Saturday July 10 – Quarry
House Rockabilly Saturday Night!…
Coming up –
Tenth Anniversary Celebration at
"KEEPER OF THE ROCKABILLY FLAME" ~ Joel
Sparks, On Tap Magazine
"MASTERS OF RED-HOT ROCKABILLY
AND ROWDY HONKY TONK"
~ Richard Harrington, The Washington Post
"HONKY TONK THE WAY IT SHOULD BE" ~ Eric Brace, The Washington
"NIGHTLIFE AGENDA
FAVORITE", "EXCELLENT" ~ Fritz
Hahn, The Washington Post
"COUNTRY VOCALIST OF THE
YEAR" ~ Washington Area Music Association,
2004, 2006, 2007, AND 2008 !
"YOU’LL LOVE THESE GUYS. GREAT ENERGY AND FABULOUS VOCALS" ~ Brenda Golden, The Coconut Times
“WITH SOARING VOCALS, HARD-ROCKING
ROCKABILLY, AND A HEARTFELT WAY WITH A BALLAD,
D.C. NATIVE J.P. MCDERMOTT IS BREATHING FRESH AIR INTO ONE OF AMERICA’S GREAT
MUSICAL TRADITIONS”
~ Debbie Lee, The Washington CityPaper
“TOP WEDDING BAND IN MARYLAND” ~ The Brides
of The Knot.com
Back before they called it rock and roll they called it Western Bop. In '55, the first time anyone called Elvis a King, they were calling him The King of Western Bop. Buddy Holly's first business card advertised "Western & Bop". Western Bop is where it all comes together -- Rockabilly, Classic Country, and Vintage Honky Tonk. Western Bop is a flattop acoustic beating time like a big eight-wheeler comin' down the track. It's a bass fiddle getting slapped like there's no tomorrow. Throw in a stinging lead guitar, and you know you've found the right place.
We're talking about high-energy rockabilly, tear-in-your-beer ballads, and hell-raising honky tonk all rolled into one exciting package. The Washington Post calls it, "Honky Tonk the way it should be."
Forget the tribute bands, the oldies
bands, the camp, and the kitsch. This is the real music, played the way it's
supposed to be played -- straight ahead, a little bit blue, and one hell of a
lot of fun.
The
Washington Area Music Association named J.P. McDermott
Country
Vocalist of the Year for
2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009!
Thanks for all your support!
Western Bop is back and its here to stay!
J.P. McDermott & Western Bop
are based near Washington, D.C. and play songs by:
Buddy Holly, Webb Pierce, Johnny Cash, Warren
Smith, Roy Orbison, Mac Curtis, Elvis Presley, Ray
Price, Stonewall Jackson, Johnny Bush, Jerry Lee Lewis, Hank Williams, Carl
Smith, Billy Lee Riley, Lefty Frizzell, Bob Luman, Willie Nelson, Eddy
Arnold, Marty Robbins, Wynn Stewart, George
Jones, and more, plus great original tunes in the same vein.....
This prize-winning
photo copyright Edward Hoover
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Saturday July 24 July 31 Aug 28 Sep 04 |
THE
QUARRY HOUSE TAVERN Just two blocks from
Silver Spring Metro |
THE QUARRY HOUSE TAVERN IS
WESTERN BOP’S HOME BASE.
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Thursday |
JACKIE’S
BACKROOM Doors open at |
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Sunday |
COLUMBIA LAKEFRONT Rain Info: |
TENTH
ANNIVERSARY! The first paying gig Western Bop ever booked was
at the Lakefront in |
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Friday |
HILTON
DULLES Free
beginner lesson starts at |
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Friday |
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Free dance lesson
at |
Check back often to see what's coming up.
ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT
See our latest interview with The Washington City Paper by clicking here...
A review of our CD release party by Joel Sparks of On Tap and MetroMusicScene...
Click these links for press quality pictures!
