There were only three seats remaining at Café One 11 last Saturday when I took a chair to hear Johnny Echo & The Reverbs. When the band started with “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” the place was elbow-to-elbow.

Since Halloween, 2001, JE&TR have been playing good-time music to crowds in Virginia and Tennessee.

Mark Mahoney on lead guitar gives the group a drive to stay behind and drummer Todd Reynolds stays on top of every song.

Johnny Echo (a.k.a. Phil Martin) told me the name of the group came about when some of the original players were looking for an older name to capture the flavor of their music. Johnny sings lead vocal and shakes a variety of things that give the band those fill-in jangles and pops. Along with Roger Hausmann, Johnny is one of the original members.

Hausmann (The Baron) plays rhythm guitar, keyboard, and sings. His many credits include a Nashville sessions player and a job in an ice cream factory.

Roger Tinker is the bass player for JE&TR. However, on Saturday he could not make the show and Art Ramey played a smooth evening on a borrowed Washburn.

Spirited is the best way to describe the band. The youngest member is 42, but they can perform “Unchained Melody” and “Runaway” (Dell Shannon) to an appreciative house. Songs like “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Satisfaction,” and “Pretty Woman” flow from the band without anyone missing a beat.

I had to give the band all my attention when they did their versions of “Knocking on Heaven’s Door,” “The Thrill is Gone,” and “Blue Bayou.” Their vocals and lead guitar are tight on these numbers. Between songs, the crowd is often entertained with the rockin’ wisdom of Hausmann. As the Café One 11 crowd grew in numbers, he advised them, “Be careful. Although the dance floor is small there is still room to lose your balance.” Also, I think that Hausmann commits a rock ‘n roll faux pas. He is the only rhythm guitarist I have seen dance on stage. I think there is a rule that says only lead singers and lead guitarists can dance, but Hausmann hasn’t read this rule. His impromptu stage style is another reason to like the
group.

JE&TR added a nice touch to “Can’t You See” with more keyboard than usual, and there wasn’t enough dancing room for “Stand by Me,” “Under the Boardwalk,” “Ain’t no Sunshine,” and “Hurts so Good.” My favorite song of the evening was “Under My Thumb.” Not too many groups can do this understated Rolling Stones number, but JE&TR pull it off. My greatest praise for JE&TR is readily given for four songs they not only tried but made enjoyable. Believe it or not, they did “The Twist” (more like Hank Ballard than Chubby Checker), “La Bamba,” “Wooly Bully” and “Blue Suede Shoes.”  Good-time music happens when the group does these hits.

Off stage, the members are involved in several things: Hausmann and Mahoney are in a futuristic electronic group called Amaranth Signal. Mahoney also collects and plays vintage guitars including a ’62 Reissue Fender Stratocaster and a ’73 Gibson Les Paul. 

Get out and see Johnny Echo & The Reverbs when they come to your part of town. You’ll agree with Reynolds who told me before the show, “They’re a fine bunch of guys.”