True Story
The Allmond Brothers Clan
An Entertaining Tribute to the Time-honored Music of the Allman Brothers Band
Because Sometimes You Feel Like Bustin’ a Nut!
The Allmond Brothers Clan is a collective of top shelf Bay Area musicians led by “Trickey Frets,” aka, Jimmy Leslie (Guitar Player Magazine, Shana Morrison, Honey Island Swamp Band, Stung). The Allmonds bust out classic Allman chestnuts such as “Midnight Rider” and “Ramblin’ Man” with technical and tonal precision, and deliver a lively show with amusing anecdotes that transform brilliant musicians into entertaining characters such as Allmond Boy, Greasy Nuts, and Butch Nuts.
The ABC was born when Leslie produced Guitar Player Presents’ 5th anniversary celebration as a tribute to Duane Allman at San Francisco’s Boom Boom Room. 15 musicians including special guests Luther Dickinson (Black Crowes, North Mississippi Allstars), Marke “Jellyroll” Burgstahler (Gregg Allman & Friends, Alameda Allstars) and James Nash (The Waybacks) played their hearts out to an overjoyed audience that went absolutely nuts. There was too much for love for it not to live on as—The Allmond Brothers Clan!
The ensemble played on whenever it was clever with members of Poor Man’s Whiskey, Orgone, ALO, Tracorum, Shantytown, New Monsoon, and the Mother Hips participating either as main performers or featured guests. Highlights of many road conquests were when the Allmond Brothers Clan rocked the High Sierra Music Festival, and the Guitarfish Music Festival.
After a hiatus, the ABC re-booted in 2014 when the iconic Allman Brothers Band hung up its boots after 45 years, and Guitar Player Presents celebrated its 10th anniversary back at the Boom Boom Room. A combination of original contributors and fresh faces ignited an audience of guitar players and player lovers. A trip to Lake Tahoe for a Concert on Commons Beach over July 4th weekend 2015 was absolutely epic, and a subsequent City of Brisbane Concert in the Park nearly brought down San Bruno Mountain!
The Allmond Brothers Clan at High Sierra 2010
“A tribute band is a tricky thing. Genuflect too much and you’re a boring recreation, stray too far off the blueprint and folks won’t recognize the source material, which is a central aspect to a tribute’s pleasure. This Allman Brothers homage led by Guitar Player Magazine’s Jimmy Leslie (who plays the Dickey role) gets the balance just right. Unlike the Grateful Dead, Beatles or Stones, few bands cover the Allmans because it is a separate language that swirls gutbucket blues with jazz sophistication. Just as most of us don’t speak Esperanto, Allman-ese isn’t common and it was exciting to see this large band teach themselves how to talk eloquently. Unlike today’s ABB, the Allmond Clan uses the At The Fillmore East era as their Rosetta Stone, and one suspects their grasping at these numbers mirrors the Allmans’ own during that time period. Simon “Eli Jebidah” Kurth was a fire hose of great guitar riffing as Duane “Sky Frog” Allmond, and stellar guest turns from Sean Leahy, Josh Clark, Greg Loiacono and Lebo added further air guitar heft to the session. PMW’s Josh Brough was also murderously good as Gregg “Allmond Boy” Allmond, attacking the organ and vocals with the gusto of a young Gregg. Most of us weren’t able to see ABB when Duane was alive but the hunger for that music remains. The Allmond Bros Clan fulfills that appetite in a way that honors Duane’s memory by really wrestling with this music in a quite alive way. Festival bookers take note: Don’t let the other guys get to this project before you.”
Dennis Cook: Jambase.com
http://www.jambase.com/Articles/23337/High-Sierra-Music-Festival-07.01-07.04-California/3
Current Allmonds
Trickey Frets, vocals & guitar – Jimmy Leslie (Spirit Hustler, Guitar Player Magazine, Honey Island Swamp Band)
Allmond Boy, keys and vocals – Josh Brough (Poor Man’s Whiskey)
Greasy Nuts, slide guitar – Jules Leyhe (Berkelee College of Music)
Butch Nuts, drums – Eric Wood (Forejour, Stung, Public Eye)
Other Nuts in the Mix
Fresh Nuts – Fletcher Nielsen (Tracorum)
J Flow – Jeremy Hoenig (Grammy-nominated drummer/percussionist)
Biggie Nuts, bass – Steven LaBella (El Matate, Mama’s Cookin’)
Warren Stains, slide guitar – Sean Leahy (Free Peoples, Four Year Bender)
Mixed Nuts from Performances Past
Butch Nuts, drums – Chris Dejohn (Eric Lindell)
Allen’s Woody, bass – Steve Adams (ALO, Big Light, Brett Dennen)
Hairy Stokely – Mark Calderon (Tracorum, Free Peoples)
Bro’Nut – drums, Dave Brogan (ALO)
Hairy Stokely, bass – Peter Canton (Hot Einstein)
Sky Frog, guitar – Simon “Eli Jebidiah” Kurth (Poor Man’s Whiskey, Huckle)
Derek Nuts, guitar – James Nash (The Waybacks)
Gritty Pipes, vocals and harp – Teague Kearnan (Shantytown)
