Keeping It Real: John Wessel

me blue snipThe Goddess of Groove
By Mad Royal

No one has a voice quite like John Wessel. It’s high, and raspy, and pure rock’n’roll. He can perform songs like “You Shook Me All Night Long” like nobody’s business. His flute playing is fantastic and much like Jethro Toll (more on that later), but he also rips on the guitar, saxophone, clarinet, keyboards, and bass. Oh, yeah, and he’s self-taught, too.
John was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but the family moved to Reseda in the L.A.’s San Fernando Valley when he was in fourth grade. They were in Sylmar for a while, and lived there at the time of the big earthquake in 1971. He spent a year in Arizona, and then moved back to Reseda.
John says that music came pretty naturally to him, as he had cousins in the business. One was Sonny Geraci, who sang “Time Won’t Let Me” with the Outsiders and later, “Precious and Few” with his band Climax. Sonny’s brother, Michael, played sax on the latter. Another cousin, Anthony “Sonny” Teresi, played drums with the Marketts, who had hits with “Out of Limits” and “Batman”.
John took up the guitar when he was 10-years-old. He knew 10 chords, and played backyard parties at the Wessel house with his band, the Turtlenecks. Later, he performed at all the Hollywood venues like the Starwood, Madame Wong’s (East and West), and the Rainbow Room. His bands, among others, were the Amethysts and the Psychedelic Four. The bands would be on the same bill as Van Halen, Black Flag and Quiet Riot, all unknowns at the time.
Growing up, he listened to music from the 50’s, as that was what his older siblings listened to, such as Frankie Avalon, The Coasters, and GOG Shameless Little Bill Tomkins, Karen Garman, John Wessel, and Sebastian LunaDion, until one day a group from Liverpool came on the Ed Sullivan Show. I think you know who I’m talking about. “That was it,” he says. “I knew what I wanted to do after that.” He also loved the Doors, Sly and the Family Stone, The Temptations, and the Four Tops. “We used to listen to KHJ. They would play one rock and roll song, and then one from Motown, There was no separation or differentiation in the music.”
He listened to a Jethro Tull album one day, and that convinced him to take up the flute. It is easy to hear the influence that band has had on John’s style with the flute. Then, he figured if he could play the flute, he should be able to play the saxophone, then the clarinet. Then he thought, “Gee, if I knew how to play the piano, I could fill in some of those parts…” He plays the bass, too, “But not in public”.
One day he put an ad in L.A.’s equivalent of the EasyAd for a bass player “who sounds like Jethro Tull’s bass player.”He kept getting calls from someone who said he was Glenn Cornick, who is the original bass player for that band. He kept hanging up, the last time telling the caller he had “the worst fake English accent I’d ever heard.” The caller persisted, finally convincing John to go to his address, and he was the real deal. John hired him for Amethyst, and they performed together for 30 years, along with John’s brother-law, Brian Cohen.
In 1984, John moved to north San Luis Obispo County (he currently resides in Paso Robles). The next year, He formed the band “Positive Touch” with Ed Frawley (owner of Central Coast Music in Morro Bay), “Little Bill” Tomkins, Doug Hoff, and the late Ron Ramirez. In 1988, “Shameless” was born, a band John still heads up today. The lineup over the years has included Doug Hoff, Terry Ristola, Freeman Lee, and Evan Hiney. Some of the band members split off to form “Triple Threat” in the 1990s. Shameless’ lineup today has John, Little Bill on guitar, the great Karen Garman on drums, and Sebastian Luna on bass.
John also performs around the county as a duo with Little Bill, “J&B Rocks”. He usually gigs several times a week, often twice on the same day. The music leans more towards rock than rock’n’roll, and with John’s unique voice, they are able to cover some songs you haven’t heard anyone but the original bands perform. Shameless is highly regarded, both by the general public, and other musicians. John hopes the music will evoke good memories, and that you’ll have a good time dancing. It’s as simple as that.
Upcoming shows: J&B Rocks: Cambria Pine Lodge, April 1, 8 p.m.-11 p.m. Shameless: Mozzi’s, Cambria, April 4, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Harry’s, Pismo Beach, April 11, 3 p.m.-7:30 p.m., and April 14 and 15, 7:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
May 2, “My Sunday Feeling” A Jethro Tull Tribute at the Fuel Dock Saloon in Morro Bay. Time and ticket prices to be announced. John Wessel, flute, with Drew Cornick (son of Glenn), bass, Brendan McGrath, guitar, and Garrett Morris on drums.