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The Bones of JR Jones

The Bones of J.R. Jones
On a recent trip to Southern California, Jonathon Linaberry did the one thing he knows best: he wrote music. That it happened to be during his honeymoon mattered little to the New York-based musician. I feel like Im always writing, the artist who performs as The Bones of J.R. Jones says with a laugh. I feel ever more confident in the sound Im trying to create.

The Bones of J.R. Jones latest album, Spirits Furnace, a crisp nine-track effort that bubbles with barroom dust and hard-won wisdom, finds the musician expanding the scope of his musical vision while stripping away the excess. Im a little clearer on the message that Im trying to put out into the world, says the singer who has effectively blurred the line between his own life and The Bones J.R. Jones character.

What has continued to define The Bones of J.R. Jones is the musicians hypnotic live show. He operates as a one-man band playing guitar, drums, and singing in unison, creating the feeling of a raucous blues band with more immediacy. Anytime I think about my live show I try to view it from one of my audience members perspective, he concludes. I do a lot up there. I cover a lot of ground sonically. Im trying to give myself room to grow.
With his swampy, finger-plucked guitar leads, weary voice and little else, Linaberrys burn-barrel serenades aim to create a spark in hobo and bank manager alike. Chris Parton, CMT Edge