Thu10Sept
Pump House Grille Co.
On the patio, weather permitting.
A note from LB
Twenty-five years, one record, every Shuffle
Twenty-five years ago, we recorded Tickets in the Glove Box.
In 2001, Little Bobby & The Jumpstarts played our first South Side Shuffle. We set up in front of the old No Frills in Port Credit, played to a surprisingly enthusiastic crowd, and sold all 50 CDs we had printed. That same year, we were hired to play at the Pump House. We haven't missed a South Side Shuffle since.
The CD was recorded mostly live off the floor at Liquid, with Alec Fraser engineering. Shane Scott mixed it, and Shane and I produced it at Baseline Studio. It also included some incredible musicians: Mel Brown, Gary Kendall, Julian Fauth, Chris Murphy, Cheung Lui, Alec Fraser, Shane Scott and Pete Schmidt.
And somehow, 25 years later, one of the songs has cracked 100,000 plays. It's an instrumental slow blues featuring Mel Brown on piano, recorded 100% live. In today's world of AI-generated music flooding the platforms, getting there with an old-school instrumental blues song feels like a pretty major accomplishment.
One of the nicest compliments we've received over the years is that LB & The Jumpstarts are about as authentic and old-school as blues gets on the strip. And a huge thank you to the people who somehow manage to find us at the Pump House every single year. You have become part of the tradition.
One last thing. The CD in this photo is the last physical copy I own. If you have one collecting dust somewhere, I will happily buy it back from you.
— LB
The band
Vocals · Harmonica
Little Bobby
LB. Fronting the band since day one.
Guitar
Pete Schmidt
On the record, on the stage, still trading lines with the harp.
Bass
James Rasmussen
Not on the CD — but 24 years in, he's earned his membership card.
Drums
Bob Vespaziani
Behind the kit since the original lineup.
On the record: Mel Brown, Gary Kendall, Julian Fauth, Chris Murphy, Cheung Lui, Alec Fraser, Shane Scott and Pete Schmidt. Engineered by Alec Fraser at Liquid · Mixed by Shane Scott · Produced by Shane Scott and LB at Baseline Studio.