WELCH, W.Va. – Anyone in need of a change in tune from the area’s offerings now has a chance at the Jack Caffrey Arts and Cultural Center in Welch this Friday.
The grandson of an Italian immigrant coal miner (and proud-and-loud son of the central Appalachian Mountains), Norway-via-West Virginia punk-folk troubadour J. Marinelli has taken the do-it-yourself idea to its furthest extreme.
That is to say, he’s his own band; after cutting his teeth in ‘90s and ‘00s punk notables Samuel and Les Trois Malheures, Marinelli abandoned the notion of a backing band, and decided to do the dirty deed himself.
Thus: a booted right toe booms the big bass drum while the right heel keeps time on his hi-hat. His left foot snaps a snare, while his veined and gnarled hands grapple and grip the well- worn neck of a sturdy silverflake six-string — barehandedly smacking a cymbal between syncopated strums.
After bringing his one-man avant-roots juggernaut to the endless sprawl of his home country, Marinelli has recently completed four tours of Europe — charming audiences in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, and Norway.
Putting the World to Rights, Marinelli’s forthcoming LP, was written and recorded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and is slated for vinyl and digital release this July on Los Angeles punk/jazz/indie juggernaut ORG Music. He will be making another European and US run in support of this LP.