On the Eve of a Fall Tour, J. Geils Band Poised for Bitter Legal Battle Over Who Owns the Name
As Peter Wolf crouched over the microphone at the front of the stage, guitarist J. Geils stood next to him, eyes closed, playing the frantic refrain of “Lookin’ for a Love” to a delirious Fenway Park crowd.
The sold-out concert in 2010 was a triumph for the J. Geils Band, the venerable Boston rockers who had broken up years before but now, older and wiser and motivated by a desire to make some money, were setting aside their differences to put on a show.
At least that is what everyone thought. But like some other well-known local bands — Boston, The Cars, and the famously fractious Aerosmith, to name a few — the J. Geils Band couldn’t keep it together. Even as they played their exuberant set at Fenway that night before Aerosmith took the stage, there was a split in the offing. John Geils Jr., who cofounded the group more than 40 years ago, had, without telling his bandmates, quietly trademarked the name “J. Geils Band” in 2009, potentially giving him sole control over its use.
The bold move, revealed to Wolf and three other band members last November in a matter-of-fact e-mail from Geils’s business partner, has touched off a bitter legal battle to determine who has the right to perform as the J. Geils Band. It has also bewildered fans on the eve of the group’s “Houseparty” tour, due to begin Aug. 25 in Syracuse, N.Y.
Representatives for Wolf, keyboardist Seth Justman, blues harpist Magic Dick, and bassist Danny Klein, insist the tour is still on, and the group will continue to bill itself as the J. Geils Band, even though Geils will not be with them. Geils, meanwhile, has filed a lawsuit in US District Court in Boston alleging trademark infringement, claiming the other members of the band are trying to “misappropriate and steal” the J. Geils Band name by touring without him.
“Bands not getting along is nothing new. It’s always a challenge,” said John Baruck, the band’s longtime manager. “But this is a unique situation and what J.’s done here has certainly destroyed the relationship.”