Toledo native to perform at Basin St. Grille on Friday

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Jimmy Leslie could be forgiven if his latest album was a deep, dark, despairing blues.

Three years ago he experienced a repetitive stress injury that meant he could no longer type or, just as important, play guitar. The debilitating issue would be bad for anyone, but for a music journalist and ace guitarist it was downright harrowing.

A Toledo native who now lives in the San Francisco area, Leslie writes for Guitar Player and Bass Player magazines, plays his own music, is in an Allman Brothers Band tribute group, and is the touring guitarst for Shana Morrison (the daughter of Van Morrison.)

He makes his living with his hands and in 2008 they stopped working.

"I was preparing to interview Derek Trucks and my hands just stopped working on the keyboard. All of a sudden my fingers wouldn't move right and it wouldn't go away," he said in a phone interview from his home. "When your hands stop working when you're a journalist and a guitar player it kind of freaks you out."

A long, frustrating descent ensued as Leslie went to various doctors to figure out what was wrong and how it should be treated. Suffice to say, he was miserable.

"I lost everything, my mind, my body, and luckily my old buddy Todd Spencer who used to be the music editor at Current magazine in Ann Arbor ... had gone through a similar thing and got me on path to treat it."

He's back to playing guitar -- which will be on ample display for a Toledo homecoming this weekend -- and writing while managing his condition with exercises and common-sense methods to avoid over-using his hands.

Leslie also is on an impressive creativity binge now that he's back to work. His new album, "Dance Until Forever," is just out on the Guitar Player imprint. He's got a children's book, Guitarfish Adventures Volume 1.0: Blue is the New Green to promote. And he's preparing to go to Ireland early next year to support Shana Morrison for a few shows opening for her father.

Like his previous disc, "Surfin the Swamp," "Dance Until Forever" was recorded in New Orleans and is imbued with funky rhythms and a buoyant spirit that doesn't hint at the artist's previous problems. Leslie's guitar style is percussive, clean, and tasteful, managing to be showy without a "look at me" vibe.

The 1988 Sylvania Northview High School graduate said he stumbled upon a new approach after interviewing so many bass players for the magazine, using his strumming hand to pluck, pull, and pound on the strings, which provides a singular, funky sound.

Guitarfish Adventures Volume 1.0: Blue is the New Green is the result of his interest in ocean ecology. He developed the concept of a guitarfish -- yes there really is such a thing -- that travels the ocean, forming a band with other marine life, and trying to avoid being caught. The lesson is designed to teach children about the dangers of over-fishing the oceans.

"You don't hear much about going blue, taking care of the oceans, and over-fishing, which is a huge issue. This isn't something that's down the road, it's literally right now," he said.

The book is available in a number of online outlets, including the iBook store, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble's Book Nook. It was illustrated by Leslie's wife, Kerri Kelting-Leslie, a graphic designer and illustrator who was born in Toledo.

Leslie, who was in local bands Tomorrow's Clown, Crossover, and Jimmy Leslie & Friends before moving to California, has a pair of performances in Toledo planned for this weekend. One is a CD release party for "Dance Until Forever" and the other features him in a supporting role for his buddy Scott Fish. Expect lots of jamming as Leslie and his pals work on his new songs and some covers.

Jimmy Leslie and The Flow, with University of Toledo jazz students Johannes Ronquillo on bass and Nelson Overton II on drums, will play Friday night at Basin St. Grille, 5201 Monroe St. Opening will be Scott Fish & Megan Lesle of Distant Cousinz, who will start the music at 8:30. Leslie will start playing at about 9:30. A minimal cover charge will be collected at the door. Information: 419-843-5660.

Contact Rod Lockwood at rlockwood@theblade.com or 419-724-6159.