JT and the Clouds

Artist Information

Biography

JT and the Clouds come from Chicago; their music is Chicago music - rough edged, sad, hopeful, and shot through with soul.

The music is alive to the ever-shifting tides of modern indie music, but remains steeped in the city's fine traditions of soul, rhythm and blues. They resist the urge to pigeonhole themselves in a genre, or be easily pigeonholed. Most of the people that inspire them are similarly hard to pin down.

It's these ghosts of the past and future, awake in their music and words, that have pushed critics so far afield in reaching for name-checks to compare them to -- Sam Cooke, the Band, the Velvet Underground, Prince, Curtis Mayfield... and more recently, Bon Iver, M. Ward, Jeff Buckley ....

The Clouds, led by Jeremy "JT" Lindsay, have been putting out records and touring since 2004. Until recently, they got a bit more notoriety in far-off ports then their own backyard, where they kept a somewhat lower profile. That has changed in the last year. After putting out an EP, demons/demons, under the name JT NERO - a softer, (even) sadder, slightly weirder manifestation of the JT and Clouds sound - JT and Co enjoyed a wave of good press in their hometown. The Chicago Tribune tabbed JT as one of its "ten artists on the verge of breaking big in 2010," and Richard Milne at WXRT tabbed demons/demons as one of the top ten releases of 2008,

The nice words around town ratcheted up expectations for the newest record, Caledonia, released in 2010. After demons/demons' more fragile expression of love and loss, the Clouds were keen to pin back their ears and get after it on this record -- Caledonia grooves, and at times, even rocks a good bit harder through and through. JT's words may still ask you to sort through the same minefield of heartbreak and lonely hunger, but the Clouds have determined that you should at least be able to dance while you're doing it.

2011 saw the release of the second JT NERO disc, "mountains/forests," recorded with both members of the Clouds and Po' Girl. It continues JT's reflection on the absurdity of life and the inevitability of loss, and enjoyed great critical acclaim - including the number 2 slot in Americana UK's best of 2011 - just behind fellow Chicagoans, Wilco.

As always, JT will be taking to the road in both the JT NERO format -- which usually features JT and smaller formations of Clouds - and full-band JT and the Clouds attacks. The early part of the Spring will feature Eastern US and Canadian dates, followed by a return European and UK run. All tour dates are currently available at the band's web sites.

JT made the New Year's Day Chicago Tribune list of "Local bands on verge of breaking big-time." No Depression Magazine calls "mountains/forests" roots music made in heaven, and American UK calls it "near-perfect Americana."



The Clouds' first release, Delilah (2004), was met with critical raves, and a growing fan-base in Chicago and across the country. Clint Mathis of the west-coast alt-country/roots rag Freight Train Boogie called the Clouds "simply one of the best bands to ever emerge from the Americana scene," and the record received favorable reviews from abroad.

In 2006, after a long year in the lab, the Clouds released their second disc, The City's Hot Yeah the City's Hot. Recorded at Studio Chicago with Zach Goheen behind the board, The City's Hot... is a pressure-cooker of a record, a suite of simultaneous love and hate odes to they city. Haunted harmonies, strange dissonances, soul-shout call and response, hard city beats with faint mountain echoes...they all find their way on to the record, and manage to make perfect sense together. Austin Music Magazine dubbed it "nothing short of flawless." Evolution of Media offered that "the band sets new standards for rock and soul music. I'd swear this album was cut in 1972, that's how authentic it sounds."

2007 was a busy year for JT's publishing arm, Chicago Bird Music. The Be Good Tanyas covered "Scattered Leaves" on Nettwerk Records, and the song was heard in the rotation at Starbucks locations across the country. Po' Girl recorded "Til It's Gone," also on Nettwerk Records. Both tracks originated on the Clouds' debut release, "Delilah."

