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“I don’t apologize for heaping praise on the folks

 I get to hang around with . They deserve it .

These are people who have been and are sacrificing

a big part of their Life’s energy to bring you

some of Cincinnati’s finest Music.”    

 

Shepherd's Pi

 

 

Shepherd’s Pi was one of those bands,

where due to the strength of each player, anything was possible.

Because of the diversity of styles represented,

the group had a chance to forge into unique forays

of Creative Experimentation.

Yet, when called for, remain true to a certain genre’s nuances.

 

The Pi was headed up by Jen Shepherd,

a phenomenal Vocalist who writes her own Songs,

plays Mandolin and Flute and can even dance a Jig.

Her covers included Songs from such Artists as Aretha, Joplin,

and Nina Simone, to name a few.

Jen has the ability to flow from style to style

and offer the listener a unique perspective

that comes from her innate ability to capture the Essence

of each Artist or style, and still maintain her own identity.

That is no easy feat.

 

Todd Juengling, our mostly Acoustic Guitarist,

also brought a diversified palette to the mix.

His Rhythmic timing is awesome

( in case you didn’t know, he is a Dancer as well ).

His knowledge of Chordal Voicings is as deep as it is wide.

His contribution to the Musical Ship

we were sailing in was immeasurable.

Not only could Todd hold true to the center of a scale,

he was not afraid to jump out to some Modal texture

and experiment with the ebb and flow of sound waves

that emanated from those who surrounded him.

 

Our Bass Player, Jeff Roades plays Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo, etc,

and although he only played Bass with the Pi,

this gave him the ability to anticipate where we were heading

and be there with the bottom end ready for us to land on

when we returned from one of our Musical Journeys.

His exposure to a variety of Musical genres,

a few of which are Bluegrass, Reggae, Blues and Classic Rock,

as well as, performing with the occasional Jam Band,

gave him a wealth of Scales and Chord Structures

that helped him bring forth a plethora of Musical voicings,

no matter what style we were in the middle of.

 

Katherine “Feather Hand” Monnig, our Drummer extraordinaire,

was another multi-talented member

of the Musical ride known as Shepherd’s Pi.

She’s a Jazz Drummer. No wait, she’s a Rock Drummer.

No wait, she’s a Percussionist behind a Drum kit.

Well, you get the idea. She truly was a big piece of the Pi.

Anyone who witnessed her creating the pulse that drove Shepherd’s Pi, knows what I am talking about.

Whether she was holding the Groove

or launching into one of her solos, KT was solid.

Northside Tavern is fortunate to have her show up

with any of her Musical Expressions

and we were fortunate to have her with us.

 

Jay Ensminger. Jay Ensminger. Jay Ensminger. Jay Ensminger.

No, it’s not a typing error.

I want you to remember this young man’s name.

No slight to any of the other great horn players

I have had the pleasure to play with,

Jay is undoubtedly the best Sax Player I have ever jammed with.

Neither Live or recorded, have I ever seen or heard anyone

who surpasses him in Depth or Passion.

His Music is sincere. It’s full of Energy and robust.

I’m not saying he is better than the Best of all times.

But someday his name will be included in their ranks

if Life is kind to him and he gets the chance to be heard

beyond the Cincinnati Music Scene.

His contribution alone was worth the price of admission.

 

And then there was me. Peace...

 

PHOTOS