About the Trio
Paul Kamm, Jonny Mojo and Shelby Snow are singer/ songwriters and front men of the Northern California Roots and World music/Rock and Roll jam band, Achilles Wheel. As an acoustic trio they bring the same high energy and engaging stage presence to a quieter place, combining a bit of Country and Bluegrass to the band’s famously hard driving sound. But it’s the infectious quality of their songwriting that really shines in this setting, and the diverse nature of it as well. Paul and Jonny work off of each other like two sides of the same coin, actively looking for and pushing each other to find the most in whatever song they’re playing. Shelby on the bass is like a river, both calm and turbulent, that runs through it and ties it all together.
This is perhaps an unlikely creative partnership, with a multitude of musical influences leaking into their sound, but it’s clear right away that these three songwriters are meant to be working together. Defying what at first seems to be just a loose bag of this and that… Jonny’s love of the blues, blue grass and his connection to the soulful tradition of gospel music, and Paul’s lifelong interest in World music, folk and rock and roll, and Shelby’s unique ease with just about every musical style, these three players pay tribute to so many musical cultures while singing their own songs that it’s easy to see why so many people love the experience of hearing Achilles Wheel. An experience that is made all the more memorable by the weight and poetry of their lyrics. Kamm’s songwriting has been recognized in contests at some of the biggest music festivals in the country, including Kerrville, Telluride and Rocky Mtn. Folk, and his partnership with singer Eleanore MacDonald and the 9 recordings they have released have all received much critical acclaim.
Before helping to form Achilles Wheel, Jonny Mojo was known in Northern California as a ‘must see’ force of nature on the electric guitar, but his musical voice flows as freely out of an acoustic six-string, dobro, mandolin and harmonica as well. Working every night in road houses and nightclubs where people can treat a singer like they’re just a jukebox, it was for a long time a well kept secret that Jonny was also a songwriter. Achilles Wheel has changed all that and some of the band’s best loved songs have been penned by him. This balance of creative input is the engine that drives Achilles Wheel in it’s full band format, and is part of what makes the AW Trio so engaging, as they trade songs and musical styles back and forth with complete ease and synchronicity.
In the wake of their breakout performance with Achilles Wheel at the 2012 Kate Wolf Festival and the release of their debut album ‘13 Hours’ Achilles Wheel has released two more studio recordings, ‘Stones To Sand’ and ‘Devil In The Yard’, and has been burning up the West Coast music scene with performances like this year’s High Sierra Music Festival. A brand new CD is in the works and will be completed in early 2018. The Trio will also be touring in support of this project, bringing these songs to new audiences in a more intimate setting. An acoustic format is the heart of any bands true sound and reflects the real essence of their songs and storytelling, where the singers voice and the words conveyed are an immediate and personal experience. Paul Kamm, Jonny Mojo and Shelby Snow invite you to their camp fire for a sit-down with the music of Achilles Wheel.
Booking: John Taber 530-913-9153, jtaber@achilleswheel.com
