Putting the Hump in Humpday: Renaissance Man offers himself to me; prizes to you!

There's a first time for everything, and this is H.O.J.'s first prize giveaway, which goes hand-in-hand with February's Hump of the Month post! Did I mention the prizes are AUTOGRAPHED? If ever there was a time for each of you (regulars and especially lurkers) to leave a comment or 10, this is it!  


Back in January, I went with an old friend to my favorite hang, The House of Blues, for drinks and dinner. Yes, in that order. HOB always has great live music and that night we got to experience the Dayton, Ohio-based Eric Jerardi Band (EJB). I posted some good banter between my friend & I from that weekend which you can re-read in entirety HERE, but this is what was said in reference to EJB:

"I had no idea Dayton, Ohio was capable of so much hot, sexified funk."

"Dayton's actually a really progressive city. We'll have to go when you come to visit, it's only a couple of hours from my place."

"Definitely! In the meantime, I'm gonna have to bone up on the Ohio music scene!"

"You said 'bone'!"

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During the show, neither of us could sit still, take our eyes off the stage or keep our minds from weaving elaborate fantasies for that matter. Eric Jerardi is talented AND charming; which was all working in his favor, to say the least. I know my friend is going to say something in the comments about being first to "call dibs" on Jerardi, but I will say in my defense that there was a certain guy sitting next to us whose big, dumb head was blocking my view, and I'm sure it was on purpose. I was either going to get a kink in my neck from the strain, which would have taken away from my enjoyment of Jerardi's gravely, growl-y, HOT voice; or relegate myself to keeping my vertebrae in natural order and watching the bassist most of the night. Thankfully, I didn't have to SEE Jerardi to HEAR Jerardi (or, for that matter, FEEL him, if you know what I'm sayin', and I think you do...) so it was all good.

Everyone in the place was enjoying themselves, because EJB knows how to show the crowd a good time. There was just enough banter with the audience to show that he has a killer wit, and his music had more funk than is legal in most northern states. This is the kind of band you should definitely see live, because I am quite certain every couple in the place got lucky later that night, and maybe even one or two right there in the bar. Not that I'd know anything about that kind of behavior.

At one point in the show, Jerardi said that he was going to make the mood "a little bit darker", and then proceeded to play a song that made me sit up straighter, because just hearing his voice for that song wasn't enough for me. I had to see his face, too. It just did it for me... the whole package. I missed the title of the song, but I had to have it so I went to search iTunes. That didn't get me very far, so I decided to e-mail him directly and find out the song title. While he was gracious enough to write back a few days later (which totally impressed me because he was on tour) I had already become impatient a day earlier and decided to do a lyric search, which gave me the answer. It was a cover of Tom Waits' "Make it Rain", and unfortunately it's not on any of Jerardi's CDs. It is, however, in this YouTube video (Double-click on either 'play' arrow if you have trouble with the video):

Skip ahead to 2:30 (or -6:00, depending on which way the little clock is running) to see EJB do some serious justice to Tom Wait's "Make it Rain"; and turn it up! I will be busy trying to stop myself from making out with the man nearest to me. Or maybe I'll be busy NOT trying to stop myself...

In my initial e-mail to him, I mentioned that I wrote about that night on my blog and supplied the link. After reading it, his response was:

"I need to spend at least an evening if not a weekend with you and your friends. I love it. To complicate matters, I must tell you more about myself..."

Based on that reaction alone, this is a man who could very much hang with my friends and I for an evening or a weekend. Only the ones with a good sense of humor survive, trust me. To make a long-ish story short-ish, the man is a professional musician AND he owns one of Dayton, Ohio's top specialty gourmet food and wine shops, Jerardi's Little Store! In addition to all of that, he created and hosts a DVD series called Get Real Wine, featuring a backstage tour of wineries around the world by region.

