Karen and Amy Jones

Artist Information

Biography

Karen and Amy Jones are singers, sisters and songwriters known for their melodic vocal lines and tight harmonies. Both classically-trained vocalists, they traded opera arias for acoustic guitars and now perform as an acoustic rock duo in the northeastern United States.

Two songwriters with very different styles, the girls treat audiences to a diverse collection of melodic and harmony-heavy songs ranging from hooky pop-rock to dark, dissonant ballads. Fans have drawn comparisons to Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart, The Indigo Girls, Liz Phair and fellow Pennsylvania rockers Live, but they have a sound all their own.

Karen and Amy couple accomplished voices with well-constructed melodies, soaring harmonies and passionate, personal lyrics. Listeners can expect a curvy ride through hopeful, catchy rants to sad, soulful lamentations, delivered by two sisters who commit to every note.

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Press and Awards:
"The vocal harmonies are angelic...4 out of 5 stars." - Wildy's World

"Karen & Amy have been compared to Ann and Nancy Wilson and the Indigo Girls, but are clearly forging their own path as a congruous force with all tools to conquer triple-A radio and beyond." - Billboard Discoveries

“Exceptional songwriting, solid...acoustic guitar over beautiful vocals. This is a rare and sure to rise musical duo. ” - Tom Malm, Concert Promoter & Industry Veteran

“They've got a connection that makes for intense performances and a great vocal blend of tight harmonies." - Pulse Weekly

Selected to perform in World Cafe Live’s Beta Hi-Fi Songwriter Sessions | 2009

“Rain” among Top 10 favorite songs of 2008, as voted on by listeners of the Acoustic Diner Radio Program

“Rain” selected for GoGirlsMusic 2008 Compilation CD

Finalist in Philadelphia Songwriters Project Songwriting Competition | 2008 and 2009

Nominated for 9 Lehigh Valley Music Awards: 2008 and 2007 | Nominated for Best Duo, Best Female Vocalists, and Best Band Website; 2006 | Nominated for Best New Band, Best Duo, and Best Female Vocalists

Top 10 Finalist, George’s Music 30th Anniversary Songwriting Contest for “Spend A Little Time”

Several songs selected as Track of the Day on Garageband.com

"King of the Stage" Finalist, Chaplin's Music Cafe | 2006

Top 4 Finalist in Lehigh Valley Acoustic Performance Competition | 2006

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Some Places We've Played:
Georgia:
Eddie's Attic

PA / NJ / NY:
Applebee's
Arts on the Avenue *
Barnes & Noble
Bitter End
Blue Monkey
Carney’s Other Room
Cedar Crest College
Chaplin's Music Cafe
Crocodile Rock
Crossroads Coffee House *
Doc Watson’s
Fergie’s Pub
Fig Cafe & Hookah Lounge *
First Friday Doylestown *
Grape Street Pub
Gryphon Cafe *
Hard Rock Cafe Philadelphia
Hometown Heroes
Infusion Cafe *
The Irish Pol
Java Lounge *
KatManDu *
LOVE Park *
McCoole’s Arts & Events Center
The Meadows
Regency Cafe *
Triumph Brewing Company *
Wildflower Cafe *
World Cafe Live

Tennessee:
Lakewood Country Club (opened for Hal Ketchum)

* We currently have, or have had, residencies or recurring gigs at these venues.

Festivals:
2nd Annual Fetzer Fest | 2009
State Fair of Texas | 2008
Dewey Beach Music Festival | 2008
Utica Music Festival | 2008
Cape May Singer/Songwriter Festival | 2008
Millennium Music Conference | 2008
Fairmount Arts Crawl | 2008
Independent Music Conference | 2007

Radio Airplay:
WXPN 88.5 FM Philadelphia | www.xpn.org
WSTW 93.7 FM Delaware | www.wstw.com
The Acoustic Diner | coolvibesradio.podomatic.com
The O List on RadioVolta | www.voltaradio.com
The Owl’s Roost on RadioVolta | www.voltaradio.com
Best Unheard Music | www.live365.com/stations/unheardmusic
Women of Substance Radio | www.live365.com/stations/breenoble
Acoustic Philly | acousticphilly.podbean.com

Member of:
ASCAP
GoGirlsMusic
The Philadelphia Songwriters Project
Songsalive!

