The Lilliston Effect

Jean-Paul Lilliston is a Nashville guitarist and songwriter. Raised in the Detroit area, Jean-Paul (JP) grew up listening and playing the blues, R&B and soul music from Memphis, Muscle Shoals, New York, Chicago and New Orleans. The Lilliston Effect is an original instrumental project comprised of JP and a rotating cast of characters, combining these influences along with an occasional dose of avant-garde and world music thrown into the mix. JP counts King Curtis & the King Pins, Booker T. Jones, Snooks Eaglin, Eddie Hinton, Jimmy McGriff, Howlin’ Wolf, Grant Green, Ray Charles and John Lurie among his many musical touchstones.

JP was nominated for a Nashville Music Award for Best Blues Album with Perry Welsh & The Mighty Johnsons’ 1997 recording She’s Got That Stuff, engineered by Jack Irwin.

As a guitarist, JP has recorded several albums with songwriters Paul Zografi and Joe Nolan in Nashville. He also toured and recorded with Austin blues band Shake ‘Em on Down, releasing Satisfy Me with recording artist and songwriter, Joanna Ramirez.

JP founded instrumental rhythm n’ grooves band The Lilliston Effect in 2018 as a way to play live music at local venues in Nashville. “This all started as an experiment to play music in town,” says Jean-Paul Lilliston. “I started working on these songs and brought together players who were willing to try this instrumental idea out and found venues open to featuring it. None of this should work—but it does.”

The Lilliston Effect released a double album Blues March in August 2024. The 18 original songs written by Lilliston and two covers on Blues March is a bolder and more raucous collection of jams than any release to date. Recorded in their signature lofi style, the songs on Blues March are steeped in the 1970s Chicago blues tradition with influences such as Albert Collins and Son Seals in the title track "Blues March" and "Over the Top, Pt. 1," B.B. King in "Blues Generic in Bb" and "Toppers" as well as their choice covers of Freddie King's "Going Down" and Howlin' Wolf's "No Place to Go."

The funky, chromatic horn and guitar melody in "JB Groove" is a standout jam and the gospel feel of "Riverbank" calls up Pops Staples. A versatile, groove-oriented album, Blues March has touches of Joe Cocker and Leon Russell's Mad Dogs and Englishmen on "The Slouch" and "The Long Walk Home." The surf guitar rocker "Blues Vera Cruz" is a longtime crowd favorite and The Lilliston Effect clearly has a ball playing it.

Blues March is the third studio album for The Lilliston Effect. The band released The Funky Turducken in 2019 and El Bull in 2022. Blues March was recorded, engineered and mixed by Drew Carroll and mastered by Andrija Tokic at The Bomb Shelter in East Nashville. The Lilliston Effect sound on Blues March includes Jean-Paul Lilliston guitars, Ron Gomez bass, Don Jacobsen saxophones and flute, Geno Haffner keyboards and Matt Scibilia drums and percussion. Blues March is available now on all streaming platforms including Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify.

Connect on Facebook to keep up to date on live performances at https://www.facebook.com/thelillistoneffect/ and Instagram @thelillistoneffect.

Booking: thelillistoneffect@gmail.com