Jetomi

Buzzbomb and the Sonic Blitz

Jetomi Fire Up At the Joint

By Dean Bonzani

2.4.05

There’s nothing like the sound of a McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle jet fighter in full afterburner. But Flagstaff’s Jetomi comes damned close.

The five piece rock unit’s most distinguishing feature is its amazing amplitude, courtesy of a backline bristling with Class A tube amplifiers humming hotly like nasty metals beasts crouching for the kill. And while brothers John and Greg Casebeer (guitar and drums) are known for their history in a who’s who of local punk outfits, with Jetomi, the sound manages to conjure up comparisons to bands like Soungarden and Killswitch Engage, and simultaneously harkens back to the glory days of Black Sabbath, Wishbone Ash, and even Ted Nugent. The band is actively looking for a company that will produce velvet blacklight posters for them.

I was invited deep into the lair of the brothers Casebeer recently, where I interviewed them, Jetomi singer Gabe Jaramillo, guitarist Ray Walker, and new bassist Corey “Bingo Buzzbomb” Diekman. Black Rabbit guitarist Craig Brown, whose son, Ash, plays guitar for Young Princes of Darkness, and two members of Ponies (or American Ponies, as they’re sometimes known as) were in attendance.

When asked what became of original bassist Malé Reyes, a chorus of responses arose.

“Somewhere in the Andes, just f**kin’ lost him on tour, man,” offered Diekman, whose name means “fat man” in German.

“Just fell outta the van on the trip,” added Greg.

“The stereo was loud, it got a little windy…we don’t know what happened,” Walker said, cracking open a PBR.

“It got really cold and we were forced to eat him,” finished Greg, cracking open two PBR’s.

Which is where Jaramillo, who has a nurturing nature that causes him to feed delicious and perfectly spiced gourmet shrimp dishes to visiting bands, stepped in to set the record straight on their former bassist’s departure.

“Malé just had a lot of personal stuff that he had to deal with. He was busy, occupation-wise, and being separated, band-wise and stuff. He didn’t feel like he was giving 100% and he backed out before it became an issue. He was really big about it, and we love him. He’s one of our best friends.”

Forging ahead, Jetomi has enlisted the talents of Diekman, who is best known as one of the two bassists in Ponies. An energetic performer, Diekman plays like a man strangling a chicken. Or choking one, as it were. The result is highly melodic, broad, and aggressive bass lines played with utter conviction. And volume.

I asked the assembled hard rock brain trust to tally their collective live wattage.

“3,100 watts, including the backing P.A.,” Walker concluded. “And John has the loudest drum set I’ve ever heard in my entire life.”

“The point is, you gotta reach the masses,” said Fat Man. “You can’t think when you’re playing in a club or a bar ‘We gotta fill up this bar with our sound.’ You gotta be able to fill up down the street. Like, if you’re playing at The Joint, they gotta be able to hear you at Late For The Train.”

His four PBR’s spilling as he leaned forward, Fat Man intoned gravely, “To do that, you need Hitler’s microphone.”

The room erupted in laughter. “Oh, God! Here we go…” said Walker.

“We’re talking about P.A.’s. Who had the best P.A. in the world? Neumann! Neumann built Hitler’s shit. And that should be the goal of every band— to get Hitler’s shit. Off of Ebay.”

More laughter, and some belching.

“’Cuz he got so many people to listen to him. Think about it. ‘Cuz of his P.A.”

Hitler’s microphone. Analog circuitry. Knobs that go to “12.” Jetomi’s secrets revealed.

I descended into the dank subterranean bunker where Jetomi practices. The cave-like basement was carved into the living stone, and smelled like an abandoned U-boat pen. The walls were covered with cryptic symbols, stickers and posters for punk shows.

They began to play, and the marrow in my thighbones melted.

Jetomi, Young Princes of Darkness, and Black Rabbit, February 12 th, at The Joint

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