300 dpi B&W Band Photo (694K jpg)
300 dpi Color Band Photo (1.4 MB jpg)
High Res headshot (2.5 MB jpg)
Read the great reviews of "Last Fool Here"
It’s Not Too Late:
Nearly Forgotten Buddy Holly Songs
The new CD is out and available!
Twelve Buddy Holly tracks you might have missed,
performed by
J.P. McDermott & Western Bop
Or, pick it up at one of
the shows, or send a check for $12 (shipping & handling included) to:
Shower-Tone
Records
Silver Spring, MD
Hear some free clips at 
Last Fool Here
"2005
Country Recording of the Year"
Washington Area Music Association
Hear some free clips at
Thanks to the good folks at Shower-Tone Records, the CD is now available for sale! Scroll down a bit to listen to song samples.
Here's some of what the critics have to say...
"5 Stars -- Recommended!" ~ Uncle B, BlackCat Rockabilly
" ...you may hear the gates of honky tonk heaven swing open..." ~ Mike Joyce, The Washington Post
"The local king of old-fashioned rockabilly and roll. I've heard the new album and it rocks! ...a masterful collection of rockabilly five years in the making and worth the wait." ~ Joel Sparks, Original Copy
"Hot damn diggety dog! Is there anything better than a rockabilly boogie to make a person smile and shake? Heck, no - especially when it's J.P. McDERMOTT AND WESTERN BOP that are ripping it up. " ~ Dave Nuttycombe, The Washington CityPaper
"There are very few artists in the Washington area playing classic Buddy Holly-inspired honky tonk and rockabilly and, for our money, none do it better than J.P. McDermott and Western Bop." ~ Fritz Hahn, The Washington Post
"J.P. is also in possession
of a good ole tenor of his very own, and as a fine honky-tonk songwriter, he’s
got a leg up on the
"Sterke ord, men J.P. og co. innfrir langt på vei!" ~ Arild Rønes, The Rock Board
CLICK HERE TO READ ALL THE REVIEWS!
Where can I buy it?
· You can always get one at our live shows.
· You can pick it up On-line at your favorite spot:
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You can buy it by the song at Apple iTunes
· It's even in actual physical stores like:
The House of Musical Traditions,
Joe's Record Paradise,
Borders Books & Music,
Pick up a copy (or two) today!
Just click on the album cover to get to CDBaby!
Track list (Click to hear a two minute sample):
1. My Damn Baby (J.P. McDermott)
2. Do I Love You? (Kesler)
3. Cry Cry Cry (Johnny Cash)
4. Coulda Woulda Shoulda (Newscaster, McDermott)
5. Not Enough of You (McDermott)
6. Blue Days, Black Nights (Ben Hall)
7. Lucky Stars (B. Newscaster, R.K. Swenson)
8. Sixteen Chicks (L. Davis, W. Walker)
9. Go Cat Go! (B. Newscaster)
10. Heartaches for a Dime (H. Howard)
11. That Ain't Nothin' But Right (Shell, Price)
12. Last Fool Here (J.P. McDermott)
NEWS!
Charting in Europe: The new record has been doing well in Scandinavia, The Netherlands, and Germany. In October we were the 113th most popular country act in Sweden (one ahead of Lyle Lovett!) We were #120 in the Netherlands for November, and are gettting solid airplay in Germany. The record will soon be out in general release in Europe in conjunction with Rhythm Bomb Records. Stay tuned for more...
Rockabilly Radio: We're the featured artists up there now, and "My Damn Baby" recently hit #2 on their chart. Give them a listen at www.rockabillyradio.net. Don't hesitate to request a Western Bop song while you're there!
OLDER NEWS
2006 -- JP Sings the National Anthem at RFK!
Click here to see and hear it!
2005 -- J.P. Sings the
National Anthem at Camden Yards - click here for the full story
From March 2005's
"Music Picks" in On
Tap Magazine: "McDermott
has been unofficial keeper of the rockabilly flame in these parts for a long
time, and he just won the 2004 WAMMIE award for Best Country Vocalist.
