Jon Felton's Soulmobile

Jon Felton and Soulmobile closed the evening. From the left: that's Adam on trombone, egg shaker, and trombone case; next is Elizabeth on cello- like the others, friendly and warm, she understood my hesitancy to let a blanket of mine, made for me by a former student's mother, to go with them to Tennessee (in the end her understanding led me to give them the blanket); then there's Jon- a magnetic person and performer whom I've known for about eight years and whom I credit with having brought a public tenderness to the male population of Frostburg that didn't exist before he arrived- he's the captain of the Soulmobile and is an excellent, if sometimes reluctant driver; BJ is the multi-instrumentalist in the band- he plays nearly every instrument and plays them all very well- he sings, and is quick-witted, and as is rare, his quick wit is sweet rather than acid. Todd, another multi-instrumentalist who is in (at least) four bands these days- Todd is the person everyone calls when they need help- he could be a session musician and maybe that will happen someday; Lin~Z plays the tambourine, the mandolin, has lots of piercings, and an insouciance that is betrayed by her beautiful, punk-rock soprano.

The night felt as much like an evening around the campfire as it looks.
- Annabelle's Aspirin, Richmond, VA

It's not often a band drives from Frostburg, Maryland to Wheaton College in Chicago to play a one-night concert. This one did. A friend of mine said that I should go. Reluctantly, I did, and was surprised to hear the most unique, refreshing, fun, prophetic and musical group I had ever heard.

The band: Jon Felton's Soulmobile, a unique indie acoustic fusion of folk, rock, bluegrass, gospel, and catchy storytelling. The band features Jon, who plays guitar, sings, and plays drums with his feet on pedals all at the same time, accompanied by the “Soulmobile,” five other friends who play ukulele, guitar, congas, harmonica, trumpet, piano, pedal-organ, trombone, screaming, trombone case, cello, and sundry catcalls and hand percussion. I was entranced not only with the music and the lyrics, but also with the band members whose genuineness and heart caught me by surprise. We got a chance to talk after the concert and I told myself, “I want to do whatever I can to help this band keep spreading their music and their good news.”

To make a long story short, we agreed that I would fly out to Frostburg, Maryland to record their new music. When I arrived, we begged, bought and borrowed enough sound equipment to put together a ramshackle recording studio in Jon’s living room and dining room. My control room was an old alcove with a mattress leaned across the doorway for soundproofing.

We recorded 23 entire songs in 7 days: A minor miracle, really; and some of the most fun I've had in my entire life. The new album is called All Creation Sings, and I highly recommend it.
- B. Washam, Caveman Productions