Misery Whistle

Blues that Moves, Grooves, & Soothes

Misery Whistle

Band Bio

The harmonica driven electric blues band, Misery Whistle, was formed in 2018 by harmonica player and vocalist "Doctor" Dan Jongward.

Dan has been playing blues and Americana music since he was a teen in the 1960s and performed at many blues jams throughout orange county. He was sideman for popular Grateful Dead cover band Cubensis where he got to perform with many famous musicians including blues-rock guitarist Mark Ford.

Blues guitarist Steve Cosio has been playing professionally for over thirty years and had previously performed with The St. James Blues Band, The Heber Beach Blues Band, Crumb, and many other bands.

Bassist Keith Allison has been playing bass for over twenty-seven years and has performed with The St. James Blues Band, Junkbox, Shades of Blue, and many other bands.

Drummer Danny Grummett has been playing drums for over forty years and was performing with the IV Ramblers and filling in for the rock and roll band Capital 64 when he was informed that Misery Whistle was looking for a new drummer. He joined the band in January 2022.

Misery Whistle play everything from traditional blues, Jump Blues, funky blues, and every other kind of blues. They have performed all over the Imperial Valley as well as Yuma, AZ including Infernos, Paddy's at the Rock, The Yuma Howling at the Moon Festival and for the City of Holtville.

Misery Whistle is influenced by Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix and other traditional and modern blues performers. They want to see you dance and groove to the electric blues.

Misery Whistle are:

"Doctor" Dan Jongward- Harmonica and vocals

Steve Cosio- Guitar and vocals

Keith Allison- Bass Guitar

Danny Grummett- Drums, vocals, harmonica

Contact

"Doctor" Dan Jongeward

Founding member and band leader, "Doctor" Dan Jongeward, began playing the harmonica as a teen in the late 1960s. Dan was heavily influenced by blues-rock and Americana music. He performed with many musicians while serving in the U.S. Navy. In the 1980s and 90s Dan attended many blues jams in Orange County and performed with a Los Angeles based Grateful Dead cover band called Cubensis. While gigging in Los Angeles, Dan had the opportunity to perform with many stellar musicians including the great American blues-rock guitarist, Marc Ford and even got some hammonia tips from Ron “Pigpen” McKernan from The Grateful Dead.

Dan would eventually move to Imperial Valley, California. Dan was determined to start his own blues band where he could play through the rig of his choice and develop his own sound and style. He chose the name "Misery Whistle" based on a list of offensive names used for the harmonica he found on a harp website.

"Eventually the Fates favored me with the finest pro musicians anyone would want. I keep pinching myself about this because they are the best suited for our style of blues. Together, we are a formidable force of blues magic. I count my lucky stars everyday regarding these guys" -"Doctor" Dan Jongeward

Steve Cosio

Steve Cosio began playing guitar over forty years ago and has been playing professionally for over thirty years. Steve has performed with many bands including The Heber Beach Blues Band, The St. James Blues Band and Crumb.

"I have played professionally for at least 30 years and totally love playing in front of an audience." - Steve Cosio