Ayron Jones in concert at Rockstore: you're not ready for the latest prodigy from Seattle!

Aujourd’hui âgé de 37 ans, le chanteur et guitariste américain Ayron Jones s’est forgé un son singulier, puissant et fédérateur. Ryan Smith

Dernière sensation en provenance de Seattle, le guitariste prodige Ayron Jones sera en concert lundi 12 février au Rockstore, à Montpellier. Sur disque, sa fusion de blues, soul et grunge dépote grave mais sur scène ça devrait être encore pire !

Another child prodigy from Seattle! Since Jimi Hendrix, the port city in the northwest of the United States has established itself as one of the most fertile sources of American music, an alternative, avant-garde and protest trend. If grunge still remains its great artistic moment today with groups like Pearl Jam, Soundgardern, Alice In Chains, Mudhoney, Tad and of course Nirvana, the “Emerald City” continued to see the emergence of stunning talents. Among them, rapper Macklemore, folk group Fleet Foxes, songwriter Damien Jurado and, finally, singer and guitarist Ayron Jones.

Bottled with the sound of Seattle

If the latter obviously has a gift, life does not give him any gifts: his father is a gangster and a pimp who abandons him at birth and his mother, addicted to drugs, disappears when he is 4 years old. . He was adopted by an aunt, a believer, who raised him in an environment of gospel and soul. He found his salvation there: music. He learned the piano, the drums and the guitar, especially the guitar, as an autodidact, as well as the violin in a more academic way (although it seemed without much result, other than giving him a foundation in music theory and composition).

In his twenties, he began performing in Seattle bars and four years later found the right formula, in an electric power trio marked by the influence of Jimi Hendrix Experience, obviously, but also Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble. Spotted by rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot, he published two albums under the name Ayron Jones and the Way in the 2010s. The second, Audio Paint Job, in 2017, benefited from his presence in production by Jack Endino, sound engineer considered the “godfather of grunge”, and Barret Martin, another cult figure for having been the drummer of the Screaming Trees.

A beautiful, poignant voice

However, it was only the following decade (yes, the current one) that everything really came together for him with his signing to the Big Machine label, backed by a major. More resources, better exposure, his album Child of the state, in 2021, has the effect of a little bomb. His playing on the Fender Stratocaster certainly evokes the masters of Seattle: Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) and Kim Thayil (Soundgarden).

But Ayron Jones does not abuse it, always putting his dazzling virtuosity at the service of his compositions. This is its first originality: if the soul and blues roots are obvious, the writing is current, with melodic accents of metal-pop, noisy bursts of grunge and deep fusion grooves. And there is his voice: Ayron Jones escapes the curse, somewhat overplayed, according to which guitar heroes make poor vocalists (Hendrix, to name him but is there another, was a remarkable singer) . In this case, our friend has a beautiful tone of voice, slightly raspy, which holds its high notes and tears up with emotion if necessary.

Now everything smiles on Ayron Jones who tours all the way to Europe, performs at Hellfest, performs at Taratata, opens for Deep Purple at the Nîmes arenas (yes, June 29, 2022!) and consecration supreme, toy several times opening for the Rolling Stones!

Last June, his 4th album, Chronicles oh the Kid, was released, in which he further affirms his desire to take on the biggest audience. The production is muscular but careful, the writing a little more formatted but effective, the arrangements even more current, bordering on urban, but at the center remain and remain the poignant voice and the coruscating guitar of Ayron Jones. Remember this name. Save your evening.

In concert Monday February 12, from 7:30 p.m., at Rockstore, Montpellier. Part One: Amongst Liars. 25 €/22€. 04 67 06 80 00. I subscribe to read more