Jim Ianni Music Profile

  

         Born and raised in Ewing , NJ now transplanted to Pennsylvania , I have been a working musician for the better part of the last 23 years. In the mid/late 1980's I was the lead vocalist for the band ESCAPE with high school friends Eric Peterson-Bass, Jeff Hoxchylde-Drums and Joe Glasser-Guitars. Escape played all over the NJ/PA circuit and self-released an 8 song album titled "Now!!!". Like most young bands, ESCAPE sort of fizzled out just into 1990.

         Later that year I regrouped with Eric and Jeff then we recruited Jim Muntone-Keyboards and Jeff Dez-Guitars and formed the much more pop metal group that adopted my last name "IANNI". We played tons of shows in the NJ/NY/PA metropolitan areas and recorded a self titled 5 song EP on indie Sad Rhino Records. IANNI had quite a large following and the ball was rolling along fast! While my band members were unaware in the midst of it all I was offered the opportunity to front a national act who had a couple semi-big radio hits on their latest disk and had now parted ways with their frontman, but sticking to my guns and IANNI, I turned it down. A short year later grunge broke the scene and interest died. Lesson learned. During the time with IANNI and doing several shows with serious bronchitis (still don't know how I pulled that off) I had done serious damage to my vocal cords and found out it definitely required surgery. On top of that news, IANNI decided that they were going to go more alternative/grunge and that my vocals wouldn't ever work.

          Now angry and driven I had the surgery. After the surgery, a whole month of silence and carrying a notebook to communicate, I only then began to rehab my voice. Fast forward to 1993. Metal was all but gone and I needed to get back out. Music was burning a hole thru me and I just couldn't be away from it anymore. Reluctantly I went to an audition for a newly forming alternative rock cover band in PA. My cords were untested and I was nervous as hell with all new guys for the first time since high school. The first night I felt a little unsure and didn't know if I was gonna pull it off, so the 2nd night I went in full bore and tore it up landing the gig. What do you know, I could do grunge!!!

         This band became "LUNCHMEAT" comprised of me on lead vocals, Mike DiPiazza-Drums, Kirk Swenson-Bass, Greg Smith-Guitars and Bill Pawlowski-Guitars. We stretched beyond alternative rock to rock, dance, retro, motown and just about everything in between. LUNCHMEAT played practically nonstop from 1993-1998 with a couple line-up changes, but Mike and myself were in the line-up for the whole life of the band.

          After 6 years of selling my soul and singing stuff that don = t get me wrong, was good, but just not for me anymore, inevitably, LUNCHMEAT parted ways. Still 1998 and still needing a musical outlet but not wanting to sing covers anymore I co-founded the well known Philly metal cover Jekylls Hyde band with our good friend Joe Jones on vocals and me for the first time just playing guitar because I just didn = t want to sing full time for a cover band anymore. (still singing the occasional song here or there) We founded the band with the idea that we don = t give a fuck what everyone else is playing.....we = re a real metal cover band who was gonna play what they wanted, REAL METAL. We = d gotten gradually heavier as the years went on and line-ups changed and have played clubs everywhere in the tri state area and even as far away as Arlington TX . After 12 member changes only Joe and myself remain from the original lineup, but Mike joined us to drum and we recruited Dave Swantko-guitars who played in bands with Mike for years prior and Gary Hancock-Bass who is a great friend of all of ours and is a MUCH better guitarist than I am but this dynamic works well. Thru the time with JH I have been learning to use various recording software and am still learning drum programs but have been writing and recording my own original stuff as well as some covers to tweak my engineering skills. The songs have been both heavy and melodic and are giving me the itch to sing originals live once more.

          So here we are, 11 years later and with Joe burnt out on the whole scene these days and needing a serious break Jekylls Hyde will play their last 3 shows 8/22/09, 9/12/09 and 10/31/09 before taking what could be a whole year = s hiatus. One problem for me, I need no break and want no break....... but am assured over and over that JH is not done and will be back after the hiatus.

          I am currently in the process of finding or building another project in which I will be frontman. The band will play metal covers (more technical, faster, more vocalist range showcasing material than JH) and for the first time since the split of IANNI original metal music.

Regardless whatever the new band becomes, when the hiatus is over and JH comes back, I will be there....just I = ll have 2 bands then. Basically 2 are better than 1 and no way am I gonna deal with none.

Keep watching as things should start to develop in the days and weeks to come.