Jeff Kloetzel changes things up with his Overtones - Gate House

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2015-10-09

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By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune August 14. 2015 12:01AM Jeff Kloetzel changes things up with his Overtones Left to right: Jeff Kloetzel, David Bolen and Donnie Yance are the core members of Jeff K & Overtones. Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch Jeff Kloetzel compares the music of his new project, Jeff K & Overtones, to good wine. "Our bass player came up with the name," says the singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist. "Overtones are those sounds that resonate over the main notes. I like it. Wines also have overtones, or notes of woodiness, spiciness, pepper or fruit. I like the double-pronged approach." Kloetzel knows many wines. His solo shows at regional wineries are his bread and butter. Only recently, he and drummer David Bolen, bassist Donnie Yance and electric guitarist Jeff Stanley began working together as Jeff K & Overtones. Kloetzel met Yance while working with The Lincoln Project in 2011 and 2012, and he'd seen Bolen play with various Rogue Valley bands. "Dave would come out to my solo gigs to just relax," Kloetzel says. "He's a big part of The Rogue Suspects and Heart and Soul (now defunct). He and Donnie started playing together last winter in their studio just for fun. They approached me with the idea of doing something that would flesh out my songs a bit. We started getting together in February to see what we could get going." The core group ran with it as a three-piece, then added another guitar. "Our first gig together was in May with Jack Hopfinger — a fantastic guitar player — at Cooper Ridge Winery in Roseburg," Kloetzel says. "Since then we've added guitarist Jeff Stanley. He adds a lot of color to the rhythmic framework. It's been fun to have him in the mix." Jeff K & Overtones will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, at 2Hawk Winery, 2335 N. Phoenix Road, Medford. Admission is free. Call 541-779-9463 or see www.2hawkwinery.com. "Our first gig with Jeff was at the Britt Performance Garden," Kloetzel says. "It was outstanding. We had a big crowd turn out and received a nice response to our music. I think people resonate with the fact that we play feel-good music. It's positive, upbeat and snappy." Overtones has been well received at other wineries as well, including Red Lily and Del Rio. "We play 10 or 11 of my originals and match that with a broad range of covers," Kloetzel says. "We like to reinterpret other artists' music and put our own spin on it. Maybe people enjoy that. It's nice to finally have a band to play with. "When we play as a trio, there's less room for instrumental solos," he says. "There's more of a load on vocals to carry the whole thing. It's nice to change that up with instrumentals. Jeff's work is atmospheric, and he adds nice riffs that are harmonic and rhythmic at the same time, weaving around the rest of the band. David is a great drummer. He doesn't beat the living daylights out of the kit, which I find refreshing. Donnie adds nice effects. He's quite a funky player. I like the movement the two of them create as a rhythm section. I try to drive things along because I enjoy playing over a funky underbeat." Kloetzel moved to the Rogue Valley from Hawaii in 2009. His solo album, "Long Time Coming," was released in 2014 and can be found on his Facebook page, at CD Baby, South Stage Cellars, Pebblestone Cellars and Ashland Wine Cellar. "I wrote the songs on that album for solo guitar," he says. "I hear them with other parts in my head. It's fun to hear the band play those parts when we play live. It comes together nicely." http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20150814/ENTERTAINMENT/150819872 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->