Glenn Jochum is a musician of many talents from the East End of Long Island. In describing his music, I would hesitate to call it ‘folk,’ but he definitely has elements of folk rock, a genre which he clearly loves and plays superbly, in his music. I’m not sure if I’d call him a troubadour, but he is, surely, and one of the best ones I’ve seen performing in many years of attending shows. I think what stands out the most in listening to his music is his sense of joy and humor, which shines through in an infectious way, leaving the listener full of good cheer, which is about the highest compliment you can pay a musician, in my view. When he isn’t singing joyfully, he makes you think, asking some tough questions about the world and our place in it. But one thing he is not, is boring. Buy one of his CDs and you won’t regret it. You’ll be going on a musical journey that is well worth the trip. The East End has its own homegrown Steve Goodman, and you really must listen to him.

Living on the Edge of Time is a fine, polished and enormously fun album. “Like Attila the Hun, I can’t have my fun, unless I have something left to conquer,” Jochum croons on the roots-rock opener to this album, a line that is enough to make even the most serious political observer burst out laughing. The song was recorded in the aftermath of Trump’s disturbing victory in 2016. Most of us were too shell shocked to make sense of it, but Jochum has some grim fun with the idea. The band sounds like they are having as much fun as he is, laying a groove out of the ashes.

Hypocrite Blues is another standout track from this record. “I just don’t want to walk this world alone/Well, I hate them holy rollers, oh I hate them to the bone,” he sings, crying out in the voice of all people of conscience who can’t stand preachers of any kind. Please, take my advice and listen to this song instead of going to church. It’ll do more good for you, and you’ll be sure to feel better than you would listening to a preacher.

The title track on this one is a bit more introspective, an excellent way to cap off the fun you’ll have with this album. It’s slightly downbeat: “Do you feel the rustle that runs through the trees? Creatures and torment on the edge of time,” he sings. It’s a poetic image, restless and thoughtful. “Running out of Room,” which rounds out this collection, is another memorable political tune which reminded me of the best Grateful Dead songs, political and space-rock at the same time. “Mathemeticians, politcians, are you looking at the moon? Colonizing, subsidizing, we are running out of room,” he sings. It might not be a comforting thought, but Jochum delivers it with a style that will make you glad to hear the message.

I give this album a wholehearted five stars. If you have a chance to see Glenn Jochum and his band, do it. You’ll feel better for it, refreshed, the way music is supposed to make you feel.

My Little Town is another wonderful album of roots rock tunes. Played with Steve Leighton, this is a great collection of songs that remind me of Delbert McClinton or Joe Ely. These guys may be from the East End, but they would not sound out of place in a honky tonk saloon. On “Sunrise Sunrise,” Jochum sings in a confident blues growl: “Maybe she won’t come back to me/I’ll go and see her best friend Marie,” a time tested way for a blues singer to shake the blues, as you undoubtedly will when you buy this record.

The title song is another fine, memorable tune, an ode to his hometown. “Pure as the driven snow, cotton candy, saddle shoes and picture shows,” he sings, evoking the best kind of nostalgia for one’s hometown. No matter where you are from, hopefully you can relate to this; the luckiest among us can. And even if you can’t, these are universal truths about the past, seen through the lens of a man who has great affection for his roots. All of our towns should be viewed with such kindness: “You’re the keeper of history, the one thing left that’s free.” It’s a lucky town that can call this songwriter their own.

You should not miss this album. If you want blues rock with heart, you can’t go wrong with Glenn Jochum and his band.

If you’re feeling romantic, “Anything for You” is a collection of Jochum’s songs dealing with cupid’s arrow. As on his other albums, this is a really fun mix of blues licks, funny and at times unexpected lyrics, memorable melodies, and all around fine songcraft. As I listened, I was reminded of seeing Willie Nelson, who remarked at a show that I attended as a young man that love songs and songs of heartbreak were always successful “because none of us are with our first choice,” a hilarious observation that succinctly explains the popularity of such songs through the centuries. Jochum’s contribution to this genre are a mix of songs of praise, to songs of sadly broken promises. “Hang on to your pride,” is good advice for any lover; “Let laughter be your guide,” Jochum wisely sings. This might be his philosophy in his songs, and if so, it’s a good, worthy one.

A wise man once said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture, so I think I’ll end here. Give these albums a listen. Like I said, he’s our own homegrown songwriter; you won’t be disappointed.

https://www.glennjochum.com/#/