Jason Terry goes back to his roots

COUNTRY artist Jason Terry has taken something of a new direction with his latest single If You Don't Like This.

Jason, from East Tennessee, said: "When I decided to go back into the studio to release the new single, I wanted to truly represent my country roots and connect with people that are just like me … hard working country folks that like to sling mud, crank up country music, and are proud of where they come from. 

"When people that didn’t grow up or aren’t living in the country listen to the song, I hope that it paints a picture of how we live."

Jason was raised on country music and always dreamed of pursuing a career as a singer/songwriter.

He released a self-produced Christian/inspirational album entitled The Way in 2008 and then set his sights on Nashville and making himself a name on the country music scene.

"I was raised on country music and that is what feels natural to me," he said. "I am very excited about what the future holds and I'm ready to hang on tight and enjoy this crazy ride! I have been fortunate enough to share the stage with some of Nashville's most talented singers and songwriters.”

Jason's debut EP Where I Belong in 2011 showed his diversity in the genre from the traditional ballad Where I Belong to the rocking What Makes Me Whole.

Now he is taking another approach. He said: "It's been a long, crazy road to get to where I am today and it is just the beginning."

You can find out more about Jason at http://www.jasonterrymusic.com/ and you can view the video to If You Don't Like This below.

New video from Banks

THIS is the video for Warm Water, the new single from Banks released last week.

It follows quickly on the heels of the LA-based electronic singer-songwriter's first release, which featured the tracks Before I Ever Met You and Fall Over.

The tracks quickly attracted heavy airplay online and across BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra in the UK.
 
Warm Water is produced by UK electronic pop prodigy Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs who made a name with acclaimed debut album Trouble.

Buy the single here - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/warm-water-single/id641823481

Fight The Lion Q&A

Your name: 

Jake Mimikos.

Where are you from? 

Northern Virginia, USA.

Name of band:

Fight the Lion. 

Who else is in your band? 

Shawn Battle, Ron Cruz, Josh Papreck.

How would you describe yourselves? 

Four maniacs who are crazy about music. 

Who are your main influences musically? 

We each have our own influences which helps create our unique sound. For myself I was huge into the 80's and 90's bands from Pearl Jam to Aerosmith. Ron is a huge Van Halen fan and it comes across huge in our music. Josh is a funky bass jammin dude and we don't even know how to describe the music he listens to (it's CRAZY). Shawn is a huge Tommy Lee fan (he has a man crush). 

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

As long as we can continue writing, recording, and performing I think we would all be happy about that however it happens. ALTHOUGH, it would be a dream come true to be able to go on a huge tour, travel the world, and perform on some big stages. We also would like to continue getting better and better with each new release. As we continue to write new music we can already see progress is being made. 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

We've had a couple of highlights so far in our career as Fight the Lion. The release of our first album When the Mighty Fall was huge for us. Once our sponsor Jagermeister heard it they set us up to open for Disturbed, Halestorm, Stone Sour, and Avenged Sevenfold. After that we ended up opening for Buckcherry too! That was a great year in 2010. We are trying to keep the momentum alive this year by putting out and even better album and playing some even bigger shows. 

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

Well, we've been pretty lucky so far, but there are a few moments that I can say we'd all like to forget. Some of the tours that we put on ourselves where we travelled for hours and hours at a time to play in front of the other bands are never fun. (Not to say we didn't rock the hell out though!) On the flip side, it makes it all worth it when we play a show the next day in front of hundreds of fans. 

If you could choose just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

Right now I would have to say our song 'Fire it Up!' really sums us up as a band. It's a high energy fists in the air kind of song with great melodies. I'd say that is mostly what we go for style wise. It's one of those songs that hits you right away after one listen. 

Where can we listen to it? 

www.facebook.com/fightthelion (check our band page) 

Where can we find out more about your music? 

www.facebook.com/fightthelion

www.fightthelion.com

www.twitter.com/fightthelion

www.itunes.com/fightthelion

www.youtube.com/fightthelionmusic

Anything else you’d like to say about your band that I forgot to ask? 

We are really excited for our next album release. We cannot wait to share it with the world. As of now its taken months and months of writing, and we are looking for an early 2014 release. Follow us on twitter or like us on Facebook for updates. We promise to not disappoint. 

New single from Francis And The Lights

FRANCIS And The Lights returns with a new single for London label Good Years.

ETC is the first piece of music from the New York City artist since 2010's It'll Be Better mini-album.

He has previously released a series of celebrated singles and EPs, as well as having penned tracks for Das Racist and Drake among others.

