Bad Juju Brings Classic Rock to Live at the Vista

Jimmy — Bad Juju
Paul Szmal 4:21
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Classic rock cover band Bad Juju is bringing 13 years of Finger Lakes energy to Live at the Vista at Sonica Lake Resorts, with a performance set for Friday night that promises to deliver the best of 60s and 70s rock and roll.

Jimmy, the bassist for Bad Juju, stopped by FLX Morning to talk about the band and what fans can expect at the upcoming show. The group has been a staple of the Finger Lakes music scene for over a decade, performing the classic tracks that defined FM radio and earned legendary status for bands like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and The Animals.

The band features four members: Jimmy on bass, Bob on rhythm guitar, Carl Sanjiakomo on lead guitar, and Bernie McNabb on drums and lead vocals. According to Jimmy, the group draws its inspiration from the high-energy concert experiences that defined rock music in its golden era. “The energy that the bands gave to the audience was just an electric type feeling,” Jimmy said, recalling the shows that shaped him as a musician.

Jimmy cited Bad Company and the Rolling Stones as personal favorites, and expressed excitement that Bad Company is finally being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, calling it long overdue.

This will be Bad Juju’s second appearance at Live at the Vista, after a well-received debut performance last year. Jimmy said the band is grateful to be invited back and is looking forward to the crowd. While the setlist will follow their classic rock format, Jimmy hinted that fans might catch a surprise or two mixed into the usual sets.

Fans can follow Bad Juju on Facebook by searching “Bad Juju Rocks” to find their full summer schedule, photos, videos, and updates on upcoming performances throughout the Finger Lakes region. The page is spelled J-U-J-U for anyone searching online.

Read Full Transcript

Paul Szmal: FLX Morning continues, it is 7.53 and we have Jimmy from the band Bad Juju joining us in studio here. They're playing live at the Vista at Seneca Lake Resorts tomorrow night. Jimmy, what's going on man? Thanks for getting up early.

Jimmy: Well, good morning. So happy to be here this morning.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, appreciate you being here. How many years have you guys been playing out, man?

Jimmy: Bad Juju's been together 13 years. So we've been celebrating rocking and rolling around the Finger Lakes now for 13 years and still going very strong.

Paul Szmal: What role do you play in the band?

Jimmy: I play bass.

Paul Szmal: You play bass? Yeah. So you're the unsung hero of the group, shall we say.

Jimmy: I'm more than unsung. We have a bass guitar, a lead guitar, drummer, and a lead singer. And who are the other members of the band?

Paul Szmal: Bob Bacht on guitar, Carl San Giacomo on drums, Bernie McNabb is our lead vocalist, and of course me on bass. I remember Bernie.

Jimmy: Oh, you do?

Paul Szmal: Yeah. Yeah. I know Bernie from other bands that he's played with.

Jimmy: Okay. Yeah. Bernie must have got around. I don't know about.

Paul Szmal: Yeah. But yeah, I've had a chance to see you guys play out, but for people that maybe aren't familiar with what Bad Juju does, give me the little synopsis of what you guys are about, what you like to play.

Jimmy: Okay. The type of music I love and grew up with obviously came out of the 60s and the 70s. And FM radio used to play a lot of their music and it became classic rock. And those bands earned that title and they're great groups like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, The Animals, that sort of thing. So we kind of pay tribute to all those great bands and all that great music from the 60s and 70s. And it's still going strong. They're great tunes.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, they are. Much like we were talking about Brian Wilson a few minutes ago, a lot of these bands have stood the test of time, even though some of these songs are 50 some odd years old now, people are still discovering them for the first time.

Jimmy: 50 and 60 years. Yeah. Absolutely. It's crazy. Absolutely. But rock and roll will never die. I firmly believe that.

Paul Szmal: Well, I appreciate hearing that because that gives me something to look forward to.

Jimmy: Yeah, absolutely.

Paul Szmal: And you guys must love playing it live at the Vista because it's one of the more unique venues that Finger Lakes has to offer.

Jimmy: Our first time was last year and it was a good experience and a great crowd came out. So we actually look forward to tomorrow night and we're so thankful that they asked us to come back and do another show there.

Paul Szmal: So you got anything in particular planned for tomorrow night, the usual sets or maybe a surprise or two you might want to throw at people?

Jimmy: We mix them up a little bit, but if you're a fan of classic rock, you're going to love all the songs we do because they're the best songs in rock music history.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, there you go. Do you have a particular favorite or influences that really stood out to you when you were growing up maybe?

Jimmy: Yeah, when I was growing up, the thing that caught my ears and eyes when I went to concerts was the energy that the bands gave to the audience and it was just an electric type feeling and the bands I got to see always stuck in my head. I'm a big Bad Company fan. I'm a big Rolling Stones fan. Those bands are still going and I'm really so happy this year that Bad Company is making it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame long overdue.

Paul Szmal: Oh yeah, absolutely. So congratulations to those guys for getting there. Very true, very true.

Paul Szmal: Well listen, I appreciate you stopping in this morning, Jimmy, and again you can check things out tomorrow night at Seneca Lake Resorts Live at the Vista. You guys have a social media presence, a website, things of that nature?

Jimmy: Well we do and you can find us actually, everybody can find us on Facebook and you look up Bad Juju Rocks and you'll get our whole summer schedule. You get photos, you get videos and some insights on the group. So please go to Bad Juju Rocks, like the page, and we hope to see you as we rock and roll around the Finger Lakes.

Paul Szmal: Yeah, and that's spelled J-U-J-U. So make sure you spell it right and that way you'll get to where you're looking for.

Paul Szmal: Thanks for popping in this morning, man. Much appreciated. We'll catch you tomorrow night at Live at the Vista.

Jimmy: My pleasure and I look forward to seeing everybody.

Paul Szmal: Alright, it is 7.58 on FLX Morning on Finger Lakes Newsradio.