2008 brought forth the creation of JT's alter-ego, JT Nero, and release of "demons/demons." Steeped in the fragile soul singing tradition of Curtis Mayfield and Sam Cooke, but also at home in the modern indie-folk realm carved out by Bon Iver and M. Ward, "demons/demons" made the WXRT FM Local Anesthetic "Best of 2008" list. Reviewers noted its "Greenwich Village busker soul, caught between two generations of Buckleys." (Chicago Reader)

In the midst of this recording and release schedule, the band has consistently toured, honing its live show and gaining new fans. Domestic venues stretch from coast to coast, and include The Sunset Tavern in Seattle, The Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, The Independent in San Francisco, The Sings Like Hell Concert Series at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, The Blue Door in Oklahoma City, Momo's in Austin, The Ark in Ann Arbor, The Living Room and Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, and more. Chicagoland venues include Schubas, Fitzgeralds, The Hideout, Martyrs, The Empty Bottle, The Subterranean and more. Radio performances include West Coast Live, and repeat appearances on the hub of California roots music, KPIG. Televison includes KTBC in Austin, Texas.

In Europe, festival appearances include the Blues to Bop festival in Lugano Switzerland, and the Sage Gateshead SummerTyne Americana Weekend in Newcastle, England. In addition, the band has played various club dates across England and Ireland. Either as a solo, or with a stripped down version of the Clouds, JT has completed multiple tours in the UK. Check the gig calendar for a complete history.

Instrumentation

jeremy 'jt' lindsay - vocals, acoustic guitar
drew lindsay - vocals,
keyboards
dan abu-absi - vocals, guitars, mandolin
chris neal - vocals, sax, flute, keyboards
mike august - vocals, percussion
Chris Merrill - electric bass, acoustic bass

Depending on the vibe and the budget, the band regularly performs as everything from a solo (JT Nero), duo, or acoustic trio to the full-on 6 man electric band.

Discography

Delilah (2004)
The City's Hot Yeah the City's Hot (2006)
demons/demons - JT Nero (2008)
Caledonia (2010)
mountains/forests - JT Nero (2010)

Audio

• Low July
  Listen  
• Fever Dream
  Listen  
• Who Shot Sam Cooke - JT Nero
  Listen  
• Wildin' Blues - JT & the Clouds (city's hot)
  Listen  

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• "Mountains/Forests - #2 Americana Album of 2011" [+ Show ]
  

  JT Nero "solo" release, featuring all of the Clouds, picked #2 by Americana, UK for its top albums o...JT Nero "solo" release, featuring all of the Clouds, picked #2 by Americana, UK for its top albums of 2011

• low key and achingly gorgeous [+ Show ]
  

  "This music - low key and achingly gorgeous - is the perfect soundtrack to those lonely Sunday morni..."This music - low key and achingly gorgeous - is the perfect soundtrack to those lonely Sunday mornings. Perhaps Lindsay puts it best, writing on his MySpace site, 'This sad, sweet music will hurt you in the worst way.'" (Andy Downing 2/2/0/09)

• "Top Ten Albums of 2010" [+ Show ]
  

  "Caledonia - #9 album of 2011" "A joyful noise – Americana soul/folk/blues that you can play right ..."Caledonia - #9 album of 2011"
  "A joyful noise – Americana soul/folk/blues that you can play right through and then play right through again and not get bored"

• "Best of 2008" - demons/demons
  

  "Best of 2008" - demons/demons Richard Milne, WXRT

• "nothing short of flawless" [+ Show ]
  

  Their second release is nothing short of flawless, and certainly not short on soul. The City’s Hot u...Their second release is nothing short of flawless, and certainly not short on soul. The City’s Hot undulates sensuously. It is an amalgam of Americana, funk, country, and folk. Chicago may be their home, but the Clouds command a plethora of musical styles so effortlessly that their roots could have originated both anywhere and everywhere.

• "Lindsay and company have a rare vision" [+ Show ]
  

  Jeremy Lindsay is one of those neo-root devotees who can perceive the touch points between scattered...Jeremy Lindsay is one of those neo-root devotees who can perceive the touch points between scattered subgenres. The horn-pumped Wildin’ Blues and the Afro-beat-via-Memphis concoction Jump Up Jump Up are proof enough that Lindsay and company have a rare vision.