Ketch Harbour Wolves Q&A

Your name:

Jonathan Tyrrell

Where are you from?

Toronto, Canada.

Name of band:

Ketch Harbour Wolves.

Who else is in your band?

Liam Brown

Brian Urbanik

Scott Winter

How would you describe yourselves?

I've come to be quite fond of 'Baroque Indie Rock'. 'Baroque' because it's fairly dense and lavish while hopefully stopping just short of being completely indulgent. It's also unapologetically emotional, much like the Baroque. 'Indie Rock' is a fairly nebulous term but we use it in reference to the raw energetic rhythms and melodies of bands like Broken Social Scene, The Arcade Fire, or Besnard Lakes.  

Who are your main influences musically?

This is always tough.  To name a few though: Radiohead, The National, Austra, Kate Bush, Wintersleep, Tool, Nick Drake, Beach House, and I'm going to get a little pretentious by also mentioning Philip Glass and Steve Reich because I've been listening to them a lot lately.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

We hope to write songs that people listen to because it makes them feel a certain way.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

It's not a very glamorous answer but I would have to say recording our latest album, "Queen City: Volume One".  We recorded the whole thing in our newly renovated studio in Toronto.  We've also gotten to the point where we can achieve quite good sound quality on our own meaning that we don't have to deal with the pressure and expense of a commercial studio.  We spent a solid week just immersed in the material, trying out different options, recorded acoustic versions and just really trying to deliver the best possible record.  To me that's a pretty amazing experience!  As a back-up answer it was two weeks ago when Kiefer Sutherland was at our show and refused to leave the bar in drunken protest.  We like to think that it was because of our set but there's a chance he didn't even register that we were playing.  Still a highlight!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Well, not that I want to forget it but we played a show a couple of years ago at The Steam Whistle Brewery in Toronto. The venue and hosts were excellent but on stage everything seemed to go wrong that could. At least two of my patch cables cut out, the power supply for my keyboard failed and there were several guitar amp issues. It's that kind of moment where the house of cards that is electronically produced music comes crashing down in front of you and you fully understand the image of Pete Seeger with axe in hand threatening to chop the power cables at Dylan's Newport festival performance. Needless to say we have now acquired even more gear and the house of cards grows ever taller!

If you could choose just one of your songs to represent your music, what
would it be and why?

At the moment I might say "Pulled From The Wreckage". I'm really happy with the way it turned out ....there are some big moments at the end but overall there is a restraint to the song that I feel we might not have had a few years ago.  I'm also really happy with how the lyrics turned out. They're still very ambiguous but they also speak specifically to one of the most interesting places in Toronto, the Leslie Spit which is a synthetic landscape made from construction waste that has undergone a radical renaturalization over the last 50 years.    

Where can we listen to it?
http://ketchharbourwolves.bandcamp.com/

www.ketchharbourwolves.ca

Where can we find out more about your music?
www.ketchharbourwolves.ca
https://www.facebook.com/ketchharbourwolves
http://ketchharbourwolves.bandcamp.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/queen-city-volume-one/id643546095

Anything else you’d like to say about your band that I forgot to ask?

We're releasing 3 albums within the next year (as I mentioned the first is called "Queen City: Volume One").  The thematic content focuses on our hometown of Toronto.  The lyrics combine some of the history and mythology of the city with my own semi-delirious ramblings and fragmented narratives.  All songs pertain to specific sites within the city, creating what we hope will be a kind of 'map of songs'.

V Festival day split announced

THE complete line-up and day split for this year's V Festival has been announced.

Beyonce will headline the main stage at Hylands Park, in Chelmsford, Essex, on the Saturday night supported by The Script with Kings Of Leon and Stereophonics playing in the top spots on Sunday night. 

They will switch venues to Weston Park, in Staffordshire, on the alternate nights.

The full stage break down will be:

Saturday Hylands Park/Sunday Weston Park:
Main Stage: Beyonce, The Script, Jessie J, Two Door Cinema Club, Paloma Faith, James, Deacon Blue, Fratellis.
Stage 2: Beady Eye, The Courteneers, Fun, Labrinth, Of Monsters And Men, Maverick Sabre, James Arthur, Lissie, Conor Maynard, The Pigeon Detectives.
Arena Stage: Steve Angello, DJ Fresh, Travis, Mark Owen, Katy B, Jessie Ware, Netsky, Gabrielle Aplin, Nina Nesbitt, K-Koke.
Futures Stage: Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Monsta, Misha B, Hoffmaestro, Sam Smith, Tori Kelly, A*M*E, Goldie Lookin Chain, Nell Bryden, Ed Drewett, Moya, Silouette.

