100 Bands in 100 Days Presented by Verity Credit Union — Day 14: Stacy Jones Band

Please check out Verity Credit Union, our great partner in the 100 Bands in 100 Days local music showcase.

Music fans of the Pacific Northwest, get ready for our fourth annual year-end daily local music showcase, 100 Bands in 100 Days, where every day until December 31st, we’re showcasing a new band or artist you have to know about, presented by Verity Credit Union. Make sure you are checking the #100Bands100Days hashtag at Twitter on the daily to stay on top of all the bands featured and make sure to follow Verity on Twitter and NW_Music_Scene as well. Some days the featured act could be an established and locally-adored northwest-based musician and other times they could be a band with a small following that just hasn’t had their deserved time in the sun yet. Either way, we’re fairly confident you can come away from this daily segment with plenty of new favorites. Today’s featured artist is the Stacy Jones Band.  

Back in July of this year we reviewed the latest offering from one of the northwest’s favorite roots acts, The Stacy Jones Band. While they collect plenty of accolades as a blues band, they also do a great job of tossing the blues, Americana, a dash of country and southern rock in a blender, creating their own unique spin on roots-based music.

Here’s some of what we said about the album in the review:

We were quite anxious to take Jones’ new album for a test drive and were not disappointed. The self-issued Love Is Everywhere contains 11 tasty tracks and has a running time of about 43 minutes. Personnel are guitarist Jeff Menteer, drummer Rick J Bowen and her dad Tom Jones on bass. Recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle, produced by Jones, and engineered by Floyd Reitsma (Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews), the mix and sound quality are right there in the sweet spot. The recording setting is described as “live-off-the-floor” and that lends itself very well to the ambiance of the album.

First time through, this album pasted a smile on our face and it stayed there. We were taken back to a time when music was simple, honest, and so good it carried us away. The songs here have an almost garage band rockabilly-ish vibe. The hooks are strong and catchy, and Jones’ vocals remind us of Sarah Shook (and that’s awesome). The band is on the money with playing that is loose but never careless.

Our favorite cuts included “Wait For Heaven,” with its garage band atmospherics that remind us of an afternoon spent with a Delbert McClinton album. We marveled at the punkish country stylings of “Can’t Find Love.” Guests Mike Maring (sax and flute) and Sean Denton on guitar add depth to the cozy mix of acoustic and electric aspects of “Can’t You Be Mine.” “I Fell In Love” should be out as a single; it’s off the hook. Another possible single, the title track “Love Is Everywhere” is playfully slow and Jones’ perfect vocal had an air of Sheryl Crow about it. The album closes with the acoustic flavored romp “On My Way.”