Stacy Jones – Jefferson Way
ARTIST NAME: Stacy Jones
SONG TITLE: Jefferson Way
ALBUM TITLE: World on Fire
RELEASE DATE: 4/08/2022
GENRE: Rock/ Blues Rock
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Stacy Jones is no stranger to success. She has been nominated multiple times for “Best of the Blues” awards in songwriting, performance, harmonica, and guitar. She and the band have won the 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018 Best Band Award, plus a dozen other “Best of the Blues” awards, from the Washington Blues Society including Best Female Vocalist, Blues Harmonica, Blues Songwriter and the 2018 NW Recording of the Year for her album Love Is Everywhere.
In 2017 she was accepted in the first round of Grammy Voting for “Best Contemporary Blues Album” and “Best Americana Song” and was chosen to represent the South Sound Blues Association as the entrant for the 2018 Best Self-produced CD Competition at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis TN. She has also charted on Roots Radio Report Top 40.
A dynamic performer and expressive vocalist, Stacy has taken the stage at the Chicago Blues Festival, SXSW, juke joints in Mississippi, riverboats in California, headlined festivals, toured Europe and shared stages with ZZ Top, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, Lee Oskar, and many other legends.
Their music has been described as “A Whiskey & Water Baptism that lace Blues and Rock edges.” “With her feet firmly planted in roots-based music, Stacy Jones pays homage to the blues but experiments by mixing in some mild-Americana and subtle country licks. Dynamic vocals fuelled by powerful lyrics.” “The rolling thunder blues of Howlin’ Wolf mixed with the honesty of Lucinda Williams.
LYRICS:
There’s a whole lotta
Crying on Jefferson Way
Maybe we should get together
And we can cry all night and day
I hear you crying
I feel like crying too
Maybe we should get together
And cry just me and you
Sound and Style Development: By studying the masters and then just doing my thing.
Frequent Release of Songs: It’s kind of all over the map today, You have people making music pre fab with computers and then you have people really taking time to study the real instruments and real authentic styles and a lot of mash ups, generally we are lucky as artists to be able to get our music out to the fans without the gatekeepers.
Musical Experience: I started on piano at four years old. My dad always had bands and we always had music around the house and up at the cabin so I picked up anything I could find to play and just jumped in. I sang in choir and studied classical voice and theatre in school and went to all ages’ blues jams where I was mentored by some of the best players in Seattle. I began playing harmonica at 16. My dad made a bet with me that if I learned how to play the Little Walter tune “Juke,” he would fix my Scout truck, and so I did in a week. That is one of the reasons after 20 years of leading my own band we had to finally record the track for the new album. And for 20 years I have been trying to do my music my way, something that is not always easy to do, especially for women in this business.
Goals: To keep making great music. I am so excited for folks to hear this new record. Probably our best and some of the best songwriting. I hope it takes us to another level.
Best Song: I am proud of the whole album, but the track George Stinney is the one. A real achievement in songwriting and recording. So very pertinent right now in the world. The true story of a young black boy who was put to death on the electric chair and was quoted crying for his mama just like George Floyd. Same story of a little boy or a grown man, when faced with death at the hands of an oppressor.
I saw a documentary about Stinney and was inspired to tell his story.
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Changes: It’s a DIY world. We have to do everything ourselves and there is even less money than before. Not to say there isn’t opportunity, but you have to hustle to get anything.
Playing the Same Songs: Well that says it all really… The status quo seems to rule. And television is all about how you look, not how you sound or if you can actually play a half dozen instruments and write your own songs like me. Luckily for Blues and Roots musicians we have access to airplay via public radio stations and internet stations and podcasts. We’ve gotten a ton of airplay on Blues shows. When we toured Europe, fans showed up because they had been hearing the music on the radio for years and were excited to see us live. It still happens, if a local DJ plays your song and announces your show people go out. The DJ’s always need fresh songs to play, you just got to get them the album.
Challenges: Like I said “doing all ourselves.” We do it all and trying to have any kind of life is the challenge, as there just isn’t enough time.
Social Media: Well it’s a double edged sword. You have to do it… you have to promote, but people feel they own you, and want to get into your personal life. It’s great to have an outlet to reach fans but stalkers are scary.
Music Career: I started when I was a kid and studied music and theatre in school. I have a degree in theatre arts from UW. I started my own band in 2003. It’s gone through a bunch of changes. I have recorded nine albums, toured Europe twice. I am a Lee Oskar Harmonicas endorsed artist. I have won a dozen “Best of the Blues Awards” from the Washington Blues Society and an Independent Music Association Award for Songwriting in 2016.
Motivation: I just love it. I need to keep playing. The last two years with the shutdown were so tough. We all realized how much we need to perform live in front of people in the same room. We did the live stream video and kept us going but that interaction with people in the audience is everything.
Process: It was built off a jam and improvised vocals from our live stream shows.
Artist’s Name: Stacy Jones is my real name.
Song’s Title: “Jefferson Way” is where I live. I was outside and I heard a baby crying, and I wasn’t sure if it was my son or a neighbour’s kid, but there was “a whole lotta crying going on.” Jeff had this great blues riff on slide guitar and I just remembered that moment and improvised the lyric until I got it to stick. It was one of the last tracks recorded for the album and it was brand new so it has that spontaneous energy.