JIM'S ROCKIN' BLUES
the online home base of
JIM McALLISTER
Big Jim rocking hard with his weapons of choice: Epiphone archtop guitars and Marshall amps. It doesn't get any better than this.
Jim's Myspace: www.myspace.com/jimmcallister
TALIZMAN'S Myspace: www.myspace.com/bigjimsband
Jim's Youtube site: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user
Welcome to the website of Jim McAllister, one of Brisbane's foremost Blues/Rock guitarists. Having been in and out of bands since the 1970s, Jim launched his full-time solo career in 1997 and has done in excess of 1000 paid gigs since going solo, 300 in just the last two years! Jim's one-man Classic Rockin' Blues shows have proven enduringly popular and have propelled him into residencies at great venues such as Brisbane's Southbank in 2000. His uncomplicated, straight-ahead approach to music and life in general has resulted in Jim's building a reputation not only as an awesome guitarist but also as a dependable man whose code of honour and work ethic mean that he always delivers value for money and puts in 100% at every gig.
Jim is unashamedly retro in his tastes in music and considers himself blessed to be able to play the songs he likes and get paid to do it. He does play some up to date material but Classic Rock and Blues are where his heart is. Like many people who grew up in the 1960's & '70's, Jim has a love for the music made popular in those times. Those days saw the rise of the first true guitar heroes and Jim's guitar playing style strongly reflects his continuing admiration for the guitarists who, in his and others' opinions, made the greatest music ever recorded. Jim learned to play guitar listening to the British bands such as Cream, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Free, Uriah Heep, Ten Years After, and early Fleetwood Mac, along with American acts like Steppenwolf, Ted Nugent, The Doobie Brothers, Mountain, Z Z Top, and Johnny Winter who took traditional Blues music and added a Rock component. Jim has also taken on board the firey, passionate playing of modern guitar virtuoso Gary Moore whose influences mirror his own. For over 30 years Jim has honed his playing into an easily identifiable style of world class calibre, right up there with his principal influences. Combine this with a raw-yet-melodic vocal delivery in the Classic Rock-Singer mould and the audiences at Jim's gigs are in for a treat.
Utilising minidisc backings, Jim is able to achieve a full band sound as a soloist. What sets him apart from a lot of soloists out there today is that there are absolutely no guitar solos on Jim's backing tracks. They are just that: backing tracks. All the vocals and guitar work are done completely live, no differently than if Jim was playing in a live band as the lead guitarist/singer. At times the mix is so tight that Jim has actually been asked more than once if he is miming the guitar parts! Apparently there are some who not only mime the guitar solos but also blend some of the karaoke vocal track with their own vocals to cover up poor singing! Unlike a significant number of soloists these days, Jim has many years of live band experience as a lead guitarist and is definitely not a karaoke singer turned solo artist taking gigs that should be going to actual musicians. Jim has absolutely no time for performers who misrepresent themselves as guitarists in their promos, even take a guitar on stage for something to do with their hands, and then let the guitarist on their karaoke backings take the lead break while they just strum along!! You get what you see at Jim's shows: World class guitar work and honest vocals.
Jim's current playlist contains enough songs to play four four-hour shows without repeating a song and still have a few songs to spare. Jim adds fresh material as often as he can and never plays the same songs in the same order at his gigs. He is at the stage now in his career where his set lists are 'all killer and no filler'. The Rock songs have been either radio hits or classic album tracks and the Blues numbers are all the cream of the crop from legendary Blues masters. It would take far too much space to print the songlist here. Suffice to say that with a life-long love of Classic Rock and Blues, Jim has, over time, developed a repertoire of songs by the greatest and most important artists in the Blues/Rock genre, from The Angels to Z.Z. Top, via Cream, The Doors, Free, The Beatles, Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Deep Purple, Gary Moore, Bad Company, George Thorogood, Credence Clearwater Revival and many others.
Jim is a well known player and collector of Gibson and Epiphone Archtop guitars, in particular the ES335 Dot Neck and Riviera models which he customises to suit his style and requirements. Jim is also passionate when it comes to Marshall Amplifiers, having several different models at home. The awesome guitar sound Jim achieves at his solo gigs at any volume from a whisper to a roar comes from his Marshall JMP1 pre-amp, straight into the mixer. He doesn't use any effects processors, prefering to squeeze every drop of feel he can out of every note with just his plectrum and his exceptionally strong fingers. And yes, for those who are wondering, Jim pumps heavy iron. Please click on the GALLERY link at the bottom of the page for pictures of Jim in action and some of his guitars and amps.
Jim does not list his gigs in the gig guides in the music press because of on-going contractual problems with his former agent. There is a gig guide on his MySpace site. He now gets a large percentage of his work by dealing directly with the owners or managers of the venues, and relies heavily on the pubs' own internal advertising and word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied customers. Jim performs well over 100 gigs per year; in fact in 2004 he played 140 gigs, in 2005 he performed 161 gigs, and in 2006 he played 167 paid gigs, so he must be doing something right! Jim plays regularly in venues from the heart of Brisbane to Gympie, The Gold Coast and New South Wales, so keep an eye on the coming events board at your local pub for Jim's posters and come along to support him and to enjoy an evening of Classic Blues-Rock musicianship of a standard seldom experienced on the local music scene.
The latest development in Jim's career is his involvement in the Classic Blues/Rock band TALIZMAN. For Jim and bassist Leon this could be a case of third time lucky after two bands in the last few years proved unsuccessful for them. TALIZMAN play much the same material Jim performs as a soloist. What Jim likes about being in a band again after years of working alone is that he's able to play the songs he likes but doesn't have the backing tracks to perform them solo. Jim, Leon, and Trish have decades of combined experience and an encyclopaedic knowledge of music that makes playing together a real pleasure. A recent recruit to TALIZMAN is Merv 'Duffy' McKee on rhythm guitar and vocals. Duffy came from another band, having been less than happy with conditions there and was looking to join a more professional, harder working band. He has been a welcome addition to the ranks and TALIZMAN have been booked to play Biker events through Merv's contacts, which is good news for all. TALIZMAN can still be booked as a three-piece band for smaller pub gigs where the budget won't stretch to a bigger band. In addition, Jim and Duffy can also take bookings as a duo, playing the same material as in Jim's solo gigs with the added benefit of vocal harmonies. Jim hopes to be able to balance the various playing commitments by taking bookings as far ahead as possible. His main priority is his steadily busy solo work but he is also devoting time to the band's development. TALIZMAN formed in March 2005 and played their first gig in mid-July. On November 28th TALIZMAN went into a recording studio and recorded a nine-track demo album. Please click on the Gallery link for more information on TALIZMAN including recent band photos. Also on the gallery page are recently unearthed photos of the very first night Jim and Leon played together back in 2001 as well as a rare picture of Jim with a full head of hair taken when he was a competitive lifter.
Jim has also been busy recording a solo album of cover songs that form the staple of his live shows. As well as submitting the album to agents and venues, Jim will also make it available at his gigs for a modest price. He has an all-instrumental CD planned for 2006 which will include some original material. Details will be posted on this site soon.
Jim can be contacted via e-mail or telephone. Please click on the LINKS button at the bottom of the page to be directed to the contact details.
Thank you for taking the time to visit Jim's website. This site is regularly maintained and updated so please visit again soon. You're always welcome!