Affiliated with:
Musicians On Call
LIFEbeat – The Music Industry Fights Aids

Instrumentation

Karen Jones - vocals, harmonies, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Amy Jones - vocals, harmonies, acoustic guitar

Discography

Debut CD "Daphne in Winter" released July 2009. Actively looking for album reviews - free CD for reviewers available upon request.

Other Recordings:
GoGirlsMusic 2008 Compilation CD – release date Oct 2008
George’s Music 30th Anniversary Compilation CD – release date Apr 2008
2008 Philly Love Compilation (Jar Records) - release date Feb 2008
Chill Out: East Coast Edition (Quickstar Productions) - release date Jan 2008

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• YouTube

Audio

• Rain (acoustic mix 2008)
  Listen  
• Right Turn (2009)
  Listen  
• Strange Lullaby (2009)
  Listen  
• Ride (2009)
  Listen  
• Cover Me (2009)
  Listen  
• The Years (2009)
  Listen  
• The Things That He Breaks (2009)
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Rain
• Right Turn
• Strange Lullaby
• Ride
• Cover Me
• The Years
• The Things That He Breaks

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• "The vocal harmonies are angelic...4 out of 5 stars." [+ Show ]
  

  November 25, 2009 Sisters Karen and Amy Jones sound like a cross between Anne and Nancy Wilson of...November 25, 2009
  
  Sisters Karen and Amy Jones sound like a cross between Anne and Nancy Wilson of Heart and The Indigo Girls. Eschewing traditional folk music, the Philadelphia sisters create highly artistic acoustic Rock music that not only appeals musically but also makes listeners think. Playing together since 2006, Karen and Amy have already been featured on four national compilations, and have received airplay on stations such as Delaware's WSTW and Philadelphia's WXPN. The duo released their debut album Daphne in Winter in July 2009 and are planning an East Coast US tour in support.
  
  Daphne in Winter opens with Right Turn, perhaps one of the most stylistic and refined kiss off Pop/Rock songs of 2009. Right Turn focuses on a woman finding herself in the midst of the life she'd fallen into. It's a song of empowerment and is rendered eloquently beautiful by the mesmerizing voices of Karen and Amy Jones. Strange Lullaby is incredibly lush, sounding like something that might come out of a Sarah McLachlan session. The vocal harmonies are angelic. The Jones' get a bit more attitude on Ride, exploring the excitement of a relationship with a "bad boy". The funky arrangement is a great listen, and the vocal harmonies are, as always, exquisite. Brittle Creatures introduces a much darker tone in a bleak but compelling musical arrangement where the vocal line is almost in conflict with its surroundings. This is perhaps meant to be symbolic and borders on disturbing but is highly compelling.
  
  The Years find [them] moving more firmly into the Rock realm with a gentle tune that shows off their voices but seems a bit flat energy-wise. They recover nicely on The Things That He Breaks, an emotionally charged and powerful musical stand that's going to strike chords with anyone who's ever been a victim of domestic violence or abuse (physically or otherwise). The melody here is highly memorable, particularly in the chorus, and the harmonies as good as they've been throughout the album. The Jones' close out with Winter Boy, a mellow Folk-Rocker worth sticking around for. The focus here is the intertwining of the sisters' voices, creating an ethereal and temperate vocal tableau.
  
  Karen and Amy Jones obviously have a bond that most artists never achieve, and they use it in full measure on Daphne in Winter. Not everything works here, but the harmonies are consistently far beyond the norm. The songwriting in general is quite strong, although there is a bit of a fall-off on the second half of the CD. Even the less exceptional material sounds brilliant when both sisters are singing. If Karen and Amy Jones come to a town near you, make sure to check out the show. In the meantime, put Daphne in Winter on your list of CDs to check out.
  
  Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
  
  You can learn more about Karen and Amy Jones at http://www.karenandamyrock.com/ or www.myspace.com/karenandamyrock. You can purchase Daphne in Winter directly from the band on CD. Downloads are available through most major download sites, including Amazon.com and iTunes.