Upbeat Classics from Buddy Holly to Hank Williams, and some twangin'
originals too, in a favorite
ON THE RADIO: Our song "Oh Dizzy Dean" (penned by Andy Rutherford) is on the Hungry for Music CD, "Diamond Cuts - Top of the Sixth". It was featured on NPR one morning, getting nearly a full minute of airplay you can listen to the story by clicking this link. You can get the CD from the Hungry for Music website, on Amazon.com or at our shows (it's cheaper if you buy it from us!)
IN THE POST: There was recently a really nice article about the band in the Washington Post by Eric Brace headlined, "Honky Tonk The Way It Should Be". Sez Eric in a related piece at the Post: "JP McDermott & Western Bop throw down the classic country and rockabilly as well as anyone around... go go go! "
There was also a very nice piece about a recent show by Marianne Meyer. Click here to read it on the Post site, or click here to see a scan of the article with photos.
IN THE STUDIO: After talking about it for months, J.P. has finally hit the studio with the Original Tennessee Rockets -- Bob Newscaster, Jeff Lodsun & Bryan Smith. Several tracks are complete, and they are smoking hot! A couple of more sessions are planned, including pulling in Andy Rutherford with the Rockets. Look for a record later this year!
We've just released one of the originals from the session "My Damn Baby" -- Give it a listen today at the Post site today!
MP3 at the Post: Our recording of Sixteen Chicks was an Editor's Pick at the Washington Post! We've been in the Top 5 most downloaded songs of the week several times since we went up. Check out our Post Page, where you'll also find the great Harlan Howard song "Heartaches for a Dime". You can download songs from the Post, or stream them from the IUMA site below. Enjoy!
MUSIC: There are 9 cuts from the demo tape up on the web. Check out our site at IUMA to hear "Ting-A-Ling", "Last Cigarette", "Blue Days, Black Nights", "Rock'n'Roll Ruby" and "Cry! Cry! Cry!", and more in MP3 or streaming audio.
SOME PRESS: We recently got a really nice review on MetroMusicConnection. Blake Gregory says "...I must tell you AUTHENTIC ROCKABILLY!!! ....a mournful, lonesome cry to the past that few young artist have ever been exposed to. The band is outstanding with their authentic sound that harkens back to the day of the Sun Record Studio sessions". Check out the full review!
Marianne Meyers of the Washington Post says "Heartbreaking ballads and Raucous Rockabilly!"
ON THE WEB: Tom Heyman, Staff Writer for Listen.com says, "...The singing and playing are a terrific evocation of Elvis Presley's Sun recordings crossed with Buddy Holly style vocals...." Click here to listen!
WE'RE NUMBER 2! In November we once again hit #2! Thanks to your support, we nearly hit the top of the IUMA Rockabilly Charts.
WEB PAGE VERSIONS OF SEVERAL PIECES OF PRESS:
THE BAND
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J.P. McDermott: Lead singer and rhythm guitar. A native Washingtonian, J.P.'s sung every kind of music you can think of, but he's happiest belting out a Ray Price heartbreaker, or tearing into a Warren Smith rockabilly rave-up. J.P. was proud to be named Country Vocalist of the Year by WAMA (Washington Area Music Association). To see what happens when Rockabilly, Honky Tonk and Classic Country collide, go see J.P. live. |
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Bob Newscaster: Lead Guitar. It's our great fortune to have the legendary Bob Newscaster in Western Bop. Bob has been there and back -- one of the Original Tennessee Rockets, on all the Tex Rubinowitz records we love so much, and a hell of a songwriter. Bob penned a couple of the tunes on the upcoming CD. You can also catch Bob around town with his band, The Seductones. |
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Louie Newmyer: Upright Bass. Louie's one hell of a bass player with an astoundingly checkered career in the music business. In past lives he's played rock in Europe with Nils Lofgren, r&b with Tommy Lepson, roots rock with the Hard-Core Troubadours and rockabilly with The Peashooters. Louie currently moonlights with Terence McArdle's jump blues band and with the Old Line Skiffle Combo. When not slappin' the doghouse Louie can be found cruisin' flea markets in a '59 Chevy that reeks of Armand's pizza. |
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Tom Bowes: Drums. Tom is a great drummer but refuses to reveal his biography. We have reason to believe he may work for some clandestine government agency! |
Special Thanks to some great musicians:
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Andy Rutherford: Seriously Hot Lead Guitar. From time to time we get to play with this long-time veteran of the DC club and bar scene. Andy put in stints in bands with some extremely embarrassing names, Andy brings a little bit of everything from zydeco to crying lap steel to the mix. Andy really tears it up, and is staking his claim as one of the top guitar players in town. Sometimes we even have both Bob & Andy! You can also catch Andy with Johnny Castle's Thrillbillies, Little Pink, Zydeco Crayz, and Cathy Ponton King. |
Eric Shramek: Stand-up Bass Fiddle. When Eric slaps the bass, you know it's been slapped. Eric goes for both the clicks and the tones, or as the professionals say, the clickety-clicks and the digga-ta-digg-ta. You may have seen Eric gigging around town with anyone of a number of blues bands and jazz combos, but he just loves slappin' out the two-beat rockers. Eric played all the bass on the first demo, and can be heard on the MP3s we have up at IUMA and the Post
Nick Ruggieri is a conservatory trained professional percussionist. Don't let that throw you -- Nick swings hard and really keeps things rockin' along. He played the drums on "Sixteen Chicks". You can catch Nick performing with several other fine DC bands.
Terence McArdle plays most of the leads on our first demo tape. Often seen fronting his own jump blues band, Big Trouble, Terence cuts through in his own inimitable style. They don't call him "The Man Who Put The Rock in Rockville" for nothing.
We owe a real debt to Kenny Haddaway. Kenny has played with us on drums, bass, guitar, and lap steel! Kenny is also proprietor of The Music Loft, Arlington's best community music store. Kenny is the greatest!
John Shepherd: Drums. Another veteran -- John's worked with everybody in town, playing Jazz, Rock, HonkyTonk, and everything in between. As Eric Brace says in The Washington Post, John "pushes the shuffle into the land of pure groove". When not pounding out dangerous rockabilly with Western Bop, John can be found playing with Tom Vaughn & the Roadhouse Five, or filling in with many of your other favorite area bands.
Get in Touch with Western Bop!
YES -- we do play private parties, weddings, funerals & bar mitzvahs!
Live music makes any event more memorable and enjoyable. Don't make the DJ mistake!
Here's an actual testimonial from a recent wedding:
"...I just wanted to thank you so much for the other night. The band was the one decision I insisted on making because I felt that the evening would hinge on the right music. As great as everything else turned out I still think you guys were the highlight. Those guests will be talking about what a great band you were for years, and you definitely made my parent's evening (up dancing to every song). Please express our sincere gratitude to the rest of the band and we'll be out to see you again soon. You helped make Saturday the best night of our lives. "
...and from a recent party:
"Many thanks again to you and the Western Bop for putting on a fantastic show for [my husband's] birthday party. The songs and sounds were just perfect for dancing, and our friends were thrilled. All night long, folks asked, 'where did you find that band!!'"
For bookings or more info, contact: info@westernbop.com
Join the mailing list and keep up to date on WesternBop. Just send email tolist@westernbop.comand we'll sign you up!
Click here to get
our MySpace page - jpmcdermottandwesternbop 
Need to get in touch through the US Mail? Want to send presents? Need to Fed Ex us boxes full of cash? The physical address is:
Western Bop Entertainment
PO Box 8116
Silver Spring, MD 20907-8116
Silver Spring, MD
LINKS
Here are links to a few places on the web that might be of interest to fans of Rockabilly, Honky Tonk, & Classic Country:
You gotta check this one out...
Kustom Kulture for the Retro Lifestyle. 100s of links to bands, clubs, shopping, hot rods and much more!
BANDS
· J.B. Beverly The hardest core honky tonk you'll ever find. J.B and his fine band, The Wayward Drifters have been out touring with Hank III and making a name all over the US. J.B. is a good guy, an electrifying performer, and one damn fine songwriter. Check him out!
