The moment the band broke into their first song for soundcheck, I knew it was going to be an outstanding show.
LA-based Contemporary blues/rock, Dennis Jones Band, was at the legendary Coach House in San Juan Capistrano to perform a Livestream concert, presented by Alert the Globe.
Dennis Jones has successfully been performing, writing and recording for well over a decade. In 2004 Jones won the International Blues Competition in Memphis, TN as a member of Zac Harmon’s band. Since 2003 he has released six well -received albums. His most recent WE3, a live album released in 2018, peaked at #3 on the Roots Music Report. In 2012 Jones had the honor to present the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award.
At The Coach House, waiting for the concert to start, it felt surreal with no typical concert audience, just an audio engineer, a few production people and, a couple of us from BackStage360. When the two- minute countdown began, the concert hall became eerily quiet. At 6:30, the virtual concert went live.
The band kicked off the show with Dave Thompson’s “You Took My Baby,” featured on their 4th album, My Kinda Blues. The Texas bluesy rhythm of the song, grabbed my attention with its punchy vibe. I was immediately impressed with Jones’s aggressive yet refined guitar style. His fretwork possessed an intensity and dynamic fluidity that reminded me a little of bluesman, Walter Trout. His vocal delivery was soulful with just enough grit to bring emotion and honest expression to the song. The band’s rhythm section was equally dynamic and talented. Bass player Cornelius “Corney” Mims was walking his five- string with authority and finesse, while, Raymond Johnson showed off his chops on the drums.
Seamlessly, they moved into the next song, “Big Black Cat,” off their 1st Album, Falling Up. A very strutting blues rock song with a resonating hook. I actually started singing along with the chorus about half way through the music. They followed up with a cover of “All Your Love” (I Miss Loving) by Otis Rush. It had that west side Chicago blues sound of the original, but the band added a bit of their flavor, resulting in a rousing yet evocative rendition.
Later the band smoothed out the vibe with their song “I’m Not.” A slow earthy blues tune. The guitar bends and slow slides, coupled with Jones’s smooth, baritone vocals gave the song a sexy attitude. The end of the song climaxed with a blistering guitar solo that screamed with raw emotion.
Another song off their 4th album, “I Can’t Stop,” brought the energy up higher, shifting to an up- tempo rock and roll sound. The song “Better Than Him, “off the 5th LP titled Both Sides of the Track, had a jazzy blues flavor. It’s easy to see, this band is more than just a straight blues ensemble.
I was captivated by the band’s cover of Funkadelics instrumental “Maggot Brain.” Jones delivered an exquisite performance. His guitar phrasing was stunningly expressive, encompassing both beauty and sadness at the same time.
Jones pulled out his Les Paul for their last song, “Kill the Pain,” from their 3rd album, Pleasure and Pain. A song about addiction with cleverly thought out lyrics. The vocal and guitar phrasing coupled with the rhythmic complexity, brought a Hendrix feel to the music.
Time seemed to stand still for the entire hour and a half concert. These guys definitely know how to rock the blues, bringing some funk and jazz along, adding musical color and diversity to their style. Not only is Dennis Jones’s guitar playing filled with depth, sensitivity, and maturity, but his song craft is as well. He has the ability to choose the perfect notes to capture the emotion and the lyrical expression of the song. The Dennis Jones Band is much more than just a straight blues ensemble and definitely worth checking out.
BackStage360 was able to catch an interview with Dennis before the show. I also had a chance after the show for a one on one conversation with him. He shared a little about his musical journey, influences and songwriting. Dennis started playing the guitar at 13 years old and joined his first band when he was around 16. Born and raised in the small country town of Monkton, Maryland, Dennis explained that Friday nights the kids would all go to the barn. “We would have three drummers, four bass players, and a ton of guitar players… and one bottle of whiskey.”
When asked about his influences, he had a diverse list of artists from Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, to Al Green, James Brown and Mahalia Jackson. “I have so many different influences; I like to put them all out there.” Dennis added that he is not a one- dimensional person, and his albums are never straight blues.
For many years Dennis has been playing and touring, but eight years ago, after being laid off from a job, he decided to dedicate himself solely to his music full time. Recently he was scheduled for an upcoming tour in Australia, Italy and several other countries. Unfortunately, the tour was cancelled because of the pandemic. Dennis spoke, specifically about how the pandemic has affected him as an artist. “The interesting thing about the universe, to me, is I was writing a lot of stuff around the end of last year…that relates to exactly what’s going on now and, I think a lot of artists probably tuned into that, so the songs that I’m doing, a few of them, are definitely the times now.” Dennis also explained how difficult it has been not being able to tour. He described it, saying, “It’s like when you’re a sprinter, and someone cuts your leg off.” What keeps him on track, he pointed out, is that he knows many people who are in situations that are much worse. Recently he did a benefit for LA food bank and was able to help raise $1,000 for those struggling at this time.
Dennis is making the best of the down time. Currently, he is in the studio recording a new album that he hopes to release around October or November this year. A single off the album titled, “Like Sheep” is scheduled to be released by early September. The Dennis Jones Band has another live stream show appearance in the works at Harrell’s in Santa Monica. There is no specific date yet for the show, but I’ll be keeping an eye out for it. You can also check out the band by visiting DennisJonesCentral.com as well as Facebook and YouTube.
For die- hard live music fanatics like me, Live Stream shows can help to fill the void. Thank you, Alert The Globe for all your hard work putting the music out there, and thank you to the venues like the Coach House for hosting and being part of the live music sharing.
Jen B / BackStage360
WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH DENNIS: