Danny Erker - Vocals, Banjo, Mandolin, Acoustic Guitar, Linguistics, Salsa - Flyover State (MO)
Jon Hull - Vocals, Harmonicas, Accordion, Impressions of Impressions, Superfan - Flyover State (IL)
Jonathan Benedict (JB) - Piano, Moogs, Synths, Organ, Rhodes, Laptop Goodness, Vocals, Remixing Prowess, Snappy Dressing - Garden State (DUH)
Walt Wells - Electric Bass, String Bass, Guitars of all kinds, Vocals, Dragon-Slaying, Wordsmith - Flyover State (OH)
Sam Rockwell - Drums, Percussion, Heavy Breathing, Rockface, Youth and Exuberance - Flyover State (MN)
Influences
Sunshine & Bourbon, Mountains & Buildings, Riverboats & Grandpas, Bill Monroe, The Band, Brian Eno, John Hartford, The Mekons, Uncle Tupelo, Little Walter, Dire Straits, The Staple Singers, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Cannonball Adderley, Muddy Waters, Johnny Cash, Paul Butterfield Blues Band
"Of all the bands Brooklyn has produced in recent years, rarely has the borough birthed an Americana-rock love child like Jones Street Station. But this isn't just Appalachia-on-the-Hudson—the band is just as fond of rockstar timbres and synths as it is mandolin, banjo licks and harmonica. We're not the first to liken them to a little band called Wilco, and we'd humbly submit the folk/pop stylings of The Avett Brothers and the jamboree ethos of Akron/Family for comparison as well."
- Paste Magazine
"Their playing all blended wonderfully, like rows of wheat passing outside a car window. Hull’s harmonica picks up right where Erker’s vocals leave off, and the bass catches the song when everyone else drops off...It took me a few minutes, but I realized that all five of them sing: and wonderfully. They can pass vocals around the stage like a joint. They can back each other up in two and three part harmonies, and Friday night every single one of them was on. I can’t remember the last time I saw every busy musician on stage singing well..."
- Melophobe
"They are Americana, spitting up the truth, blue grass sounding folky pop and at times jazzy. They have romance, the kind that keeps you alive, referencing home towns, booze, love and the heart aches of life."
- Three Imaginary Girls
"The classic story of country meets the big city has finally emerged a not-so-fit-in-the-box group of five very individually talented musicians whose live show was one of the most impressive acts we’ve seen in a very long time... Their sound ranges from soulful ballads and lively knee-slapping mandolin and accordion tunes to four-part harmonies. With no distinct lead singer (every single person, including the drummer, has a voice to die for) and instruments ranging from banjo to a literal fly fishing belt full of different harmonicas, these boys keep the energy high and they bleed musical passion from start to finish.
- The San Francisco Examiner
"When they played Prospect Park Bandshell on Friday, August 7th as part of this summer’s Celebrate Brooklyn! festival, Jones Street Station had every reason to be nervous...But Jones Street Station is a band that’s comfortable, wherever they are."
- QRO Magazine
"Hailing from Brooklyn, Jones Street Station brought energy and passion to their performance, well managing their variety of instruments and expertly blended vocals."
- Brightest Young Things
About In Verses
"Blending harmonies and country, folk and rock influences, the band crafts a song that's both sweet and sad — about being together and alone, while still finding sunlight in the sadness"
- NPR - Song of the Day
"The ones that come most alive on the harmonious and generally lovely and smart new full-length "In Verses" - that points to a knack for looking on the brighter side of life, even if that side is still shuttered by shadows and the obviously dragging aspects of life that cannot be dodged for the life of anyone."
- Daytrotter
"Their newest album, In Verses, is a gear-shifting eargasm right from the beginning and our guess, with the momentum and exposure they’ve got on this tour, they’re definitely someone to watch out for."
- The San Francisco Examiner
..."But the five young men are quite comfortable in their sound that would fit far better on the AM radio dials of pre-New Country (and pre-ClearChannel…) Middle America than a Pitchfork podcast of today. And so they should be, as In Verses contains some of the best Americana, alt-country, whatever you want to call it out there, headed up by “Slow Lights” and its near-perfect Americana hook & rhythm. And only “Slow Lights” keeps “Flyover State”, their love letter to the Midwestern homes (except singer/keyboardist Jonathan Benedict, who’s from Midwestern New Jersey…), from being the record’s standout. The band goes more southern in the twang of “Front Door”, while there’s a great driving rhythm married to an Americana anthem on “Oh Victoria”. "
- QRO Magazine
"Their fusion of country and popular music makes them an interesting group to reach out to fans of both genres. "
- Racket Magazine
"Five very different personalities from all parts of the US have converged in Brooklyn and miraculously from the chaos that is five front men came the buttery smooth music on “InVerses”."
- TheWaster.com
"This Brooklyn based group of 5 has really come up with an interesting northern twist on a southern style of music with a fusion of pop, a dash of Americana and a sprinkle of soulful country-folk. It’s as if Ben Kweller, U2, Explosions In The Sky and Iron and Wine met at a bar, got drunk, had a one night stand and nine months later, out popped a bastard child named In Verses."
