Jethro Pickett is not the name of a musical offspring of Jethro Tull but actually the name of a Tasmanian native who has been playing music for a few years and is now based in Dublin. Yes, I too am jealous that Jethro Pickett is his real name. It's almost as if his parents foresaw that he would be destined to make lush americana at his birth and named him accordingly.
The debut album has been recorded and is due out soon. The soundcloud page has a few of the tracks to stream. All the tracks suggest an artist full of talent with roots deep in americana. The songs are filled with organ, slide guitar and vocals full of warmth; the musical equivalent of an evening in beside an open fire on a cold autumn day as the mist comes down.
One of my favourites is "A Tale from the Hills". It gently building with Jethro's soft vocals, the song mergers into a glowing compliment of Wurlitzer and heightening organ. This song suggest that Jethro is on the verge of creating a new genre: soul-americana.
I originally came across Jethro from the videos released by Band Wagon TV from the Ballinamore Fringe Festival. You can find a live version of "Dream and Be Safe" and a interview here. "Dream and Be Safe" immediately caught my attention. A gentle, warm song, built around a perfect little note progression, with haunting vocal harmonies, it is 101 seconds of pure bliss.
Jethro and his fellow band members Ursula Woods (Wurlitzer and harmonies) and David Ferriter (acoustic, electric and slide guitars) are doing gigs on and off. The best thing is to keep an eye out on the official website here. And the Facebook if you would like to make social media contact.