Jones Street Boys, Pianos, NYC. April 26, 2008.
After finally catching Jones Street Boys one freezing winter evening at Mercury Lounge just prior to seeing Cloverfield, as they warmed our hearts even with songs like “Winter’s Waltz” (I think that was the name), I couldn’t think of anything more enjoyable than catching them at Pianos in the Spring. Sadly, I wasnt able to do that on Saturday, but our good friend Shruti Ganguly was. Here’s her report:
[read the review after the jump]
Last night I got intoxicated — On the Jones Street Boys (…and too many glasses of Veuve). If you’re not familiar with the band, the Jones Street Boys is a group of five super talented multi-instrument playing, handsome facial hair-donning guys who play Americana + Rock + Bluegrass tunes. They’re like The Band with some Stones and Bill Monroe essentially.
I watched them perform at Pianos, past midnight. The room was super crowded, groupies hovered nearby and some thigh-slapping, foot-stomping (sweaty) dancing occurred during favorites like Last Time and Fly-over State. Four out of the five band members - Jon Hull, Danny Erker, Sam Rockwell, and Walter Walls - hail
from various Midwestern states (from Ohio to Illinois), while keyboard player Jonathan Benedict is a Princeton, NJ native.
Whether you’re looking at Sam the drummer’s hilarious expressions or wondering about Jon Hull’s harmonica belt, the harmonies and musicianship of the band is
impressive - And they command a range of emotions when they sing. Their signature song Tall Buildings (which is always performed at the end of their set - off
mike) achieved pin-drop silence - and words like “Cut off my hair, going to work in tall buildings” resonated with every working New Yorker in the room.
It’s hard to pick my favorites because each song is so different…Maybe Slow Lights and Evergreen.
