Music
Press
“Vern’s Pot O Chili's new album is a must have." - Grafitti Magazine
“Vern’s Pot O’ Chili is one of West Virginia’s best bands.” - Daily Athenaeum, Morgantown, WV
“Vern’s Pot O’ Chili brings amazing musical talent together to serve up a unique blend of different tastes. I would urge anyone to check them out.” - Lewisburg Billboard
Vern’s Pot O’ Chili is one of those bands that you must catch live to truly appreciate.
Ian Lutz (drums), Neil Jones (guitar), Dan Freeman (bass), Birch Graves (saxophone), Jason Johans (harmonica and ukulele), and J. Lee Collins (keyboards) make every performance a party.
I first saw them at the old Rosewood Theatre and they are now regulars at 123 Pleasant St., so it’s not hard to grab a bowl when your stomach starts to growl. The fact that they are such a great live act led me to approach this new release with some apprehension.
These guys have had as many as 12 musicians onstage at times all adding their own spices to the mix of jazz, hip-hop, and reggae with a high energy pop inflected styling.
You need not to worry, Punches and Scratches delivers all the fun of one of their live performances and then some. This could be a breakthrough work for the set. The musicianship is tight, but that’s what you woulkd expect from guys that have, in one form or another, been jamming together for over six years. Each track is a vision and a statement-some mellow and haunting (Africa), others acidic and satirical (Shotgun Black).
Catch Vern’s Pot O’ Chili live if you can, but if not, Punches and Scratches is the next best thing. Dip yourself out a bowl.
- Grafitti Magazine
Discography
Punches and Scratches (2006), Zone 8 Records
College radio airplay, WVU, Marshall, Rutgers, Syracuse, OSU, VCU, NCU, Georgetown, Cinncinatti, Pitt, Penn State, Cornell and local radio stations throughout West Virginia
Photos
Bio
Vern’s Pot O’ Chili has an extremely unique mixture of sounds ranging from reggae to bluegrass to hip-hop and funk which has proven time and time again to entice a crowd for the duration of their performances. The band comprises its set lists of mostly original songs, but influences include the styles of Toots and the Maytals, Galactic, Operation Ivy, Rasta Rafiki, Parliament Funkadelic, The Roots, Bill Withers, and Johnny Cash.
Formed in 2001 in the great state of West Virginia, Vern’s Pot O’ Chili has since become one of the states leading live acts. The band has performed in every major city in the state and has also made appearances at several festivals and state wide events including the Snowshoe Home Grown Music Festival, Fire on the Mountain Chili Cook-off, Pete Dye Classic (PGA Amateur Tour event), Old Timers Reunion Party, Culturefest, Annual Ridge Stock Festival, Annual WVU Sierra Swing Fundraiser, Annual West Virginia Wiffleball Tournament, Carnegie Hall Benefit Concert (Lewisburg, WV), and the Woodstock Reunion Party. VPOC also regularly performs at several of West Virginia’s top music venues including 123 Pleasant St. (Morgantown, WV), V-Club (Huntington, WV) and the Empty Glass (Charleston, WV).
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