He's a modern day renaissance man, and is a natural fit for February's Putting the Hump in Humpday. Sigh. He was game enough to submit to my every whim a personal interview, and to autograph 2 CDs I bought from him. He also threw in an autographed copy of his Get Real Wine Series 1 DVD: Napa & Sonoma Harvest; all of which will be given away to 3 lucky readers!  Details at the end of his interview.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not Rolling Stone Magazine, so cut me some slack on the quality of my questions and technique! Interviewing someone is more difficult than you think. Lucky for me, Jerardi doesn't bite. Hard. Besides, the upside of NOT being a professional reporter is that I don't have to be all that professional. You see where this is heading, right? It's a good thing that he is very candid AND has a great sense of humor, and I hope you do too. This is a real interview, but it contains some not-so-serious questions and answers. Sit back, relax... and enjoy! Then, leave a comment to get yourself in the running for the prizes (I know a few people who would smack their grandmothers to win this stuff)!


Eric Jerardi, musician extraordinare.


Eric Jerardi, wine expert.


Eric Jerardi, House of Jules' February Hump of the Month. (See how excited he is?)

Who were your earliest musical influences?
I always remember Little Richard, old Elvis records, Buddy Holly, and Jimmy Reed when I was young. I got to Hendrix, which got me to Stevie Ray which got me to Albert King a little later on. Now mix in Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, et al by the time I was in high school. Keep in mind that I didn’t pick up a guitar until I was almost 16.

What a coincidence! That's just about the age I started picking up guys. What was your first Fender?
The one I play today – 1962 Strat – a gift from my Dad after I graduated college.

Given your long touring history, do you have a favorite venue or city that you are particularly interested in visiting again?
I really care more about the people than the venue and whether or not they give a sh*t about what I’m doing. Everyone likes playing big venues, but they can suck if the crowd isn’t on board. The night before I did the House of Blues {Editor's note: Not to be confused with the night he did the House of Jules. Just Kidding.} in January, we did a Thursday show in Omaha from 5:30 til 8:30. Most fun I’ve had in years and quite possibly the best show I’ve ever done. It’s all about the energy, baby!

You just called me "Baby", which means that I'm officially putty in your hands. Soooo, Baby, what is your favorite go-to wine, or one that you've been saving for a special occasion; and what would be the call to open that bottle?
First of all, I am an insufferable, spoiled wine prick. I will take 60 bottles on this next tour that is only 20 days long. However, I don’t covet wine... I drink it. So if there is a very special wine in my cellar that is expensive and rare, the occasion to drink it would be a Tuesday evening because nothing good, or bad, happened to me on that day.

I like so many different wines that I rarely save special ones because I’d rather sell it to someone who wants it more than I do. I almost always drink $20 – $40 French and Italian wine. More specifically, I like reds from Bordeaux & Burgundy (France), and Tuscany & Piedmonte (Italy). I love to cook, and I get paid to do it, so food and wine is important to me. I’ve found that very complex wine is better off on it’s own or with something simple, and that very complex food is better suited for more simple, less complex wine.

You are so speaking my language right now that I'm tempted to cut this interview short to help you "not covet" the wine in your cellar, but I worked really hard on these questions so I suppose we'll keep going. How did you make the leap from a passion for wine to the business venture of Jerardi's Little Store?
I didn’t have a passion for wine when I started this store. I had a marginal interest at best. I grew to love it though. I tasted as much as I could and read as much as I could, and here I am.

If you replaced the word "wine" in your last answer with "Jules", and if you replaced the word "store" with "interview", we would have the perfect arranged marriage right now. Just a thought. Who came up with the idea and picks the destinations for the Get Real Wine Series?
I came up with the idea along with my manager, who is a talented videographer/director/producer. I pick the destinations, write the dialogue and the itinerary.

You also perform all the music on the DVDs! See, I did my research. You realize that I'm a professional photographer, right? I will look for an invitation to your 2009 Chile & Australia trips, because I can be of service. So, what's the 2nd favorite thing a fan has done for you (presuming this is your favorite, of course.)
*********** ******** {Editor's note: E-mail me if you can't guess the first and too-hot-for-publication part of his answer. I'll need to see an ID or proof of your age, first.} without question; always a solid bet when considering gift giving. Maybe guitars I suppose, I’ve gotten a few. Also one fan gave me a rare Tom Waits Playbill, framed and matted in a color that matched my studio which he saw on my music DVD.

