice rhythm bed for the guitars, keys and vocals. This one made my head nod. My personal favorite on here, though, is “Love At All.” I’m not sure if it’s the swing of the time signature or the fact that I kept thinking of Paul McCartney during it. Probably a little of both.

EJB likes riffing, likes showcasing its members’ talents with plenty of solos. I haven’t caught one of their shows myself, but hearing their bluesy sound, I imagine their passion is in the live performance. This is a band that likes to jam. Influences are obviously broad, reaching into many different Rock traditions. There were times the music took on a Beatles-esque quality, and in other songs I could have sworn I was listening to David Lee Roth on vocals.

This is straightforward Rock music. No surprises here. A nice consistent style throughout the EP. Plenty of instrumentation for dynamics; vocals are clean; lyrics are decent; performance is “in the pocket”, as they say. Nothing is done over the top. It’s a smooth ride from beginning to end. If you want a “less is more” kind of experience, and in search of a traditional Rock sound, then The Elwood James Band is worth checking out for sure - Music Emmissions

May 10, 2012 | by Skope

If you like music with a whole lot of feeling, then you should love Elwood James Band and their debut album. The group has a wide array of musical influences, but what stuck out to me the most was the element of rock. In its simplest form, rock ‘n’ roll plays a huge role on this EP.

Elwood James Band is: Vincent Vescio aka Poppa Vin on vocals & keys, Dennis James on vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, Danny Wagz on drums and Vincent’s son Vinnie Vescio on bass. That closeness that you receive from a family is definitely evident between these members. Actually, the band started when Poppa Vin and Dennis James met as kids where Dennis’ father Elwood had a basement that became common stomping grounds for the entire neighborhood. When Elwood James passed away, Elwood James Band was born in honor of a man that really cared for all. That spirit, magic and strong sense of family is what separates Elwood James Band from a lot of other bands out there.

I have to say that it is nice ‘n’ refreshing to hear music that is pure as can be. From the lyrics, the sound, the style and approach, Elwood James Band has got you covered. So we know that Elwood James has got feeling but is that it? The answer to that question is a BIG hell no! While listening to all five tracks on the EP, I heard catchy melodies & rhythms, solid vocal performances, fine-tuned group harmonizing, words that speak out loud and not to mention instrumentation that stands out.

I am highly impressed with Elwood James Band and their debut release and I feel this Philly-based group still has a lot to prove. Their music can best be described as full of life to go along with fan-friendly & meaningful songs that will appeal to many. Havin’ fun playing together is what Elwood James Band is all about and they invite everyone to be a part of the family affair phenomenon! - Skope Entertainment Inc

MULTI-FACETED, RETRO MINDED HOMEGROWN PHILLY GROUP THE ELWOOD JAMES BAND IS ALL ABOUT GOOD MELODIES, KICKIN’ RHYTHMS AND MESSAGES THAT ROCK ON THEIR INFECTIOUS DEBUT EP

In this day and age when so many bands are cobbled out of musicians who respond to Facebook notices and ads on Craigslist, it’s exciting and inspiring to find an authentic homespun group like the emerging, Philly based Elwood James Band. Having established a foothold in their hometown with over 30 shows and fundraising events for Haiti Earthquake Relief (Musicians Actively Supporting Haiti) and Breast Cancer Awareness (the 2011 Walk for the Cure), the group has just released its self titled five track independent EP.

Their background makes the Elwood James Band feel like a big happy family. When principals and co-lead vocalists Vincent Vescio aka Poppa Vin (keyboards) and Dennis James (acoustic and electric guitar) were kids living down the street from each other, Dennis’ dad, Elwood James, opened the family basement for all the neighborhood kids (even the troublemakers) to play in. This is where Vincent and Dennis began shedding as musicians and jamming together. Over the years, the two played on and off together in different rock bands, parting and rejoining various times. In 2009, the two partnered with another veteran Philly musician, drummer Danny Wagz, who departed from a classic rock band to pursue a more original direction, and Vincent’s son, bassist Vinnie Vescio. When Elwood passed away, the band was named as a tribute to everybody’s favorite dad in the neighborhood.

Writing and performing old school, retro-minded songs from a wild range of classic influences, The Elwood James Band have a unique challenge that most new bands searching for a unique vibe would kill for: trying to define their sound. Their influences include American roots music, blues, 60’s British Invasion, classic rock, psychedelic music, alt rock and world music—basically, they like to say, anything with a good melody, a good rhythm and a message that rocks. Chuck Darrow, writer for the Philadelphia Daily News Entertainment, wrote of them: “Sharp, intelligent songwriting and arranging, a knack for creating music that is instantly familiar but full of fresh ideas and superior singing and playing--individually and collectively--make EJB an especially impressive ensemble.”