Sunday Hylands Park/Saturday Weston Park:
Main Stage: Kings Of Leon, Stereophonics, Emeli Sande, The Vaccines, Olly Murs, Jason Mraz, Ocean Colour Scene, The Saturdays.
Stage 2: Calvin Harris, Rita Ora, Kendrick Lamar, Maximo Park, Rudimental, Scouting For Girls, Tom Odell, The Heavy.
Arena Stage: Basement Jaxx, Jaguar Skills, Ellie Goulding, The Eels, Lianne La Havas, McFly, Little Mix, Everything Everything, Laura Mvula, 5ive, The Original Rudeboys.
Futures Stage: Jamie Cullum, James Skelly & The Intenders, Lewis Watson, The Skints, Lucy Spraggan, Diana Vickers, John Newman, Exit Calm.

The festival takes place at the two venues over the weekend of August 17 and 18.

For more details visit www.vfestival.com

Debut on the way from Weekend Riot Club

WEEKEND Riot Club are to bring out their first full-length album Psychotropia on June 4th.

The band - who I featured in a Q&A only last week - have been in touch to tell me about it.

The alt-rock trio - made up of Melissa Marchese, Paul Fontes and Mike Chetcuti, from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada - said: "Psychotropia was never meant to be an LP. 

"We met producer Nick Blagona (Deep Purple, Alexisonfire, The Sheepdogs) with the intent to record an EP. We first went into the studio, playing Nick our whole set, as a way to procure a bass player. But upon hearing all of our songs, Nick insisted we make an album in the truest sense of the word.

"At first, we weren’t too sure we wanted to revisit that period of our lives so intimately; the older songs were tied so closely to experiences that we were hoping to forget. But Nick insisted, and once convinced, we approached these recordings with this reckless ambition. 

"If we were going to make an album, it had to be real. It had to feel real. And it had to help our listeners feel something real too.

"Our debut album, Psychotropia is a collection of songs written about addiction, suffering, political turmoil, and one’s flirtation with insanity, all through a lens of love and hope. The songs beg to be played loud.

"At the time, we didn't see it coming, but recording Psychotropia was the experience that cemented Weekend Riot Club in both sound and spirit."

The album is available to stream and pre-order now at http://weekendriotclub.bandcamp.com/ or you can listen below.

Stream debut album from Air Marshal Landing

AIR Marshal Landing have made their debut album You Used To Be Me available to stream and pre-order ahead of its release on June 4th.

You Used To Be is the product of three friends from Toronto, Canada, trying to make their sound "closer to a 10-instrument assault".

The indie pop-rockers are also giving away the track Move With You for the summer and it can be downloaded at http://airmarshallanding.bandcamp.com/ where the album can be streamed and the first single Little Town can also be found.

If you want to find out more about the Air Marshal Landing, you can visit them at www.facebook.com/airmarshallanding, www.twitter.com/amlband, www.airmarshallanding.com or read my Q&A with the band from earlier this month.

You can also watch the video for Little Town below.

New album on the way from dream pop trio The Capsules

THE Capsules are set to release their album Northern Lights & Southern Skies in the UK on July 8th.

The band from Lawrence, Kansas, have been described as having an "otherworldly aura" and their story is certainly one for the romantics.

Jason and Julie Shields began writing music together in high school, falling in love in the process and later getting married and starting their first band, Shallow.

When their friends were deciding what to do with their lives, the Shields were already signed, professional musicians touring the world.


After Shallow ended, Julie and Jason continued writing, looking for a drummer to compliment their lush, bright pop lullabies. Kevin Trevino had been a fan of Shallow and, after a few rehearsals under the newly formed name The Capsules, the trio clicked. 

They started touring, making records and winning fans including Steven Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, who asked them to write a song for the show. 

Their songs have also been used in several video games, including the megahit Borderlands 2. 

They have shared the stage with lot of great acts including The Flaming Lips, Garbage, Low, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Pinback, Juliana Hatfield, and  The Mountain Goats.

And a bright future beckons for the trio. You can find out more at www.thecapsules.com, www.facebook.com/thecapsules or @TheCapsules on Twitter.

You can get a taste of the band with the video for Across The Sky below.

Clash's Paul Simonon dips into fashion

Picture by Derrick Santini

CLASH legend Paul Simonon is to design three limited edition fashion pieces.

