Revere staff member feels the groove as guitarist and songwriter

by Noell Wolfgram Evans

By day, AJ Neitenbach is the transportation supervisor for Revere Local Schools, but at night, he puts the clipboard down and picks up the guitar.

Since he was practically old enough to hold a guitar, he has, starting with a three-string and advancing from there. Neitenbach attended Kent State University where he played saxophone and then heeded the old adage and “headed west.” At the University of Colorado, he earned a bachelor of arts in music with a particular focus on classical guitar, but the electric guitar ended up having a hold on his heart.

“I play on a vintage instrument,” Neitenbach said, “and I just really like the sound of this guitar.”

After an opportunity didn’t pan out, Neitenbach found his way back to Northeast Ohio and into a band called Half Moon Jack. “We’ve been playing for maybe 15-20 years,” Neitenbach said. “We’re a B-side band. We play lots of [covers of] 90s/2000s bands.” While they still play in occasional public appearances, more often than not, the band provides the musical backing to private affairs.

That is not Neitenbach’s only musical outlet, though. He also can be found gracing stages across the region as a solo act or with the backing of a small band. Neitenbach said he and his backup band play “rock and roll, but there’s a lot of influences in there like jazz and rockabilly.”

In 2022, he decided to make a permanent record of his music and began a recording project. “I’m actually still doing some final mixes and mastering,” Neitenbach said. The plan is to finish the production work so that his album “Low Lying Land” will be released by the end of the year.

“To me, music is the best,” Neitenbach said. “Actually Frank Zappa said that but there’s a lot of truth there.”

“Low Lying Land” is an album of completely original material. Neitenbach said, “I constantly have things kicking around my head and with the record, I just decided to get them down. A couple of these songs were ones I’ve been working on since high school.”

Neitenbach said he’s always looking for inspiration, taking ideas and experiences from anything that catches his ear. “My wheelhouse is that time in the late ’40s into the ’50s when the roots of rock and roll were taking hold.” He cited T-Bone Walker and other old blues players as musical constants in his listening rotation.

“I’m always curious about other musicians,” Neitenbach said. “Particularly people I like, like Eddie Van Halen; who are the people that they listen to? It’s fun to go back and listen to them and try to get on that same wavelength.”

While making a record is fun, Neitenbach said there is nothing quite like playing live. “I love playing live, especially when everyone gets on the same wavelength, there’s no better feeling.”

To prepare for performances, Neitenbach practices whenever he can. He said the ideal is to get in two hours a day but he never forces it. “Sometimes you’re just not feeling it,” he said, “and that’s okay.”

If there is anything atypical about Neitenbach’s routine it’s that, in a group known for their collections, he only has four electronic guitars in his arsenal with two in regular rotation. “The instrument can really affect the style of music you’re trying to play,” Neitenbach said.

While he has been playing for years, Neitenbach is quick to encourage anyone to pick up an instrument and play. “It’s something that you can do your whole life,” he said, “and there are so many great resources available now for learning.”

He doesn’t just encourage others to study, he works the books himself. “I still feel like there’s so much to learn on the guitar,” Neitenbach said. “Just learning a song and enjoying it, that’s what music is all about.”

Neitenbach will be playing a solo show at Sarah’s Vineyard in Cuyahoga Falls on Dec. 11 and will perform there with a full band on Feb. 12, 2027. Both shows start at 6 p.m.

Photo caption:  AJ Neitenbach has been playing guitar since he was old enough to hold one. He performs with a cover band called Half Moon Jack and also performs solo with his own backup band in the Northeast Ohio region (pictured). Photos submitted.