After years of playing in bands that inevitably fell apart, as bands so oft… Read Full Bio ↴After years of playing in bands that inevitably fell apart, as bands so often do, keyboard player Delvon Lamarr landed in a different kind of group: one founded by his wife and manager, Amy Novo. She created the DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO so her husband could fully focus on the things he does best: writing and playing music.
With a deep soul backbone augmented by jazz, rhythm & blues and rock βnβ roll, the Seattle trio β Lamarr on B-3 organ, Jimmy James on guitar and David McGraw on drums β evokes a classic instrumental sound with a fresh, virtuosic sensibility all its own on debut LP Close But No Cigar. The band put out the album independently in 2016, and Colemine Records gives it a wide release in March.
All three musicians knew each other from the local soul scene. When Novo founded the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio in 2015, Lamarr asked McGraw if he was interested in joining the band. After playing for a year with another guitarist in the group, Lamarr invited James to sit in as a substitute one night at the trioβs regular Tuesday gig, and he never left. Thatβs when the band truly found its sound. βWe had chemistry right out of the gate, and that doesnβt always happen,β Lamarr says.
In fact, the keyboardist and guitarist say theyβre constantly engaged in a game of name-that-tune, throwing in licks from obscure soul or rhythm & blues tunes and seeing where the other takes it, while McGraw sits back in the pocket and keeps things moving. βIt puts you on the edge of your seat, like, I donβt know whatβs going to happen here,β James says. βItβs like going out into the middle of the forest with nothing, and thereβs bears and wolves all around, and seeing if you can make it out.β
Their chemistry stems from each musicianβs unique abilities. James describes McGraw as having βthat rare soul sound. Heβs got this light touch, but it still tells you, βIβm here.β You feel it.β Meanwhile, Lamarr holds down basslines on the organ that are so vivid that audience members sometimes ask where the bass player is. βHis left hand is second to none,β James says. βHeβs got that, but heβs also got this wild approach. He goes for it, and heβs fearless about it.β
Though James is more modest about his own abilities β βI mostly just go for what I feel,β he says β his bandmates complete the picture. βWhen Jimmy joined the band, everybody who was a regular at that club said, βThatβs it: thatβs the band right there,ββ Lamarr says.
Lineup thus complete, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio spent those Tuesday night sets honing its sound, often creating songs onstage in the middle of gigs. βIt gave us a lot of freedom to explore,β says McGraw, who also plays with James in the local soul band the True Loves. βSo much of the songwriting, and our ability to improv together, came from those live shows.β
The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio recorded Close But No Cigar soon after James joined the band. βThose originals came together pretty quickly, and we were still kind of learning them when we went in to record the record,β McGraw says. While Novo handles the business end of the group (and others that Lamarr plays in), the musicians have logged countless hours onstage together, resulting in a trio thatβs tighter than ever. In addition to the tunes on Close But No Cigar, they have a stockpile of new material theyβre looking forward to taking on the road and, by the end of the year, recording for a second album.
βIt means a lot to me that people dig what we do,β Lamarr says. βI just want people to feel it, basically. So far, it seems to be going pretty well.β
With a deep soul backbone augmented by jazz, rhythm & blues and rock βnβ roll, the Seattle trio β Lamarr on B-3 organ, Jimmy James on guitar and David McGraw on drums β evokes a classic instrumental sound with a fresh, virtuosic sensibility all its own on debut LP Close But No Cigar. The band put out the album independently in 2016, and Colemine Records gives it a wide release in March.
All three musicians knew each other from the local soul scene. When Novo founded the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio in 2015, Lamarr asked McGraw if he was interested in joining the band. After playing for a year with another guitarist in the group, Lamarr invited James to sit in as a substitute one night at the trioβs regular Tuesday gig, and he never left. Thatβs when the band truly found its sound. βWe had chemistry right out of the gate, and that doesnβt always happen,β Lamarr says.
In fact, the keyboardist and guitarist say theyβre constantly engaged in a game of name-that-tune, throwing in licks from obscure soul or rhythm & blues tunes and seeing where the other takes it, while McGraw sits back in the pocket and keeps things moving. βIt puts you on the edge of your seat, like, I donβt know whatβs going to happen here,β James says. βItβs like going out into the middle of the forest with nothing, and thereβs bears and wolves all around, and seeing if you can make it out.β
Their chemistry stems from each musicianβs unique abilities. James describes McGraw as having βthat rare soul sound. Heβs got this light touch, but it still tells you, βIβm here.β You feel it.β Meanwhile, Lamarr holds down basslines on the organ that are so vivid that audience members sometimes ask where the bass player is. βHis left hand is second to none,β James says. βHeβs got that, but heβs also got this wild approach. He goes for it, and heβs fearless about it.β
Though James is more modest about his own abilities β βI mostly just go for what I feel,β he says β his bandmates complete the picture. βWhen Jimmy joined the band, everybody who was a regular at that club said, βThatβs it: thatβs the band right there,ββ Lamarr says.
Lineup thus complete, the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio spent those Tuesday night sets honing its sound, often creating songs onstage in the middle of gigs. βIt gave us a lot of freedom to explore,β says McGraw, who also plays with James in the local soul band the True Loves. βSo much of the songwriting, and our ability to improv together, came from those live shows.β
The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio recorded Close But No Cigar soon after James joined the band. βThose originals came together pretty quickly, and we were still kind of learning them when we went in to record the record,β McGraw says. While Novo handles the business end of the group (and others that Lamarr plays in), the musicians have logged countless hours onstage together, resulting in a trio thatβs tighter than ever. In addition to the tunes on Close But No Cigar, they have a stockpile of new material theyβre looking forward to taking on the road and, by the end of the year, recording for a second album.
βIt means a lot to me that people dig what we do,β Lamarr says. βI just want people to feel it, basically. So far, it seems to be going pretty well.β
Close But No Cigar
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Close But No Cigar' by these artists:
"Weird Al" Yankovic Jillian was her name She was sweeter than aspartame Her kiss…
"Weird Al'' Yankovic Jillian was her name She was sweeter than aspartame Her kiss…
'Weird Al' Yankovic Jillian was her name She was sweeter than aspartame Her kiss…
Dr. Feelgood (wallis/brilleaux/russell/mitchell/morris) (plangent vision…
Lost Dogs Close but no cigar I nearly won her heart I got so…
Markus Fagervall All my life's been a mess. It's like I always end…
Stick Against Stone You don't seek - what you don't want to find You…
Thomas Dolby You came close Close but no cigar You didn't miss by far You…
\"Weird Al\" Yankovic Jillian was her name She was sweeter than aspartame Her kiss…
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