L to R: Jeremy Wyrick, Nathan Arizona, Seth Church, Dean Walker
Influences
REVIEWS:
"They play with feral intensity as the pensive Church growls his lyrics like a troubled Peter Garrett(Midnight Oil), the guitars ring and crunch with a seething quality that veers from melodic to discordant, the drums occasionally gallop forward in crazy-making signatures and the bass punches out the rhythm.
Stops, starts, passion, and vacancy in equal measures. Punk rock in the spirit of '76 in ghostly traces from Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground through Patti Smith and Richard Hell to the Pixies, Radiohead and Kurt Cobain."
~Jordan Green
YES! Weekly Magazine
"Rarely have I heard something so fun, energetic and smart from a relatively new, unsigned regional act. Burlington's Instant Jones is fueled by frontman Seth Church's clever lyrics and vocal drawl, shuffling over wiry guitars and insistent bottom-end. The band ranges from moody, meandering rock reminiscent of Seam and Television to garage-punk boogie and catchy sing-alongs like "Rule of Thumb," with its post-millennial perversion of Patrick Henry: "Give me liberty, or give me satellite TV."
The BEGINIING: Seth Church and songwriting partner Jason Jones conceived of the band as a way to realize some musical/literary ideas and worked together on some songs as early as 2000. After a year of small gigs with drummer Zeb Kirby (of Loop) and bassist Josh Coe (of countless NC bands) and a few lo-fi recordings, the songs were put on a shelf. Until 2006, when after five dormant years and a chance meeting with Coe, Church decided to give Instant Jones another go. Now, after recruiting an all-star lineup of musicians to breathe new life into the songs, Instant Jones has finally came into its own.
THE MUSICIANS:A talented writer and guitar player, Seth Church writes some of the coolest lyrics around. As Chris Parker of Independent Weekly said of one of Church's songs, they deliver sentiments that are "born to be sung by thousand-large crowds". Having won many awards for his writing, Church delivers his lines with a confidence and reserve reminescent of Lou Reed while at the same time surprising the audiences with an unexpected musical shout or crescendoing guitar solo.
Instant Jones is also fortunate to have among its ranks one of central North Carolina’s most in demand and talented drummers, Dean Walker. Dean’s skillful drumming echoes in the minds of the listener for days. With equal amounts of mature reserve, spontaneity and intensity, Walker never allows the rhythm get dull and is always ready to punch you in the jaw with a crazy-making Tool-like fill.
Adding innovation and avant garde independence to the stew is resident shaman, Nathan Arizona. Listening to the melody and atmosphere of Arizona’s guitar is like watching your favorite movie with your ears. The depth and variety of the tones he evokes range from classic saxophone fuzz to “WTF?” android bleeps. He adds a sense of chaotic timelessness to Instant Jones’ sound. It is as if he just descended from the heavens on an enormous flying saucer, (presumably from some unknown future decade) stepped out in full desert motorcycle-gang regalia and Pete Townsend wind-milled the greatest noise you have ever heard.
Filling in the shoes of Instant Jones’ original bassist Josh Coe would be no easy task but current bassist Jeremy Wyrick has definitely rose to the occasion. Growing up in a musical family set him on the rock ‘n’ roll path at an early age and he has never looked back. Often referred to as the human metronome, Jeremy’s bass is not only mechanistically tight but stemming from his punk and hardcore roots, fast, melodic and toneful as well.
CURRENTLY: These four musical strongmen have joined forces to redefine and fashion their raw musical ideas into masterfully crafted and well-structured radio songs. After two years of refinement, studio experience and a busy performance schedule (that has taken them from NC to NYC and all points in between), Instant Jones has become one of the tightest and most original acts in North Carolina.
You guys are my favorite band in North Carolina, and most definately the 2nd handsomest! PS. There's an amazing venue in Richmond you need to check out. "Plaza Bowl" a rock and roll bowling alley that has a bandstand raised up over the lanes!
Hey guys, thanks for the add. Ya, we just finished our first full rehearsal for The Cave on the 18th and are really looking forward to playing there. See you then!!
Online Now!