- Subservient Experiment
About Overcome
“Listening is like running down a mountain on a switchback trail, the sound of surprise generating its own momentum. There’s a punk glee inside the bluegrass craft–and a punk vehemence inside the bluegrass smile.”
–Greil Marcus
“... charming, unusually graceful.”
–The New York Times
“...like 1995 Wilco with the sensibility of 2007 Wilco.”
–The Onion AV Club, Milwaukee
“For a band of Brooklynites, the Jones Street Boys kick up a pretty good hillbilly stomp on Overcome (Smith Street). They play their catchy originals with virtuosic mandolin jams and honky-tonk piano fillers, and top them with off-kilter, good-time harmonies.”
–Time Out New York
“A sweet harmonica worthy of Springsteen, a barrel-house piano, and the ragged, heartfelt delivery of Wilco or The Band… it’s lo-fi alt-country bluegrass music with a hint of midnight trainsongs and fireside song circles, a dollop of happy roots rock, and the pure infectious joy of making plumb great music…. So damn infectious, I haven’t listened to anything else in days.”
–Cover Lay Down
“The Jones Street Boys impressed us with a spotless performance at our unofficial CMJ party - in particular when they all together sang a song a cappella displaying their perfect pitch. No doubt: these guys can all play and sing - and their lifting mix of country and pop makes them the perfect Deli band for the month of December. “
–The Deli Magazine - December’s NY Artist of the Month
“…The strong songwriting and melodic complexity, combined with a drummer with a rock background, give this group a distinctive sound belonging more to the amorphous category of singer/songwriter. I would not be surprised to find fans of Iron and Wine, Mountain Goats, or even Bright Eyes tapping their feet to the music…. This is a joyful exploration of music and storytelling, and deserves much wider press than a band this kind (the “not on the cutting edge” kind) usually gets.”
–Fleabomb.com
“The Jones Street Boys will be a new found treat for any fan of the modern Americana movement and fit beside any of that genres best. For others that like diversity in their playlist, Overcome is a great balance and won’t disappoint because The Jones Street Boys could be your new favorite. “
–The Fire Note
“When you think of Brooklyn, the first thing to come to mind probably isn’t bluegrass-infused americana - but maybe it should be. On Overcome, The Jones Street Boys meld elements of folk, country, and bluegrass with pavement-pounding urban flare to yield a sound that is distinctly American.”
–Mixtapes/Heartbreaks Blog
“Hey, I can’t top Greil Marcus, but I will add that I can’t resist a song that starts out with mandolin, then adds harmonica, then stand up bass, and then a chorus of “Last cigarette, last beer, last call, last year. Last time I swore I was over you.””
–Songs:Illinois Blog
“If “Grand Canyon” suggests Erker’s true métier might be the novelty song, “Oh Night” demonstrates a gift for the killer Southern-rock riff that The Marshall Tucker Band might have envied. Overcome is uncompromising in its commercial purism, but if the band’s sly embrace of heartland values can sound contrived, Erker’s songs possess a unique ease, and his melodies stick with you.”
–Nashville Scene - Critics’ Pick December 07′
“The happy-go-lucky vibe of The Jones Street Boys will have you tapping your feet and snapping your fingers in no time.”
–Rhapsody
“Country bands living in Brooklyn is not as strange as it seems, considering the New York borough has delivered artists from Shannon McNally to Ollabelle. Following those footsteps comes The Jones Street Boys, a group of bluegrass traditionalists who approach the music with a defined punk fervor.”
–Mark Guarino - Daily Herald (Chicago) Featured Concert Pick for 12/21
“I challenge you to listen to the heartland rock of “Last Time” from their debut Overcome without tapping your foot, nodding along to the stand-up bass and harmonizing right alongside the dual vocals of Erker and Hull.”
–Gapers Block/Transmission
“Their bluegrass/rock/pop features pitch-perfect harmonies, mandolin picking, harmonica blowing, and expertly crafted Americana-inspired tracks.”
–The Weight
“[The Jones Street Boys] are a force of nature. [They] own harmony…That’s an essence rare these days.”
–Tom Crawford, Station Manager, WMSE Milwaukee
“Uno de esos Debuts que se abren paso por si mismos, por la sinceridad y frescura de su propuesta…., por tener una verdadera calidad. Han sido una de las grandes sorpresas dentro del movimiento de lo que se ha dado en llamar “Americana”, con unas canciones que, basadas en el Bluegrass clásico nunca dejan de sonarnos como algo moderno y actual…, algo inevitable por la juventud de esta banda.” Translation: One of those debuts that breaks through on its own, because of its sincerity, its freshness, its real quality. They’re one of the big surprises within the movement that’s been called ‘Americana’, with songs that, though based in classic Bluegrass, give us something modern and current…an inevitability of the band’s youthfulness.
Hazmegritar!!!!