The bassist will design a leather jacket, a t-shirt and a neckerchief for Sailor Jerry's The Flash Collection.

Sailor Jerry is an American brand and spiced rum inspired by the father of the old-school tattoo, Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins. It was founded with the intent of keeping his legacy and values of craftsmanship, independence and originality alive.

Simonon formed The Clash along with Mick Jones and Joe Strummer in 1976 and was immortalised on the seminal London Calling album sleeve smashing his bass into the stage.

After The Clash disbanded in 1983, talented artist Simonon went to New York to paint and collaborated with Damien Hurst, as well as mounting solo shows including Bond St’s Thomas Williams Fine Art Gallery in 2008.

Musically, he continued playing and was most recently noted for his collaboration with Blur's Damon Albarn and others on The Good, The Bad & The Queen. He has also been touring with Albarn's Gorillaz along with former Clash bandmate Jones.

His contribution to The Flash Collection will be out in September this year in a handful of selected stores around the world and at www.sailorjerryclothing.com

Simonon said: "I've always admired Norman Collins' art. He was a real original and his designs were the template for many other tattooists. It's the first time I've done a collaboration and combining art and clothes design is right up my street."

You can also find out more about the project by watching the video below.

Franka De Mille Q&A

Your name: 

Franka De Mille.

Where are you from? 

The Planet Vega.

Who else is in your band?

My band changes all the time but key players are Kevin Armstrong on guitar who works with David Bowie, Brian Eno, Iggy Pop, Morrissey, Sinead O'Connor and many more and Antonia Pagulatos on violin (Gorillaz, Bobby Womack, Tom Jones), Christian Fontana on guitar who also produces some of my work , Ian Montague on bass or guitar, Matt Dean on drums and Tom Wraith on Cello.

How would you describe yourselves? 

Powerful, intense and yet delicate.

Who are your main influences musically? 

Ricky lee Jones, Tom Petty, Patti Smith, Antony & the Johnsons, Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, Tom Waits, Pj Harvey, Rene Aubry, lots of classical music...the list is long.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Being able to continue making music as long as I live and share it with a committed, growing audience.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Headlining a festival on a Saturday night is hard to beat.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Performing with tonsillitis at The Water Rats. It was like swallowing razor blades.

If you could choose just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

All my songs are different in style but 'So Long' represents the essence of my music the most. It is dark and dramatic with quirky instrumentation.

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/franka-de-mille/so-long

Where can we find out more about your music?

http://www.frankademille.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/FrankaDeMille

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bridge-the-roads/id560556835

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Franka-De-Mille/123479582874

https://twitter.com/fdmlle

http://www.reverbnation.com/frankademille

http://www.last.fm/music/Franka+De+Mille

https://soundcloud.com/franka-de-mille

Anything else you’d like to say about your band that I forgot to ask? 

For all those who still buy physical CDs, you can get my debut album Bridge The Roads here: http://www.frankademille.com/?page_id=165

Mr Jonny Clean Pick Q&A

Your name:

Jon Rose.

Where are you from?

Charleston, South Carolina, by way of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.  

Band name:

Mr Jonny Clean Pick.

How would you describe yourself?

Fun loving, hard working, family man is how I describe myself.  

Who are your main influences musically?

My musical influences cover a broad genre from Al Green, The Temptations, Motown, Jackson 5, to Jose Feliciano, the Romero Bros., Carlos Montoya, and Carlos Santana, to Hip Hop such as KRS ONE, Public Enemy, Mos Def, EPMD, Rakim, to acoustic rockers like Ed Sheeran, Dave Matthews, my personal hometown favorite Darius Rucker.

What are your ambitions in music?

I just want to make quality music for people to enjoy that has a positive message.  

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

The highlight of my career is currently working on a music project with Texas rapper King Tut also trying to do a project with music producer Juscelino. 

And what's the moment you want to forget?

The one thing I wish I could forget was sending a wack mp3 to Nomo music when I first started playing the guitar.

If you could choose one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

The song that best describes what Mr. Jonny Clean Pick is all about is "Hope." The experience of life's struggle to the God given outcome we are destined to live.  

Where can we listen to it?

www.reverbnation.com/mrjonnycleanpick

Learn how to get a song on itunes at ReverbNation.com

Where can we find out more about your music?

You can find Mr. Jonny Clean Pick on www.unsigned.com/mrjonnycleanpick,www.purevolume.com, www.myspace.com/mrjonnycleanpick, www.tunecore.com/mrjonnycleanpick, and Mr. Jonny Clean Pick on Facebook.  

