The Lonesome Organist

The Chicago musician Jeremy Jacobsen, better known as the Lonesome Organist, is a true one-man band. His simultaneous proficiency with a wide variety of instruments -- including the organ, drums, guitar, harmonica, toy piano, tap-shoes, and steel drum -- makes his music suitable for a variety hour or a circus show as well as a rock album. Never lacking in novelty, the Lonesome Organist mixed styles such as rock, yodeling, blues, circus music, and soundtrack music on his records. On his 1997 album, Collector of Cactus Echo Bag, and his 1999 album, Cavalcade -- released on the Thrill Jockey label -- Jacobsen used such a variety of instruments and arrangements that almost any musical genre could be pointed to as a likely influence. In his live performances, Jacobsen was no less eclectic, playing as many as four instruments at once and rapidly switching styles from song to song. However, the Lonesome Organist has not always been lonesome. He collaborated with bands such as the Blues Explosion, 5ive Style, and Euphone. Forms and Follies, the Lonesome Organist's third effort, was recorded on eight tracks. It appeared in spring 2003.
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