“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
"The Jones Street Boys, a country and bluegrass quintet from New York, play charming, unusually graceful acoustic music." --The New York Times
"The band's ingratiating 2007 release, Overcome, applies the warmth of traditional music to tales of young, urban life in the modern age, coming across like 1995 Wilco with the sensibility of 2007 Wilco." --The Onion AV Club, Milwaukee
"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
“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
"...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 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 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 Blog
"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
Self-taught and exploring more every day, Midwest transplants Danny Erker and Jonathan Hull met in New York City in 2001. Shortly after, they both joined The Cobble Hillbillies, a Brooklyn bluegrass collective, with whom they played the 2006 Merlefest Midnight Jam, alongside Nickel Creek, Gillian Welch, Peter Rowan, among others.
After The Cobble Hillbillies’ amicable dissolution, Jon and Danny struck out on their own. Two members and six instruments (banjo, dobro, harmonica, mandolin, guitar and accordion) seemed reasonable: The Jones Street Boys were born. Two folks were fun, they thought, but more might be a damn good time. It didn’t take long to find talented musicians with interests similar to theirs: a focus on songwriting, storytelling, harmony-singing, and musicianship.
The two-man show quickly became a solid quintet. Princeton native Jonathan “JB” Benedict, a former co-worker of Jon’s, came on board, tearing it up on anything with keys, and Walt Wells—who, fresh off the bus from Bloomington, IN, met Jon their freshman year at Indiana University—joined up for thumpin’ and strummin’. Robbie Jones, the final addition, spiced the beat up with the Cajon, an Afro-Peruvian drum with a distinct metallic sound. After recording Overcome, Robbie left for Spain and his bride-to-be, but soon Sam Rockwell, a charming, freewheeling rock’n’roller from Minneapolis was shaking things up with a heavier beat, adding depth via a rock edge to the band’s Americana core.
Starting by reworking traditional favorites in many genres—particularly bluegrass—and by fine-tuning original songs Jon and Danny had been crafting, the creative energy caught fire and soon Jon, Danny, JB, and Walt were all composing and rearranging. These communal practices comprise the band’s foundation, and the practice is made visible when they play live. They are engaging from every angle. Five separate energies—rather than melting into one—spin gracefully in each other’s orbits, building a cumulative power.
Watch the new video for "Last Time" directed by our buddies at Smooth Feather Productions - www.smoothfeather.com - Thanks Silas!
F-ing brilliant. Don't know which I like best. Like the email suggested, I do like where you're going...really broad reaching variation of feels with a unified sound among those three tunes. Hope to be able to see you guys sometime in the next few months. best from Madrid. R
Win The Jones Street Boy's CD 'OVERCOME' (+ a TON of other cool CDs, Vinyl, T-Shirts) by visiting the following link & answetring a very easy question:
Love it! Do they have y'all chained to the wall at Ophelias? Blink twice if you need help! not sure that will help much, this being the web and all, but it might make you feel better. Sounds Great!!!
Hey The Jones Street Boys, totally sweet sound you guys have, congrats! Yall have a fun 4th of JULY! Thanks so much for supporting Hills Rolling! Hope you have a great weekend and keep in touch ok!
Don't be shy, come on over and check out the NEW CD ‘Something Delicious’ by Hills Rolling, and see what tastes so good!
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