DamageScape Q&A

Band name:
DamageScape.

Where are you from?
Manchester, UK.

Who is in your band?

Gemma Fox - Lead Vocals, Rhythmn Guitar
Stephen Platt - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Sarit Black - Bass, Backing Vocals
Matt Mills - Drums

How would you describe yourselves?

Hard rock with a metal edge!

Who are your main influences musically?

Alter Bridge, Black Label Society, Foo Fighters, Guns N Roses... And many, many more!

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Like any musician or band, we just want to get our music out there and heard! A little bit of recognition for what we do, and hopefully, people will like it!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Just recently, we released our debut music video, which we're very proud of. It's good to be able to step back and watch yourself perform. With the music industry being the way it is these days, taking pride in the little things is a must!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

We've had a few bad moments, but nothing we want to forget! You've got to take the good with the bad, and become stronger because of it.

If you could choose just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

I think a personal favourite for all of us is 'Refrain'. It has the melody, the dynamics, the lyrical content, and all-round wholesome anthemic rock sound that can grab you no matter what your music tastes are. But, we love 'Damage' too, the track we chose for debut music video! Quite an up-tempo number, that grabs you by the balls and doesn't let go until it's finished!

Where can we listen to it?

http://www.reverbnation.com/damagescape/songs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iR8QtpcN6Q

Learn how to get your song on itunes at ReverbNation.com

Where can we find out more about your music?

The DamageScape Official Website - www.damagescape.com - All relevant links are available from the site!

Anything else you’d like to say about your band that I forgot to ask?

We have a self-released 4 track EP 'Was It All Worth While?' for sale, available from our website and at gigs. We are currently writing for our debut album, hitting the studio this summer, which we are totally stoked about! We're also taking tour bookings to promote the forthcoming album.

Ex-teacher's debut album - at 62

A FORMER drama teacher has released his debut album - at the age of 62.

It had been the lifelong dream of Rob Green, from Ontario, Canada, to perform his original music on stage with a live band.

He has not only achieved that aim, but also put out the album Soul Dancing.

He said: "While I was a drama teacher for 37 years, I met many talented people who have crossed my path. Many of them have surfaced to help me fulfill this dream. 

"Terry Crawford spent three years recording the material, while people like Mike Trebilcock (Killjoys) and Sharon Musgrave (William Orbit) contributed so much musically. Countless others selflessly gave their time and energy. 37 years of history was infused into one record, and I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity.

"This album was truly a labour of love, a project that I can strike off my bucket list knowing I truly accomplished what I dreamt of doing."

The album can be streamed at http://robgreenmusic.bandcamp.com/ or you can have a listen below.

Maiden's Bruce Dickinson signs up - for sponsored bike ride

AND now for something a little different.

Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson is to take part in the final 25-mile leg of a charity bike ride to this year's Download Festival.

Band manager Rod Smallwood and Metal Hammer editor Alexander Milas have organised the ride from London's Alexandra Palace on June 12th arriving at Donington Park 165 miles away two days later.

The Heavy Metal Truants ride will raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust, Childline and Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy charities.

Bruce will be flying in from Germany following two sold-out Maiden shows in Frankfurt for his pedal push ahead of the band's performance at the festival on Saturday, June 15th.

He said: "These are great causes, I am only sorry that due to our tour schedule l can’t do more of the ride, and hope our fans will support our efforts. I look forward to a day off after the ride seeing some great bands before we go into full Maiden action on the Saturday, with every intention of giving the fans a memorable show. Download and Metal fans are the best there are, so everyone expects something very special.”

The sponsored riders will also include band members from British Lion,  Paradise Lost, Pendulum, Tesseract, Thunder, Trivium and Young Guns alongside music journalists, radio presenters and music industry participants including Parlophone, Sony Music, Universal/EMI, BMG Rights, 5B Artist Management, Raw Power Management, Phantom Management and The Agency, plus even an MP – the Rt. Hon Mike Weatherley.

Joining them will be a variety of heavy metal fans who have all signed up for three days of hard cycling to raise funds for these deserving Children’s Charities.

There may be spaces available for a few more riders, so if you have the heart and the liver, check it out at www.heavymetaltruants.com - or go there to aid the cause with a donation!!!

For more details/tickets for Download go to www.downloadfestival.co.uk

Glasshouse release follow-up single

ROCK trio Glasshouse have released their second single, 10 Pint Jeremy.

It was recorded by the Shropshire, England, band in April and is described as a "fun, flat out, modern British punk rock track".

