OURS performs at Jammin’ Java on March 3, 2022. (Photo by Marc Shea)

Jimmy Gnecco is a very soft spoken, down to earth person. As a musician and an artist, he is a powerful, uncompromising force. After Jimmy founded the band OURS, they played a total of five shows before the record label bidding war began.

But it was far from the dream that musicians hope for. It took years for Jimmy to get his first album to sound the way he wanted it to sound. And that wonderful sound was on full display in a recent performance by OURS at Jammin’ Java in Virginia.

Over their career, OURS has been through varies levels of activity with Jimmy being the only constant member. The latest OURS release is the self titled, OURS, and is the band’s sixth release, bringing the project full circle.

OURS (the album) was released in 2021 and Jimmy has been anxious to take this record on the road. The current iteration of the band consists of Jimmy on vocals and guitar, April Bauer on keyboards, Mikey Iasiello on guitar, Chris Iasiello on drums, and Carmelo Risquet on bass. It’s a young band and each of the musicians has been mentored by Jimmy. This is the first major tour for several of the band members. It was also the first show of the tour, so this evening could very well set the tone for the entire tour.

Stream the self-titled album by OURS on Spotify:

At Jammin’ Java on March 3, the show started off with high-energy track “Lose Control” from the latest album. About 30 seconds into the show, Mikey’s guitar rig malfunctioned and cut out. Jimmy was unphased and kept the rest of the band on track as Mikey tried to figure out what gremlin had snuck into his rig.

When the problem persisted through two more songs, you might expect things to get tense. But Jimmy started to crack jokes to lighten the mood. By the time the fourth song, “My Angel,” started, the issue had been resolved. By the time the song ended, it was all but forgotten by the audience.

Jimmy was in great spirits all night. Midway through the set, he ordered a round of tequila for the band; a fun gesture to ease the young musicians’ nerves after a rocky start.

From that point on it was smooth sailing. OURS kept spirits up by playing high-energy tracks from the latest album like “From Where You Are” and “Gold.”

It was around this time that a second round of tequila shots made their way to the stage, and when the band began to play the song “You Are The Answer,” the audience was already in just as good a mood as the band. But when they turned that song into an extended jam, even I started dancing; and I don’t like to inject myself into reviews, let alone dance.

The banter between band and crowd was fun in such an intimate setting. Between songs, Jimmy spoke about mentoring each of the band members, technical issues, the benefits of tequila, and how he keeps the track “Don’t Wanna Be A Star” in the set because it’s his daughter’s favorite song.

Stream “Don’t Wanna Be A Star” by OURS on YouTube:

I was able to sneak a peek at the setlist early on, so I knew there was only one song left. The last track on the list was “Are You Listening,” the opening track on the self-titled album. But after the final note rung out, Jimmy and the band stayed and kept on playing. They played at least five additional songs, going well over their time.

After the show I met up with Jimmy to talk about the show. He admitted that everything after “Are You Listening” was impromptu. He couldn’t remember exactly how many songs they played, but we worked out the five we knew for sure. He and the band were feeling it and didn’t want the night to end. It was a great night for Jimmy, for the band, and for the fans who got way more than they were expecting.

Setlist:
Lose Control
Spectacular Sight
Devil
My Angel
See The Light
Sometimes
Across The Clouds
From Where You Are
Gold
Echo
You Are The Answer
Fly
Don’t Wanna Be A Star
Are You Listening
Bring It On
Fallen Souls
Murder
Fell Into My Hands
Meet Me In The Tower

Here are some photos of OURS performing at Jammin’ Java on March 3, 2022. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Marc Shea.