New Zealand-born, Texas-bred and California-beckoned Austin Leonard Jones (solo) has moseyed his way through all shades of lo-fi music, pop and otherwise, but on his latest album — Dead Calm (Perpetual Doom 2022) — he fully commits to authentic jukebox honky-tonk.
With woebegone vocals up-front, Flying Burrito Brothers-esque backing, high lonesome pedal steel hovering above, and the occasional bright spots of sonic color, Jones and producer Jesse Woods have crafted a classic western movie of an album. Taut lyrics sketch out the songwriting protagonist as uncertain leader, puzzled outsider, and, ultimately, a pure artist confronting middle age on his own terms. Captured in old-style tape warmth and with Panavision storytelling setting the mood, Dead Calm is your new favorite summer blockbuster.
Jones releases his latest album, Famous Times, on November 5, 2024.
Cooper Kenward (full band) writes warm feel-good-even-if-you-feel-bad songs. Hailing from a small town in Northern California, he explores the odd backroads of the heart. He has a mix of songs that could be blasted from a barn, giggled from a ferris wheel, or hummed in a rainstorm. By day, Kenward makes films. Some say that's why his ballads smack of vivid details. He honed his skills playing in the infamous garage band Nature's Vegas in San Francisco, and now resides in LA with his pitbull Bonnie Raitt A
Eliot Eidelman (solo) and Rowan Newby (full band) on as well.