• "Karen & Amy have been compared to Ann and Nancy Wilson and the Indigo Girls, but are clearly forging their own path as a congruous force with all tools to conquer triple-A radio and beyond." [+ Show ]
  

  "Philly-based duo Karen & Amy Jones may be classically trained operatic vocalists, but their melodic..."Philly-based duo Karen & Amy Jones may be classically trained operatic vocalists, but their melodic connection on debut eight-track album “Daphne in Winter,” released earlier this year, personifies the sister act’s cool, confessional acoustic savvy, with wholesome dedication to harmonies that can only be conjured through a lifetime of fellowship. Songs like “Ride,” written by Karen, demonstrate storytelling acumen, alongside a chug-along guitar-driven beat, as they lament: “You’re rotten to the core, it only made me want you more/And so I ride along with you,” with a deceptively sunny sing-a-long chorus. Up-tempo “The Years,” written by Amy, shares another lesson, with its universal foreboding message of anguish: “Like a whispered prayer begging for exile/These games that you play shatter me”; while album opener “Right Turn,” likewise, grants strength through adversity, as the sisters assure, “Good luck, good riddance, hold on to your sadness, it makes you different/Keep your distance, you’re over the line.” Audience favorite “Rain,” about an ill-fated love affair, delivers yet another clear-cut crisp vocal with strumming strings filling the instrumental landscape with lustrous beauty. Karen & Amy have been compared to Ann and Nancy Wilson and the Indigo Girls, but are clearly forging their own path as a congruous force with all tools to conquer triple-A radio and beyond."

• "...a rare and sure to rise musical duo." [+ Show ]
  

  "Exceptional songwriting, solid...acoustic guitar over beautiful vocals. This is a rare and sure to ..."Exceptional songwriting, solid...acoustic guitar over beautiful vocals. This is a rare and sure to rise musical duo."

• "...intense performances and a great vocal blend of tight harmonies." [+ Show ]
  

  "They've got a connection that makes for intense performances and a great vocal blend of tight harmo..."They've got a connection that makes for intense performances and a great vocal blend of tight harmonies."

• "...beautiful voices and haunting harmonies..." [+ Show ]
  

  "Karen and Amy have beautiful voices and haunting harmonies that blend in a way only sisters can hop..."Karen and Amy have beautiful voices and haunting harmonies that blend in a way only sisters can hope to attain."

• Finalists Two Years in a Row in Philadelphia Songwriters Project Songwriting Contest [+ Show ]
  

  Karen and Amy were selected as Top 12 finalists two years in a row in the Philadelphia Songwriters P...Karen and Amy were selected as Top 12 finalists two years in a row in the Philadelphia Songwriters Project Songwriting Contest (2008 and 2009).

• "Rain" among Top 10 favorite songs of 2008 [+ Show ]
  

  “Rain” was among the Top 10 favorite songs of 2008, as voted on by listeners of the Acoustic Diner R...“Rain” was among the Top 10 favorite songs of 2008, as voted on by listeners of the Acoustic Diner Radio Program.

• "Spend A Little Time" Top 10 finalist in Songwriting Contest [+ Show ]
  

  "Spend A Little Time" was a Top 10 finalist in George's Music 30th Anniversary Songwriting Contest (..."Spend A Little Time" was a Top 10 finalist in George's Music 30th Anniversary Songwriting Contest (2008) and was included on the George's Music 30th Anniversary Compilation CD.

• Karen and Amy nominated for 9 Lehigh Valley Music Awards [+ Show ]
  

  2008 - Nominated for Best Duo, Best Female Vocalists, and Best Band Website 2007 - Nominated for ...2008 - Nominated for Best Duo, Best Female Vocalists, and Best Band Website
  
  2007 - Nominated for Best Duo, Best Female Vocalists, and Best Band Website
  
  2006 - Nominated for Best Duo, Best Female Vocalists, and Best New Band

Setlist

We currently have over 25 original acoustic rock songs and are very willing to open for more established artists and play in-the-round with other up-and-coming artists. Our overall sound is on the mellow side of rock (think Tori Amos, Liz Phair, Alice in Chains, U2, etc.)

We prefer to perform our original material, but will play covers at venue's request. Covers include songs by the following artists:

Alanis Morrisette
Alice in Chains
Annie Lennox
Band of Horses
Billy Idol
Bobaflex
Chris Isaak
Cranberries
Dave Matthews Band
Evanescence
Fleetwood Mac
Green Day
Janis Joplin
Jewel
Jimi Hendrix
John Lennon
KT Tunstall
Led Zeppelin
Live
Muse
Neil Young
Nine Inch Nails
Nirvana
Oasis
Paramore
Pearl Jam
Peter Gabriel
Pink Floyd
Rolling Stones
Sarah McLachlin
Simon & Garfunkel
Smashing Pumpkins
Sting
The Cure
The Indigo Girls
The Who
Tom Petty
Tori Amos
U2
…and more!

Basic Requirements

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