Jackass Willie talk
 

Jackass Bluegrass
Junkie weddings and rowdy crowds are no match for this 'dysfunctional' sextet
By Jack Clifford
Oregon Daily Emerald

Local band Jackass Willie, which gleefully plays what it calls dysfunctional bluegrass, is not going to score many wedding gigs. Unless a bride and groom just happen to stumble upon this motley crew.

Which is exactly what happened not too long ago.

"Yeah, we performed at a junkie's wedding," says banjoist Damon Frye, a founding member of Jackass Willie. "We were playing a private party in the Whiteaker neighborhood, and this couple came by and wanted us to play a song for their wedding, which was going on right then down at Shooter's [Monroe] Park."

Damon and friends serenaded the blissful pair with "Piss Up a Rope" by Ween. Considering the song's lyrics -- "My dinner is on fire, while she watches T.V." is just a sample -- it's probably safe to assume that tears weren't flowing. At least, not tears of tenderness.

"We're a rowdy little band that should not be taken seriously when we play," understates Steve Harvel, lead singer and guitarist. "You see other bluegrass bands and there's kind of an uptight stiffness to them. We're just a bunch of drunken slobs who play for drunken slobs."

Self-deprecating humor aside, Jackass Willie is carving a nice niche for itself on Eugene's musical landscape. The band formed 14 months ago and recently notched its 116th show, according to mandolin picker Sean McKuen.

Most of these spectacles take place each Monday night at Tiny Tavern, where the sextet crams into a small slice of the Blair Boulevard bar. Jackass Willie has also amused crowds at Sam Bond's Garage, Max's, Rascal's and John Henry's, and with pride the guys christened the Vets' Club's upstairs lounge.

They certainly are not everyone's shot of rotgut. People have walked out during particular songs, Harvel says, and a local bluegrass organization indirectly chastised the group in its monthly newsletter for contributing to "the bastardization of the genre." True-blue fans, however, are unabashed in their appreciation.

"They make me laugh, they make me cry, they make me want to punch every one of them in the face," spewed out a hyperactive devotee at a recent Tiny Tavern show. Jason, who gave his last name as "The Angry Cook," chides those who are offended. "Every person who ever left a Jackass Willie show left with a sense of self-loathing because they were laughing at something they were morally against."

Ditties like "Thirstin' For Blood: The Ballad of Kip Kinkel" might raise a hackle or two, but Frye points out that "all of our songs are jackass-oriented, from a jackass point of view."

"Our music's about souped-up cars and women and drinking and whiskey, so that's where our name comes from," chimes in drummer Jeff Buettner.

Although a night of honky-tonking includes mostly originals, the band also cranks out covers from Black Flag, Metallica, and The Eurythmics. Musical influences for the band range from Tom Waits to John Coltrane, with a dash of bluegrass legend Bill Monroe. Frye and Harvel, with occasional help from guitarist/harmonica player Aaron Lowe, write most of the originals.

Each member claims an longtime affinity for music. Stand-up bass player Travis Harrison is arguably the most accomplished of the lot, with four albums under his belt while playing in a Seattle-based industrial dance band.

Chris Funk, the booking manager for Sam Bond's, describes Jackass Willie's style as "fast grass, with a splash of metal."

"These guys are fun, they attract a crowd -- here it is Monday night and this place is filling up -- and they're part of a good local band scene that doesn't get much press coverage," he says.

Frye maintains that his cast of characters is no longer just a joke, and they are aiming for a West Coast tour this summer. Frye, who claims Wichita, Kansas, as his hometown, says a dream double-bill would be Jackass Willie and his favorite bluegrass band, Split Lip Rayfield.

Whatever city this troupe wrecks next, rubberneckers should be aware that it's never a pretty sight.

"We did a show once and after each song, Steve [Harvel] took off a layer of clothing until he was nude, then we played 'Naked Man' by The Butthole Surfers," Frye laughs. "We don't play traditional bluegrass."

If you know of any upcoming junkie weddings, however, Jackass Willie is at the ready.

Y'all-ternative
Fame and fans grow for funlovin'
Jackass Willie.
By Mare Wakefield
Eugene Weekly

"If Jackass Willie were a real person," says drummer Jeff Buettner, "he'd be ignorant about women, into drugs, and always in jail." Adds mandolin player Sean "Dutch" McCune, "we're singin' about the same stuff folks sang about in the '50s, except we've traded songs about whiskey for songs about crystal meth."

The band, Jackass Willie, which has been together for almost two years, was the brain child of banjo player and co-lead singer Damon Frye. Frye came to Eugene by way of Kansas where he listened to such bands as Split Lip Rayfield and Scraotbelly. He was heavily influenced by these bluegrass-based bands and wanted to do something similar. While working the door at Sam Bonds, Frye met Buettner and guitar and harmonica player Aaron Lowe. The three of them formed the core band and played their first live show at Sam Bond's talent show in 1997. Frye now describes that show "laughable at best." The music was new to everyone and Frye and Lowe were still learning how to use their instruments.

But that didn't stop them. Frye inducted McCune from the band Dirtweed, and McCune invited Steve Harvel who was from his home town of Pinckneyville, Ill. Harvel plays guitar and shares lead vocals. Last to join the band was bassist Travis "Tater" Harrison, who is out on permanent loan from his first band the Aether Bunnies.

The music that Jackass Willie plays has been described as everything form "dysfunctional bluegrass," "beergrass," and "urban hillbilly to " the voice of trailer park" and "Y'all-ternative." Get the picture? They do a lot of fun bluegrass-based cover songs, including the '80s Eurythmics hit, "Here Comes the Rain Again," and a rousing version of Ween's country song, "Piss Up a Rope." In addition Frye, Harvel and Lowe write original material. "Homewreckin'" is the title of one of Harvel's originals. "Home, home wreckin'," the lyrics wail, "you used to be so cute and sweet now your expect in'." All in all, Jackass Willie has a flavor similar to that of a warm, almost flat Hamms chugged on the steps in front of a cinder-blocked trailer. To get the full effect, however, Jackass Willie is something that must be seen and heard live.

Monday nights, week after week, folks flock to the Tiny Tavern to get the Jackass Willie experience. This phenomenon began about two years ago when the band would meet at Fryes house each monday night for rehearsal. The rehearsals started to draw a crowd that would hang out on Fryes front lawn, just across the street from Tiny's. This did not go unnoticed and after a few conversations with the staff at Tiny's, Jackass Willie decided to hold their rehearsals at the bar. Since then, Monday nights have turned into "one of the three top nights for the bar," Says owner Jeff Malos, Occasionally pulling in more revenue than even Friday or Saturday nights.

The band is traveling more lately, and plans to record a CD. In the near future, however, Frye is heading to Kansas for the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival, which means a break for the band. Sept. 6th will be Jackass Willie's final performance at Tiny's for a while, and if you have never seen the band, now is the perfect time to view it in its element. The band is definitely having fun on stage, and its secret, according to Buettner, is "we all really, really love one another."