“We’ve been called Southern rock jazz and compared us to Deep Purple, even if we don’t think we sound like them,” says Poppa Vin, who creates an incredible array of old school keyboard sounds (including Fender Rhodes, electric piano and Hammond B-3) on his Yamaha MO-8. “We’re a little bit jammy but not a jam band, with a little blues edge. I like to say we’re festival music, American music that you don’t hear too much on the radio but that’s still solid and rocks and jams.”

The elder Vescio has it exactly right--except for the radio part. Tracks from The Elwood James Band EP have been played thus far on WERU, a community radio station in Maine, listener-powered KRVM in Oregon, the Les Is More radio show on KDNK in Colorado, and on the internet, The PessSmile Radio show on Gashouse Radio and on the ArtistFirst Radio Music Special. Their songs have also been downloaded from Airplay Direct by Forest FM (92.3) in Dorset, UK and Super 91.7 WMPH in Wilmington, Delaware. Perhaps the most amazing thing—and one which speaks to the quality and diversity of the group’s output—is the fact that recently, as Poppa Vin was driving around town, he heard their cover of “With A Little Help From My Friends” on WXPN at the University of Pennsylvania; it was an outtake track from the EP sessions that is not on the official release.

Though the Elwood James Band has a 30 song repertoire to draw from in their live performances (and a few favorite covers, including Elton John’s “Take Me To the Pilot” and Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “Helplessly Hoping”), they took the advice of their engineer at Cambridge Sound Studios in Newtown - Jonathan Widran

WLFR-FM in Galloway, NJ
WTSR - College of NJ
WXPN - Helen Leicht, Philadelphia - Beatles cover
WVUD - Univ. of DE
WMPH - Wilm. DE

WERU - East Orland, Maine
Gashouse Radio - Internet Station based in NJ - The PessSmile Radio Show
WCNI - New London, CT
KRVM - Eugene, OR
KDNK - Les Is More, Carbondale, CO
- Greg Gaughan

MAY 7, 2012 - In this day and age when so many bands are cobbled out of musicians who respond to Facebook notices and ads on Craigslist, it’s exciting and inspiring to find an authentic homespun group like the emerging, Philly based ELWOOD JAMES BAND. Having established a foothold in their hometown with over 30 shows and fundraising events for Haiti Earthquake Relief (Musicians Actively Supporting Haiti) and Breast Cancer Awareness (the 2011 Walk for the Cure), the group has just released its self titled five track independent EP. Their background makes the ELWOOD JAMES BAND feel like a big happy family. When principals and co-lead vocalists VINCENT VESCIO aka POPPA VIN (keyboards) and DENNIS JAMES (acoustic and electric guitar) were kids living down the street from each other, DENNIS’ dad, ELWOOD JAMES, opened the family basement for all the neighborhood kids (even the troublemakers) to play in. This is where VINCENT and DENNIS began shedding as musicians and jamming together. Over the years, the two played on and off together in different rock bands, parting and rejoining various times. In 2009, the two partnered with another veteran Philly musician, drummer DANNY WAGZ, who departed from a classic rock band to pursue a more original direction, and VINCENT’s son, bassist VINNIE VESCIO. When ELWOOD passed away, the band was named as a tribute to everybody’s favorite dad in the neighborhood.Writing and performing old school, retro-minded songs from a wild range of classic influences, The ELWOOD JAMES BAND have a unique challenge that most new bands searching for a unique vibe would kill for: trying to define their sound. Their influences include American roots music, blues, 60’s British Invasion, classic rock, psychedelic music, alt rock and world music—basically, they like to say, anything with a good melody, a good rhythm and a message that rocks. Chuck Darrow, writer for the Philadelphia Daily News Entertainment, wrote of them: “Sharp, intelligent songwriting and arranging, a knack for creating music that is instantly familiar but full of fresh ideas and superior singing and playing--individually and collectively--make EJB an especially impressive ensemble.” - RockWired Radio

Sharp, intelligent songwriting and arranging, a knack for creating music that is instantly familiar but full of fresh ideas and superior singing and playing--individually and collectively--make EJB an especially impressive ensemble. - Chuck Darrow, Philadelphia Daily News

The Elwood James Band are relatively newer act on American roots music therithory. They work as a quartet, performs a lot, and during the previous 2011 year, they discographicaly debuted with EP, entitled simply " EJB". We can find a 5 melodic tracks here, with soulful and southern touches and emotionals too. Some 80 traces are also present in their arrangments aproaches and especially in vocal harmonizations, as same as one generally positive musical view. Their authors signitures also associate on past periods, where elements of americana, different roots variants and clasic rock details ,clearly defines its style. I will specialy recomand a two pretty melodic tunes, as a " Nobody Rolls" and " Love It All". " EJB " is a fine discographical start for USA fellows..

Rating : 7 . 5 / 10
C / o : www.elwoodjamesband.com - Branimir Lokner