Review: Jontavious Willis at The Focal Point
Jontavious Willis’ profound musical talent was on full display at the Focal Point on Saturday night. He is the kind of musician who makes you feel completely at ease, even though you know that you are witnessing something truly amazing – over a hundred years of blues history made just a little bit modern by a musician who lives and breathes his craft.
During his two-hour acoustic set (with an intermission), he played a mix of covers and originals. He would often decide out loud which song to play next. Jontavious is extremely charismatic and completely unpretentious, and the intimate layout of the Focal Point (one of the few non-profit listening rooms in the US) certainly helped create an atmosphere that we were hanging out in a living room listening to our friend, who happens to be an amazing Georgia bluesman, perform some songs for us.
The majority of his set consisted of Jontavious performing solo with his guitar, a 1932 Duolian Resonator that I learned from some local musicians in the audience he recently acquired. The musician was the star, though the guitar was impossible to ignore. The resonator was gorgeous in both appearance and sound.
Jontavious also invited two local musicians on stage for a few songs. Ethan Leinwand of The Bottlesnakes, who can also be seen playing solo piano at Yaquis on Tuesday evenings, provided vibrant piano accompaniment on a few songs during the first half of the show, and St. Louis bluesman Marquise Knox accompanied on harmonica and vocals during some of the second set. In a show full of highlights, watching them enjoy the hell out of playing music with each other stands out.
Jontavious has a stage presence that seems effortlessly charming, and he is legitimately funny. While humor isn’t necessarily expected at a show, it’s always nice when it happens, and I have never laughed at so many (intentionally) funny guitar solos. There were lots of songs about chickens, about cheating women, and he even managed to make inflated grocery prices amusing. While it’s impossible to pick a favorite moment, perhaps the most memorable was his cover of “I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town” and his improvised conversation between a cheating lover and her man using guitar riffs to stand in for dialogue. Another highlight was “Keep Your Worries on the Dancefloor,” an original that can be heard on his album West Georgia Blues.
As soon as Jontavious started to play, I felt like a burden had been lifted. Excellent live music can do that for you, especially the blues. If you are sad that you missed his show, take a look at his Instagram, where he regularly posts informal performances filmed in his living room, and watch his website for upcoming tour and recording announcements.
Sarah Dalton teaches Spanish during the day. She wants everyone to go out to listen to more local music.
