Jon And The Jones

Jon Moodie is a talent as large, subtle and complex as I have
encountered, with a voice as soulful as his melodies are haunting, and
lyrics that speak as movingly of sorrow as of love, of bitter regret
as of transcendent joy. In Jon Moodie, I believe may be found a
talent that could well come to define a generation. - Drew Hopkins, Former Managing Editor "Spin" and "Interview"

Thanks to a few top secret connections, I was recently lucky enough to snag a first listen at a very promising new NY based singer-songwriter, Jon Moodie. Armed only with a guitar and a powerful, enchanting voice, Moodie is a genre-bending storyteller poised to make some serious waves. Equal parts blues, rock, indie, and even reggae, Moodie takes the notion of the folksy singer-songwriter and turns it on its head– and then some.

Moodie, an extremely prolific songwriter, is many things; first and foremost, however, he is honest. He gives everything he’s got when he’s singing, and the result is a raw– yet never overpowering– emotional experience. Each song is a journey that the listener will be only too eager to take. When he sings, “let’s feel alive tonight,” you can’t help but think that you would feel whatever it is that Moodie wanted you to.

Despite his power, there is a gentleness to Moodie’s songs that make them all too appealing. His flow is soft and magnetic, carrying the listener on an adventure that is both familiar and oftentimes unexpected. There is comfort in the rise and falls of his voice, reminiscent of the best vintage blues. Moodie may be paving the path to super stardom, but his organic, profound simplicity is making the journey all too easy. - Lo Dibz

This is what appears at the top of the website for Jon and the Jones:

“Jones: verb (jonesing); noun (a jones); proper noun (the Jones or Joneses).
Describes a state in which one experiences strong desire or attraction,? often of a sexual nature. Also used to describe an ideal family or group – the ones who set the bar, the ones to emulate.
e.g: 1. She’s been jonesin’ him for months and he’s got a major jones for her. 2. It’s hard to keep up with the Jones’.?????????????“

It’s a truly wonderful thing when three separate individual talents come together, and that’s what Jon and the Jones is, not to mention, the definition above describes the band perfectly.

Jon Moodie (vocals/guitar) came to NYC to take a break before he started Grad School, and then music happened. Helen Destroy (drums/vocals) is one of the founding members of Lez Zeppelin, a New York City based, all-female Led Zeppelin cover band that has toured nationally and internationally. Brian Stanley (bass/vocals), has recorded, toured and played on television, with a list of musicians so long, I couldn’t possibly put them all here for you. Here’s a short list: The Beach Boys, Bryan Adams, Styx front-man, Tommy Shaw, and most recently, Garland Jeffereys. While with Garland, he had the opportunity to open for Bruce Springsteen and the late Levon Helm.

Needless to say, their qualifications speak for themselves. But what’s most important is the music, and It. Is. Fantastic. Moodie’s raspy voice is hard to miss, blended with smooth jazz and pop sounding music, it’s so much more than either of those genres, but to call it rock or even rock and roll, is still oversimplifying their greatness.

If your favourite classic rock bands were making music now, after growing up listening to themselves, this is what they would sound like. Having played their first show together not even a month ago, I can already tell this band is going places, big places. You can find their five song demo on both their website and on SoundCloud, and keep a lookout for a full length album to come out later this year. Check out this live performance of their song “Comin’ Down” and a rehearsal video of “Saturday Night” below. - Indie Music Machine