You can view the video for the track above and their studio diary of its recording below. You can also check out my Q&A with the band from March by clicking here.

Hello Lazarus release video for Stallions

THIS is the new video from Bristol alt-rock trio Hello Lazarus.

Stallions  is taken from the band's latest EP Moving Forward Over The Next Financial Quarter.

It is  is available now from iTunes and in limited edition CD from the Scylla Records Online Store - http://scyllarecords.bigcartel.com

For more on the band visit http://hellolazarus.com/

Third album from The Hush Now

INDIE-pop quartet The Hush Now will release their third album Memos on June 17th.

The band from Boston, Massachusetts have been compared to an array of artists including My Bloody Valentine, Guided By Voices, The Cure and Hall & Oates.

Written entirely by the band and produced, mixed and recorded by well known Mad Oak Studio’s head engineer and producer Benny Grotto (Aerosmith, The Dresden Dolls), Memos may be their strongest, quality album to date. 

You can find out about the band at www.facebook.com/TheHushNow or www.twitter.com/thehushnow and have a listen to I'm Always Broke In December below.

Will Tommy Jones Q&A

Your names: 

Gary Joe Mitchell (lead vocalist/keyboardist), Mark Hartman Anderson (drums, percussion and backup vocals) and Billy Gardner (lead guitar and backup vocals).

Where are you from? 

Rural North Texas, USA.

Name of band:

WILL TOMMY JONES.

How would you describe yourselves? 

Food for the ears with the main ingredient being mellow rock spiced with country, classical Latin and jazz in a funky sauce.

Who are your main influences musically? 

Cat Stevens, Hank Williams Sr, Lou Reed, Little Feat, Jethro Tull, Eric Clapton, Beatles.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

We hope to help better the world through our music. our next album will have a few more politically motivated songs on it. We believe that there is enough in this world for everyone to live a very comfortable life, however due to some greedy, power hungry individuals, there are people starving, many of whom have no place to lay their head. We are optimistic that in the future, ALL people on the face of the earth will live as one regardless of color, religion, race or sexual orientation. Our motto is 'No matter where you come from, we are all pretty much the same". So, through our music, we would like to inform the masses of the fact that if you were to talk with almost anyone, one on one, anywhere on this planet, most are all about world peace and there is much less prejudice that exists than what our governments would like for us to believe.. We believe that ALL governments were formed by a handful of people for their own personal gain and that they feed the media lies and propaganda as a diversion from the truth in ordere to cover up what is really going on. We want to make the world a better place through our music.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

The signing of our record contract this year w/Tate Music Group. TMG is a mainstream label with 200 dedicated, family oriented employees who have everything in place to make one successful. WTJ has the material it takes to make hits. TMG partnered with WTJ is a winning combination. They heard our music and they believe in us. They are the final piece to the puzzle that is now turning a lifelong dream into reality.

And what's the moment you want to forget? 

Tripping on mushrooms while performing at a gig about 15 years ago. We learned very quickly that gigging and shrooms just do not mix.

If you could choose just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

Gun To My Head.

Our songs are real and honest and address subjects  that most simply choose to ignore.....in this song's case, suicide. I had two choices. Pull the trigger or write a song about it. Our music and lyrics create quite a contrast in most all our songs. While the lyrics are somewhat sad, dark and many times depressing, the music is up, loose, tight, gutty and hybridized with a  good time feel. Somehow in our music, regardless of how depressing the subject matter might be, we find that good outweighs bad. so by the time the song is over with, Instead of leaving everyone in a state of depression it leaves them believing that everything is going to be ok.  

Where can we listen to it? 

www.wtjoneshick-rock.com/files/Gun_To_My_Headmarch.mp3

Learn how to get your song on itunes at ReverbNation.com

Where can we find out more about your music?

www.wtjoneshick-rock.com

www.reverbnation.com/willtommyjones

www.myspace.com/willtommyjones

www.twitter.com/willtommyjones

www.facebook.com/willtommyjones

www.facebook.com/wtjhickrock

www.facebook.com/imaginewtj

Anything else you'd like to say about your band that I forgot to ask? 

No but I would appreciate it if you could mention that the national release date for our self-titled debut album on the TMG record label should take place on Auguist 1st 2013. At that point it will be available at Wal-Mart, Hastings, Target and Best Buy. Digital downloads will be on iTunes, spotify, amazon and dozens of other online stores. However, by mid June the CD can be purchased at www.wtjones hick-rock.com or www.tatemusicgroup.com