· Dennis Jay A truly fine cowboy singer based right here in DC. Says "No Depression" magazine: "...a talent for channeling antique voices from the lost history of American music . . . somewhere in the bandwidth between Jimmie Rogers and Tex Ritter. He might even have made a killing as a Nashville songwriter in the 40’s."
· Johnny Castle's Thrillbillys One of the best bands around -- Andy Rutherford, Dave Kitchen, Robbie Magruder, and of course, the inimitable Johnny Castle. A great set list, great sounds, and a lot of fun. Catch them pretty much every Thursday night at the infamous Sunset Grill in Annandale.
· Dagmar and The Seductones Rockin' Roots, Vintage Pop, and Rockabilly. I've actually heard them referred to as "Torchabilly". The Seductones feature the lovely and talented Andrea Dagmar Brown on vocals and the one and only Bobby Newscaster on guitar. Check 'em out!
· The Droptops
Dynamic 3 piece from
· The Old Line Skiffle Combo American music crosses the Atlantic twice! Playing all the best from the 1950's British skiffle craze. The Vipers, Lonnie Donegan, Johnny Duncan & the Bluegrass Boys, Chas McDevitt and others.
· Terence McArdle Terence delights swing dancers, roots music fans, and blues lovers alike with a combination of swinging guitar, rough hewn vocalizing, swinging shuffle grooves, and pulsing horns.
· Jon Kaplan (The Bicycle Thieves) Not rockabilly, but Jon is one of my favorite musicians of any type anywhere. A great singer, and a stunning songwriter. Make sure you get out to see Jon some night.
· The Barnburners Hardcore Americana Baltimore style.
RESOURCES
· Buddy Holly Online: The best place on the web for information on the life & music of Buddy Holly. Period.
· Route 66 Rockabilly covers the exploding rockabilly music scene, listing over 500 band websites worldwide, rockabilly MP3 downloads, rockabilly events, festivals, hot rods, kustom cars, pinups, tattoos, Route 66 photos, retro collectibles.
· Right On Rhythm: "The Home of Blues and Othe Good Music" -- A great site supporting the wide variety of music from the DC area. Get club schedules, artist info, and buy CDs online all in one spot!
· SilverSpringCenter.com: Your BEST Source of Information on Silver Spring, MD! Quickly find Silver Spring, MD's community events, entertainment, businesses, restaurants, recreation, local news, weather, and much more!
· Music Monthly Magazine: Covering the music scene in Baltimore, Washington, and beyond for over 17 years!
· Maryland Party: A fine source for keeping up to date on the schedules of your favorite bands in the tri-state area.
· SpareChangeMagazine: Indescribable online magazine. Hot Rods, Good Bars, Rockabilly, Mixed Drinks -- You name it, they got it.
· The Rockabilly Hall of Fame: The best source on the web (or anywhere else for that matter) for info on Rockabilly. Detailed bios, discographies, etc. Careful -- this one's addictive.
· Barflies.net: Southern California Rockabilly Culture -- Can you say all that in the same sentence?
· Jiving.com: Great information on 40's & 50's Culture. Brought to you by Miss Wolffe of Montreal.
· Sailor Curt's Rockabilly Links: Sailor Curt is trying to put together the most comprehensive list of Rockabilly links on the web -- and he's getting there.
Western Bop International!
We're getting web hits from all over the world -- So far we've heard from 80 countries on 6 continents, including:
Andorra, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Cote D'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyz Republic, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niue, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Yugoslavia!
All that's left is Antarctica!
All Content Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006,2007, 2008, 2009 J.P. McDermott
All Rights Reserved
"J.P. McDermott", "J.P. McDermott and Western Bop", "Red-Hot Rockabilly and Vintage Honky Tonk", "Red-Hot Rockabilly,Tear-in-your-beer Ballads, and Hell-Raisin' Honky Tonk", and "Straight-up Rockabilly and Vintage Honky Tonk" are Service Marks of J.P. McDermott