by John Bush Jimmies Chicken Shack blends funk-metal with elements of ska and reggae but also a surprising acoustic prowess. Lead vocalist Jimi HaHa grew up in Maryland and played with a group named Ten Times Big for several years. After the band broke up, he hit the snowboarding circuit for two years but then began several acoustic jams with friends. HaHa recruited drummer Jim Chaney (from Ten Times Big), longtime friend Che Lemon on bass and guitarist Dave Dowling (aka Double D) to form Jimmies Chicken Shack. Based in Annapolis, Maryland, the group formed their own Fowl Records and released Give Something Back. After selling tens of thousands of records around the Baltimore area, Jimmies Chicken Shack signed to Elton Johns Rocket Records and released their major-label debut, Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope. Still involved with their own label, however, the group also released The Original Recipe, a collection of early recordings, followed in 1999 by Bring Your Own Stereo. A five-year wait preceded the release of Re.present in 2004.