Well I know somebody who could work on that first part. Not me, of course, because I'm a lady... why does everyone laugh when I say that? Who would be in your ultimate music supergroup?
Supergroups don’t work; so that’s out. Too many egos, too many dominant styles to blend together.

That explains why VH1's Supergroup didn't stay together! Too many alpha-males! Speaking of which, what's your favorite mood music?
I don’t like mood music at all. I can’t, under any circumstances, have "relations" or the like if there is music playing. I hear music in my head all day and it's maddening at times. Any rhythm from a semi-truck, buzzing beer cooler, or annoying kid will set my wheels in motion. So if I’m trying to get in a “mood”, music will be a distraction to the point of disaster. Maybe you didn’t even mean that type of mood – my mind is always in the gutter.

Oh, that's the type of mood I meant, alright. Your answer is fascinating, I never would have thought music to be such an obstacle. So, getting The Bang CD cued up is out then. This is good information; note taken!

What is your favorite mans-man activity?
Working out and boxing at the gym. I was an athlete when I was younger and no one knew even I played music in high school. I hate watching sports and hanging around dudes who slug draught beer and eat chicken wings. When everyone is watching NASCAR, I’m in the kitchen having cheese, drinking Pouilly Fume with my hands down all of their wives’ knickers. That is my idea of a nice Sunday sporting event.

That is a fantasy sports league my friends and I could get on board with! Ok, on the flip-side of the whole mans-man thing, What's the last chick flick you watched?
I don’t really know, but I guess I don’t really mind chick flicks.

That's the perfect answer, and not just because I'm too busy fixating on what you said your idea of a nice Sunday sporting event was to give the answer to this question the attention it deserves. Did I mention I have a glass of Pouilly Fume here for you? Ok, I'll get back to the questions. Finish this sentence: "It'll be time to pack up the gear for good when..."
I take the dirt nap.

Do you see a live album in your future that would include your super-hot rendition of the song that led us to this moment, Tom Waits' "Make it Rain"? (Otherwise known as the question when I ask how much I have to beg and plead.)
I’m not sure about that. I feel as though I can’t even come close to the original of that song and I feel that I can’t really add anything to it, so I’m thinking no. But who knows. It sounds good with an organ, so that would be different.

I love that you're not ruling it out completely. Until then I will just look forward to you dedicating it to me the next time I see your live show. Sidenote: You said 'organ'.

Finally, the question I've been working toward all night! Your 3 passions in life are music, wine & food. Describe the best night all 3 of those coincided, and take it slow. I'm about to get comfortable.
Ok, I come over to your house around 8. I have a bottle of Bollinger Champagne, a basket of French food and more wine. While we drink the Champagne, I put together a little charcuterie plate with country pate, foie gras, cornichons, cheese, Dijon, and a baguette. I pop the 2001 Cos d Estournel, and we stand in the kitchen, enjoying the simple French country fare. After all of that, I whip out my.......... guitar, and sing to you for about 20 minutes. Then we fornicate like bunnies.

Uh, yeah. That would do it! DROOL.

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A huge thanks to Jerardi for being my first interview subject. You really knew when to be gentle, and when to pull my hair (during the interview). Your appreciation of "sassy broads" is unparalleled! 

As previously mentioned, I have autographed prizes I'll be giving away to 3 lucky readers, who will be picked next week by using a random number generator. All you have to do is make yourself known in the comments and be sure to come back here next week to see if you've won! You can comment as much as you would like, though only one prize per person. If I don't hear from a prize winner within a week of the announcement that they've won, I'll choose replacement winner(s) the following week.

Here's what could be yours:

Prize #1: An autographed (!!) copy of Eric Jerardi Band's "Live" CD


Prize #2: An autographed (!!) copy of Eric Jerardi Band's "Restless" CD


Prize #3: An autographed (!!) copy of Get Real Wine Series 1, Napa & Sonoma Harvest DVD


After commenting here (as many times as you want.... increase your chances!), head over to Jerardi's official website for tour dates and go see him live! You will not be sorry. Don't forget to come back next week to see if you won!



March's Humpday post will feature: Javier Bardem, but sadly no autographed prizes! I'm keeping him too busy for that.

You can read January's Humpday post HERE.