• "evoking Curtis Mayfield" [+ Show ]
  

  A superb crooner and an equally powerful soul singer, Lindsay can belt out a lyric or etch it with t...A superb crooner and an equally powerful soul singer, Lindsay can belt out a lyric or etch it with the delicacy of Venetian glass, whilst evoking Curtis Mayfield one moment and Sly Stone the next. This is a phenomenal set, filled with strong melodies, incredibly evocative atmospheres, showcasing the blues in all its glory.

• Time Out New York [+ Show ]
  

  JT and the Clouds play country-tinged bar rock with surprising range. Frontman Jeremy Lindsay leads ...JT and the Clouds play country-tinged bar rock with surprising range. Frontman Jeremy Lindsay leads his Clouds skillfully from the doghouse to the roadhouse on the band's first album Delilah.

• 4 out of 5 stars [+ Show ]
  

  Ever since the 60’s, rock bands have been incorporating R&B into their musical stew to create potent...Ever since the 60’s, rock bands have been incorporating R&B into their musical stew to create potent hybrids that both black and white audiences could groove and relate to. From the Young Rascals to Sly and the Family Stone, from Rare Earth to Hall & Oates, mixing of the races and muses have produced outstanding works and memorable tracks. To that grand tradition I would like to welcome Chicago band JT and the Clouds.
  
  JT and the Clouds is a band that holds up the alternative rock tradition as much as the Shins, Modest Mouse or anyone else you could think of. And yet they also have a knowledge of classical soul music, of doo wop, of sweet harmony singing, of rhythmic dynamics that could only come from close study of the masters of yore. On their second album The City’s Hot Yeah the City’s Hot, following their debut Delilah (2004), the band sets new standards for rock and soul music with tracks that are alternately sweet (“You Made of Lightning [You’re Bleedin’ Ma]”, “Mountain Man”), simmering (“Ah! Bright Wings”, “The Slums of Navarone”), and smoking (“Wildin’ Blues”). If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that this album was cut in 1972 rather than in 2007, that’s how authentic it sounds.
  
  I have to say that it does my heart good to hear the traditions of rock and soul music being picked up and kept alive by the younger generation. But I should have known that a band from a city with an R&B history as rich as Chicago, couldn’t deny its’ cultural roots for very long, if at all. Bands like the Black Keys and the White Stripes are leading the way in showing that “old” music forms like the Blues and Soul are not mutually exclusive from rock and roll. JT and the Clouds are doing their part for the cause, by making an album as excellent as The City’s Hot Yeah the City’s Hot. Support the cause, buy today.
  
  Written By: Gina Morris
  

• "JT & The Clouds, don’t forget them" [+ Show ]
  

  Delilah is what we call true Americana, because it’s a perfect blend of American music, Southern cou...Delilah is what we call true Americana, because it’s a perfect blend of American music, Southern country feelings and Memphis soul ballads. JT & The Clouds, don’t forget them.

Setlist

you made of lightning (you're bleedin' ma), jump up jump up, the slums of navarone, cup of codeine, ah! bright wings, wildin' blues, lover's prayer, mountain man, clouds ain't heavy, martial art not a sport, fine and free, little king, corn liquor, you can't go home again yes you can no you can't, scattered leaves, dust to dust blues, prairie lullaby, baby i love your mind, get along nighttime, hear no drum, hey delilah, how you left me, brag papa brag, 'til it's gone, and material from the JT Nero project "demons/demons" ... sets generally also include other original material the band has yet to record.

Usually 2 sets: 45 minutes each.

Examples of covers (not performed at every show): Bob Dylan's "Takes a Train to Cry," Townes Van Zant's "White Freight Liner," Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" and an occasional old gospel tune like "Jesus is on the Main Line."

Basic Requirements

Calendar