Kamikaze Posse (left to right): Eddie Everett, Tris Hovanec, and Jones Purcell. (Photo by Gregg Kirk)

BY GREGG KIRK
Big Shout Magazine, April 1989

“… I shall be telling this with a sigh,
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
(Robert Frost)

It’s certainly been a long and troubled road back to the spotlight for Jones Purcell and his newest group called Kamikaze Posse. In fact, it’s been four years since the singer/guitarist/songwriter showed his face in a regular line-up since the folding of the Jones Purcell Band in 1985. Those four years have seen the performer beset by a list of musical, personal and financial tragedies that have become fodder for a new set of original songs.

The most important thing is, however, Purcell and his band are back, and he is definitely not taking the path of least resistance. But this will not be news to those who know Jones Purcell. Delaware’s own musical mad scientist has never been one to mince words, pander to the public interest or compromise his own values. These are the traits that have caused him personal grief — and they are what makes Jones Purcell one of the most vital and creative performers the Delaware Valley has ever known.

“I’ve been tossed and turned by the storm of life, beaten up by love and finally realized that all I wanted to do was play music with my friends,” says Purcell. If this sounds simplistic or even trite to those who don’t know Purcell, those who do will shake their heads in accord.

To give a brief chronology of where Purcell veered from the road not taken begins back in the early ’80s with the start of his first note-worthy line-up called the MIBs (Men in Black). As was said, the tale will be brief because Purcell himself was loath to wallow in any memories of the past.

The MIBS consisted of Tommy Alderson on guitar, Purcell on guitar and vocals, Jim Hannum on drums and Paul Slivka on bass. They all lived on a farm in Elkton, MD and performed for several years in the Newark/Wilmington/Philadelphia corridor. Because they lived, worked and played together, they understandably reached a point of critical mass, which Purcell describes as them all exercising “psychological one-upmanship.” Due to pressure from several different directions, bass player Slivka left to join Tommy Conwell and his newly-formed Rumblers in 1984.

Later that year, Purcell re-grouped the remaining members of the MIBs and added Tris Hovanec on bass to form the Ranchers, which Purcell jokingly calls “a product of too much coffee. We weren’t understood. We played country/thrash, and we were way ahead of our time.”

This line-up lasted for a year before Hannum fell into pressure and joined Slivka in the Rumblers. This paved the way for the Jones Purcell Band, which debuted in 1985. Eddie Everett filled the vacant drum seat but also left nine months later to play with the Bullets.

To make a long story longer, Purcell left for Austin, TX, lived there a year playing in a band with Dwight Yoakum‘s bass player while also roadying for the True Believers. He came back and re-united with Hovanec last year and was set to debut as Kamikaze Posse when Brad Fish (who, ironically enough, was Conwell’s former drummer) bailed out at the last minute. Along came Everett to the rescue, fresh from leaving his post in the band the Resistance. And here we are.

To close the book on the subject of the past, Purcell says, “I forgive anyone who gave me a hard time back then. I do what I do, and I’m sorry if I offend anyone. All I ever wanted to do was play music, not play a power game. Right now, I have two of my friends helping me express myself. We know what we’re doing is right, and we don’t care about the past or how corrupt the music business is.

“I love these guys. This is the best band I’ve ever been in,” he says with frightening sincerity. “We all have a lot of respect for each other, and that’s rare in a band.”

Purcell’s wealth of experiences obviously plays a large part in his songwriting. His lyrics are emotive and clever, but there is also an eerie quality in the music. Several different witnesses to Kamikaze Posse’s performances have said the same thing to me, “Those guys were really good, but weren’t they playing some cover songs?” The realization that the Posse plays all originals brings about a newly-felt respect and wonderment to the audience. There is something vaguely familiar about each one of the tunes.

Part of this feeling comes from the unassuming and relaxed attitude of the band during its performances. The group goes so far as to sit in folding auditorium chairs for the duration of the night. There is very little banter between songs — none of the familiar, fiery comments from Purcell. Instead, the fire now burns from within, and it sets every song alight.

At this time, the band does not have a recorded product available to the public, which means the only way to sample their repertoire is to see the band live. Maybe this is for the best because Kamikaze Posse is something that has to be witnessed, not just heard through a pair of headphones. The band won’t knock you dead with stage antics by any means, but to put the band’s sound into an antiseptically-taped format would be an injustice. The ragged edges need to be there like they are in real life. As Purcell says himself, “I’m real. When we play, I bare my soul to people who hate me. But I can’t be anybody else.”

And indeed, he can’t. Here are some of his thoughts on a variety of subjects:

Words of Wisdom from the Kamikaze

• On the band’s name: “Most bands are saddled with their name from the spur of the moment. Every band worth their salt hates their name.”
• On the future: “Our future is to stay alive and make good music. Our main goal is to live, and music is a part of our life.”
• On why the band sits while performing: “One of the reasons we sit down is because no one else does.”
• On what he and the band hope to accomplish: “To be true to ourselves and let the chips fall where they may. We’ll play our music, and either you like us or you don’t, but we’ll keep playing our music.”

The last quote says it all, really. Jones Purcell and his band have long ago left the well-beaten path and have ventured deep into uncharted territory. For those who are satisfied with mundane and ordinary music, Kamikaze Posse will never be understood. For those who respect and enjoy creativity in its purest form, go see the band at all costs. It’ll make all the difference.