JJ Jones
PERFORMS WITH: Girlyman
About the Artist
"Simply one of the best drummers I’ve ever seen." Americana Gazette"One big bodily flow of stops and starts, while flawlessly keeping the rhythm. Truly fascinating to see." WoNo Magazine
"Kinetically-charged . . . intensely focused on every percussive stroke . . . JJ Jones' delightfully fastidious drumming [is] the secret ingredient." WhisperinandHollerin.com
A "folk" drummer? Is there such a thing? Meet JJ Jones. JJ combines a classic-rock background with acoustic singer/songwriter music. The result is a unique fusion of rock and folk drumming. Imagine if Keith Moon played with the Mamas and the Papas on a jazz kit using brushes, and you'll start to get a sense of her style. Dynamic, fluid, and graceful, she often appears to be dancing on the drum set. Musical, articulate, and sensitive, she's plays to the nuances of the vocals and rhythm guitar rather than to the bass alone. Her most common comment from fans is: "I love to watch you play!" The Americana Gazette says this about JJ: "She mesmerized [us] that night as she flew deftly across the spectrum of bass, snare and cymbals with impeccable skill. She’s simply one of the best drummers I’ve ever seen, one of the few who uses every percussive surface to maximum advantage."
JJ started playing drums when she was 14 and joined her first band during her sophomore year at a high school for the arts in Seattle. While getting a degree in cognitive neuroscience in college, she was given her first full drum set, a vintage 1979 Gretsch Stop-Sign Badge kit. Doing brain research later at the University of Wisconsin, she performed in alternative and power-pop bands, co-wrote, produced & arranged, and played lead guitar in acoustic projects. Ultimately, her long-standing love of music by artists like Indigo Girls, Shawn Colvin, and Sarah McLachlan, lead her to play drums for solo singer/songwriters and it was here that she started to be known for her signature niche and style. JJ attended the Rocky Mountain Song School, eventually joining the faculty and functioning as the house drummer. She played with numerous solo and duo acoustic singer/songwriters, recorded for studio sessions, and acted as house drummer at both the National Women's Music Festival and the Red Rock Women's Festival, playing with 6 different acts at both events. Finally in 2009, JJ joined Canadian roots band Po' Girl, touring extensively through the US, Canada, UK, and Netherlands. In 2010, she joined folk-pop band Girlyman and found true love. Girlyman has an international career and legions of "Girlyfans" who often travel hundreds of miles to see the band. After touring with folk icons Indigo Girls and Dar Williams, and being signed to Indigo Girl Amy Ray's record label, they now regularly sell out 400-seat venues in NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington DC, and play world-renowned folk festivals such as Falcon Ridge, Kerrville, Philadelphia, Winnepeg, and the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest. JJ says, "Joining Girlyman, I've spent time with some of my favorite people while traveling the world and playing amazing music. It's been a dream come true."