The Brooklyn quintet fill their songs with blissful harmonies and an enchanting blend of acoustic guitar, piano and the occasional harmonica and mandolin. Stand-outs include “Julia Belle,” which marries a haunting melody with the tale of a sinking Mississippi riverboat steamer, and “One Last Love Song,” a plaintive ballad featuring guest vocalist Jon Langford (Mekons/Waco Brothers). By the time I got to the Boys evocative cover of the Band’s “Twilight” I was hooked.
–Twangville
BIO
Jones Street Station are ready for their debut… Again.
Though the simple grace of 2007’s Overcome extends to the band’s second effort, In Verses, “This is really our first record as five people coming from five different places,” explains singer and harmonica/accordion player Jonathan Hull. To wit, In Verses marks the studio debut of drummer Sam Rockwell, the emergence of four lead singers, and the addition of roadhouse rock and straight ahead pop to strains of Americana and soulful country-folk.
The evolution of the group is, according to mandolinist and singer Danny Erker, due to fact that “Each member of this band is capable of fronting one on his own. We've each got different skills and tastes, so when we’re lucky, we wind up with a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts— it’s a beautiful show of strength in numbers.”
This group of Brooklynites from Minnesota, Princeton, Chicago, St. Louis and Springfield, Ohio are indeed a quintet of fully-formed characters. Hull, for one, carries his harmonica in a gun belt for a reason—a note-nailing delivery that’s as jittery and disjointed as his personality. Then there’s Rockwell, a steam roller who can punish the drum set and play with lightness and touch; keyboardist/singer Jonathan Benedict (better known as JB), a skilled remixer/producer who’s twisted knobs on tracks for Rihanna, Yoko Ono and The Killers; bassist/singer Walt Wells, a “musician’s musician” and part-time ethnomusicologist with the chops to carry his own in everything from a soul revue to a Japanese string band; and Erker, a “craftsman” with a modified mandolin, plug-and-play banjo approach and honed singer-songwriter skills.
Ask Hull just how this adds up to an album as seamless as In Verses, and he’ll rattle off one reason after another, from the heft that came from dropping Rockwell’s drums in the mix to a pass-the-mic style that results in their trademark harmonies. Case in point: the way “Favor” and “Evergreen” fade in and out on the strength of starry-eyed keys, slow-burning chords and melancholic melodies. And just when you think you’ve got the band figured out, they send a crunchy Rhodes cascading across “Oh Victoria” and invite their friends in Goes Cube—a metal band, mind you—over for the raucous, banjo-led campfire climax of “Neville.”
“We don’t really do genre-specific music,” says Erker. “In ‘Neville,’ for instance, we've got detailed four-part harmonies alongside flat-out screaming, Scruggs-style banjo and a harmonica, for God's sake—all of which co-exist within a three-minute song that starts off as a sleepy ballad and mutates into a rock anthem free-for-all.”
And if In Verses doesn’t explain all the gear-shifting behind the scenes of Jones Street Station, there’s always their shows…
“People see our instruments and expect one thing,” explains Hull, alluding to previous gigs with Ben Kweller. “Then they’re like, ‘Woah! That’s not how people play the harmonica. Or the mandolin. Wait; where’s your lead singer? You don’t have one?’”
hey it’s lance from darling waste! I just wanted to personally thank you for the addage acceptance. much appreciated.
Hope you can come out to our Music Industry Event at Parkside Lounge in NYC on Nov. 5. This will be a great opportunity to meet and network with people from all facets of the industry (as well as hear some great music). Hope to see you there.
Come hang out with us too! We love to meet musicians, network, and trade gigs. hope you enjoyed the music!
lance waste
About Darling Waste
- 5 Piece Piano Driven Indy Rock Band from Brooklyn NY
- Featured on MTV, HBO, SHOWTIME & MIRAMAX.
- New album being distributed by Hot Topic.
- July/Aug- 5 wk. UK tour w/Our Innocence Lost (UK) - sold-out venues
- Sept - opened for Blink 182, Fallout Boy,& Panic A.T Disco.
- Oct. -Nominated - UK Award- Best International Newcomer.
_ Nov. - NYC show being reviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine
- Touring w/Kill Hannah & Our Innocence Lost - Europe & Japan 2010
- Ranked by MySpace as One Of The Top 20 "Emo" Bands In The United States
- Ranked by MySpace as One Of The Top 100 "Indie" Bands In The United States
Hey, I've got a radio show for a few weeks - so, please tune into the Paul Hughes Show (filling in for Gordon Hotchkiss) on Celtic Music Radio this Wednesday between 7pm – 9pm UK time. As well a Scottish, Irish and American folk/roots music I’ll be chatting with Paddy Callaghan about being selected for the finals of the BBC Young Trad Musician of the Year and hear him playing the harp and box. Celtic Music Radio is available in and around Glasgow on 1530 AM (MW) and you can listen anywhere else in the world on the internet at www.celticmusicradio.net and click on “Listen Live” in the top right of the screen. Thanks for reading down this far.
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