The Ramblin' Souls

Many times an album is just a snapshot of what an artist or a group sounds like at a given moment. Quincy’s blues rockers Ramblin’ Souls, for example, shifted direction and changed personnel as soon as they finished recording their self-titled debut CD. The band will celebrate the release of that CD tonight at the Beachcomber in Quincy. South Shore garage rockers Geezer Deluxe open at 9:30 p.m.

“We had taken a break after making the record, and spent some time on side projects,” said Jesse Ahern, lead singer/songwriter for The Ramblin’ Souls. “Myself and bassist George Camia had joined with the drummer from the Dogmatics in a new group, the Petty Thieves, with a more Americana side. This date was originally supposed to be a Petty Thieves gig, but the CD was finished and we decided to give it a big breakout at the Beachcomber.”

The current lineup of the Ramblin’ Souls, all Quincy natives, includes Ahern on vocals and guitar, Camia on bass, Brad Bryan on lead guitar, and Scott Cunningham on drums. The album also features the work of former bandmember David Mendoza on keyboards.

“We’re all Quincy guys who’ve been hanging around, playing in bands for years,” said Ahern, 30. “We’ve gone through a few different lineups, and I’d guess this particular lineup has been solid for a year and half.”

The band sees its post-CD style swerve toward toward Americana and rockabilly as a natural progression.

“I think my musical influences started with the blues, but moved on to Boston rock like the Dogmatics, and stuff like The Clash. Of course Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie are big influences on my songwriting, I believe, Ahern said.

“Our lead guitar player is a huge Albert King fan, so we followed that path for awhile. The CD is definitely our more blues side, while onstage we are trying more Americana and rockabilly now,” he said.

Whatever style they might be aiming at on a particular night, the Ramblin’ Souls have always had a loyal fan base. That’s helped them get gigs in suburban clubs, in-town clubs, and around New England, like the Abbey Lounge in Somerville, the Plough & Stars in Cambridge, the Bulfinch Yacht Club in Boston, Harpers Ferry in Boston.

Ahern said he first honed his performance abilities the old fashioned way, busking on the Boston subways. “That was invaluable for me. Just to get out in front of people and get my songs out there, the subway work was crucial. It developed my stage presence – I literally learned how to play in front of people that way.”

Ahern, who said he’s been getting more into writing songs, said his lyrics are based on what he’s seen and where he’s been.

That gives Ramblin’ Souls music an earthy feel, and it’s easy to see how that tone would translate well to Americana or any roots music.

“Usually I’ll begin a song with the story, the words, the life experience it is based on,” Ahern said. “ I think this first CD shows our more garage rockin’ bluesy side, but we are continually progressing, becoming more mature as a band.”

Bassist Camia said blues was the first genre he really got into. “I had been playing for awhile, but felt like nothing was really calling out to me. When I heard the blues I felt it like no other music. The way I was able to relate to that helped me go back and look at other music through that lens,” Camia said.

Ahern said telling stories is what he likes most about music. “I like being able to share a connection with an audience. I like to get into someone’s head when I sing,” he said. - http://www.patriotledger.com/homepage/x1608569020

By JAY N. MILLER
The Patriot Ledger
Posted May 13, 2008 @ 07:30 AM

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QUINCY —
There’s a simple reason The Ramblin’ Souls are performing a benefit show for Cystic Fibrosis on Friday night at The Beachcomber in Quincy; the cause has immediate impact with the Quincy band.
``This one really hits home,'' said lead singer Jesse Ahern. ``It’s my little nephew, and we want to do whatever we can.''
Friday’s show, featuring DJ Silent Partner doing a set of his own, is officially The Thomas Ahern Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser. Thomas, 7 months old, is the second child of Wollaston’s Josh and Annie Ahern, and was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis last October.
Thomas needs constant care and support, so Josh Ahern had to stop working. Nonetheless the family is struggling financially, and the benefit will be split between the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and simply helping the Aherns.
``Josh took a leave of absence from his job, for the time being, and Annie does make better income, but they are under some financial strain,'' said Jesse Ahern. ``We just want to help get them back on their feet. When a friend of mine told me she was doing the Great Strides Walk on May 18, we decided we would do a show that same weekend and try to raise some money.'' The Great Strides Walk, at Marina Bay, is a fund-raising event for the Cystic Fibrosis.
``It’s not really about the artists who may show up Friday,'' said Ramblin’ Souls manager John McLoughlin. ``It is just a chance to get out and support a good cause, and hopefully have a fun night too ... We want to generate awareness and help the CF Foundation too, to help conquer this terrible disease.''

