Seattle Sends its best to Ashland
by: Victor Tezanos

So ask yourself Whats a good way to spend Labor Day? Most would say sitting by the lake enjoying the last little tidbit of summer or something like that, but there are other options. What would you say to seeing an up and coming band play at your local coffee shop? Well thats just what a bunch of us did at Ashlands Beanery. You may not have heard of Everyday Jones from Seattle, but rest assured that after this road trip, their name will be better known. In all, the tour will include 25 shows taking place from Seattle to Vegas, and with such great music, it is sure they will have many more fans once they finally make it home.

If you like Indie mixed with acoustic rock, you will want to check out their new album entitled Here I Am. While they were a couple of members short during the show in Ashland, Alissa and Jason did a great set, and both adults and kids alike seemed to be enjoying what they were hearing. Starting off with the title track Here I Am, it was clear that they were going to be warmly welcomed by the crowed coffee shop. Right away, Jason began showing that he is a master of the art of looping and sampling while his female counterpart laid down vocals that would even make Jewel jealous. Their music was filling the air when they decided to switch it up a bit and play a cover, and while I think its safe to say that many times covers are inferior, these guys did a great job with U2s One, and seriously, it was pretty refreshing hearing this song done with Alissas extraordinary vocals. In all honesty, I would suggest you check out the entire album, but if you are only going to hear one song, then make it Perfect World which has quite an upbeat pace when compared to many of their other songs. This song is great, and not only did it seem to elevate the mood at the Beanery, its probable that it also helped send many people running toward the merchandise table wanting copies of the album.

While its hard to say if all bands have problems with travel expenses when starting out, these guys did not have to worry about that after this show. Thanks to the great people of Ashland, Alissa went running for more copies of the CD while the crowd waited patiently with money in hand. This was your chance to buy a copy of the disk at a discounted price as it sells currently for $15 on Myspace.

Really, its nice to live in a place that embraces music like Ashland does because talent like this needs to be heard! We should feel pretty lucky that we had that chance. They will undoubtedly be making fans as their journeys progress, but hopefully with the welcome they had here, they wont soon forget us here in Southern Oregon. What great musicians! Also, if you werent lucky enough to make the show, dont worry, you can still check this band out at www.everydayjones.com