If you go
- Admission: $10, or $30 for a Ramblin’ Souls CD and T-shirt.
- Show starts at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Beachcomber, 797 Quincy Shore Drive, Wollaston, and includes raffles and door prizes, like Red Sox tickets.
- To walk or donate to the Great Strides Walk on Sunday, go to www.cff.org/great_strides.

http://www.enterprisenews.com/archive/x165089491/Ramblin-Souls-concert-will-benefit-local-baby-family - Enterprise News.com

http://www.patriotledger.com/entertainment/x1197764806/Q-Town-Throwdown-will-rock-Wollaston-for-a-three-day-bash

By JAY N. MILLER
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Oct 30, 2008 @ 05:05 AM
QUINCY —

Four shows in three days makes the Q-Town Throwdown a huge Halloween weekend bash as more than a dozen of the region’s rock bands will perform at the Beachcomber in Quincy tonight through Saturday. ``We were just looking to cap off another year of playing the Beachcomber,'' said Ramblin’ Souls frontman Jesse Ahern, explaining how the event came together. Ramblin’ Souls regularly play at the Wollaston Beach locale.
The Q-Town Throwdown begins tonight with a three-band sampler of the area’s newest acts, moves on to a stellar lineup of the best Boston-area Americana performers, shifts to a Saturday afternoon punk and garage band summit, and finishes Saturday night with a four-band run of styles from rockabilly to Celtic/punk.
The Ramblin’ Souls have been staging their own music nights for a while now, especially at the Beachcomber. It’s become common for them to invite three other New England bands or performers to open their Quincy shows, and past showcases have veered from country to acoustic folk-rock to pounding 1950s piano rock.
``We’re thinking now of starting something like ‘Ramblin’ Souls Presents,’ booking bands with ourselves in the middle of it,'' said Ahern, a Quincy resident. ``We’d noticed in the scene on the South Shore, and even in some of the Boston clubs, the same bands seem to play over and over. We like to try and mix it up, offer the fans something different every time out.''
Because of the healthy relationship the band has with the Beachcomber’s booker, Pat McGettrick, Ahern said the Quincy club was ``the place where we wanted to make this kind of night a regular thing. The Q-Town Throwdown has really snowballed.''
``We’d love for it to go over well, and keep doing it every year about this time. Maybe next year we can extend it to five nights,'' Ahern said.
Ahern said that tonight is meant as a low-key opener for the series, with three bands joining the Ramblin’ Souls in a showcase of new young bands from the area.
The lineup includes Beachcomber regulars the 16th Graders, the Ramblin’ Souls, Ette and Eight Hour Waste.
The Halloween Night show is the focal point of the fest, with Americana stars Dennis Brennan, a longtime Boston music community icon; and the North Shore’s Frank Morey, with Ten Hours at a Time and the Ramblin’ Souls.
``Dennis Brennan is amazing, and he’s been known to jam with all kinds of people, like Peter Wolf and Duke Levine,'' Ahern said. ``He’s someone we absolutely wanted to have here. Frank Morey has quite a roots rock following of his own, from the Lowell area and down into the city, too. I’ve caught his Sunday night shows at the Plough & Stars in Cambridge. 10 Hours at a Time is an up-and-coming band of college-age guys from Quincy.''
The all-ages daytime show, from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, is built around garage bands and punky bands. The Souls will be playing somewhere in there, showcasing their rowdier side.
The notable band there is the headliner, Drunks Don’t Lie, which features North Quincy High School teacher Mark Scanlon.
``We thought it’d be cool if the kids could come down and see Mark’s band,'' said Ahern.
``Geezers Deluxe have played there before,'' Ahern said. ``The Muted Choppy has played with Geezers before too. Elim and His Negative Vibes are 18- 19-year-old local kids. Porque I Said So are also local...''
Saturday night’s show is a real potpourri, with the Boston rockabilly group Rev. Bob and the Darkness opening the night, followed by the indie blues of the South Shore’s own Stop Switch, then the Ramblin’ Souls.
The night is climaxed by a set from a Celtic/punk band from the state of Maine, the Pubcrawlers.
``Every night is like a variety show; that’s the idea,'' said Ahern. - Patriot Ledger