Billy Jonas and the Billy Jonas Band
Throw out the rules when Billy Jonas hits the stage! It’s a musical conversation… a sonic celebration … a splendiferous gathering of old and young, because at a Billy Jonas show, the ensemble is… everyone. “My favorite instrument is the audience. I work to ‘tribalize’ the compositions … to create songs that provide an immediate opportunity, on first hearing, for the listener to join in, as if the song had been a part of their life for a long time.” – Billy Jonas
A Billy Jonas concert is a "neo-tribal hootenanny" -- original "voice and percussion" -based songs with a generous dose of audience participation. The music mixes conventional instruments (guitar, bass, marimba) with homemade creations (using buckets and barrels, keys and cans, bells and body percussion). The New York Times has described Jonas’ songwriting as “witty, smart and raw”. Billy tailors both his song selection and its presentation to uniquely suit each audience. Its spirited, straightforward music that is accessible to anyone and everyone, regardless of age or cultural background. Jonas’ concerts are a magical mix of stagecraft and wholesome, open-ended, anything-can- happen spontaneity. Sing Out magazine says, “ …he engages the audience with a wild assortment of rhythm and word play, leaving them entertained and a little more in touch with their spiritual selves.” Jonas is known for his ability to facilitate connection and community while fostering inspiration and FUN!
Billy Jonas has shared stages with many renowned artists, including Alison Krauss, Peter Yarrow, Keb' Mo', Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Mattea, Paul Winter, Michele Shocked, Justin Bieber, Ani DiFranco, David Wilcox, Richard Thompson, and Pete Seeger. Billy Jonas’ recordings and live concerts across the US and Canada have generated an enthusiastic following. His CD "What Kind of Cat are You?!" received multiple awards including a First Place/Gold from AFIM (American Federation of Independent Musicians) and a Parent’s Choice Gold Award. His 2009 family CD “Happy Accidents” has also received a Parent's Choice Gold Award. Jonas’ family music has been awarded two New York Times "Best" listings in addition to listings on a variety of “best” lists including the School Library Journal, Parent’s magazine, and USA Today.
Billy Jonas and the Billy Jonas Band released their new CD, “Build It Back Again”, a true family compilation of new material with something for all ages. He is also recording a new CD of Jewish influenced material. Jonas has a degree in music from Oberlin College.
Billy Jonas offers family and adult oriented concerts, primarily with his three or four piece band. Billy's educational concerts include study guide materials and are usually booked in conjunction with a public performance in a community. Workshops, training and master classes are available for a variety of ages and settings. Jonas offers special programming for Jewish organizations.
The Billy Jonas Band
•Ashley Jo Farmer (vocals, re-percussion) – adds an exciting vocal dimension to Billy's music with creative, flawless harmonies. An awesome singer/songwriter and band leader in her own right, with the Ashley Jo Farmer Band, she is quickly becoming a political firebrand and festival favorite.
•Sherman Hoover (vocals, bass, marimba, re-percussion) – Sherman holds down the funky bottom for the band while adding his own innovative harmonies. An extraordinary multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and songwriter with the band Shod My Feet, an eclectic boundary-pushing ensemble of some of Asheville's finest musicians.
•Juan Holladay (vocals, re-percussion) -- Juan is a mover and groover, adding sweet and smoky tenor harmonies. His own band, The Secret B Sides, was voted #1 Soul Band AND #1 R&B / Blues Band in Western North Carolina for 3 YEARS IN A ROW!!!
It was AMAZING!!! He is a creative music genius that brings music to life! I love that how the audience was part of the show. Although now my kids are banging on everything around the house saying they are making music but it’s great that he awaken their imagination! -"Q" from Totsradio.com
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" Billy actively engages the audience to help make the music. No sound, noise or song is wrong - it's all right! - Amber Bobnar, Wonderbaby
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"...witty, smart, raw." – New York Times
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"...engages the audience with a wild assortment of rhythm and word play ... leaves them both entertained, and a little more in touch with their spiritual selves.... teaches, through experience, that music is everywhere." – Sing Out! Magazine
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The thumping rhythms of turned-over paint cans, the microtonal plinks of an egg slicer, and blasts from horns made out of sewer pipes… the sights and sounds of these instruments excite audiences, but it’s the messages in these songs that have incited critical praise and a fervent fan following. - Atlanta With Kid
For a Broken World, the Billy Jonas Band Reminds Us To Build It Back Again New album of 13 original songs features Billy Jonas’ signature “funky folk music for the whole family,” now with a full band sound. Available on October 24th
Asheville, NC, August xx, 2014 – The Billy Jonas Band, known for creating “neo-tribal hootenannies” in performances, and for songs that engage all ages with funky rhythms and thoughtful lyrics, releases Build It Back Again on October 24th. This is Billy Jonas’ first new album in five years, and the first with his full band. Build It Back Again will be available from iTunes, CDBaby, and www.billyjonas.com. Employing humor and heart, these new songs celebrate resilience and growth in the face of life’s most challenging moments. Each “funky folk” song has a playful part and a teaching part, as Jonas explains. “This new album is about maintaining optimism,” he says. “It’s about joyfully to embracing all of life: creation and destruction; failure and success; ease and challenge; stagnation and growth.” Jonas hopes listeners will want to make their own music – singing, playing and dancing along. The title track is a history lesson ballad portraying the rise and fall of . “Good for You, Good for Me” trumpets the future rewards from current hardships. “Maybe, Maybe Not” is a philosophical response to all of life’s best and worst case scenarios. Fans will find humor in songs like “Cave Man,” “LMNOP Break” and “Monkeys Driving Cars,” but also kernels of wisdom about life, the universe and everything in between. Indeed, songs like “Atmosphere,” soar above the usual, contemplating what lies beyond daily trials and turmoils. Led by guitarist/vocalist/industrial re-percussionist Billy Jonas, the Billy Jonas Band also features the talents of Ashley Farmer (vocals, percussion), Sherman Hoover (vocals, bass, re-percussion) and Juan Holladay (vocals, marimba, re-percussion). A host of children’s voices enhances the delight of these songs, and co-producer Adam Johnson adds just the right sonic touches to make each song fresh. The album, like all Billy Jonas Band live concerts, invites interaction and further music- making. Billy Jonas is known for making innovative use of “found objects,” helping audiences discover the music within common items and within themselves. The thumping rhythms of turned-over paint cans, the microtonal plinks of an egg slicer, and blasts from horns made out of sewer pipes… the sights and sounds of these instruments excite audiences, but it’s the messages in these songs that have incited critical praise and a fervent fan following. A multiple award-winner including a first place/gold award from the American Federation of Independent Musicians and two gold awards from Parents’ Choice, Billy Jonas’ previous musical releases have made various “best” lists, including School Library Journal, Parents’ magazine, and USA Today. The Charleston Gazette has called Billy “the arch-elf of American music,” and Alison Krauss says, “Whenever I see him perform, my face hurts from smiling." His last all-ages album Happy Accidents (2009) won awards and national acclaim, and his 2002 album What Kind of Cat Are You? remains a family music classic. Billy’s songs get regular rotation on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and he’s performed with the band at The White House . Jonas hopes to offer something to listeners from age 1 to 99. “I write songs to touch the heart, excite the mind and involve the audience,” he says. “If I can get everyone engaged – singing, moving and thinking – I’ve done my job.” The Billy Jonas Band plans album release concerts this fall and winter. For more information, visit www.billyjonas.com PUBLICITY PHOTO downloads are available: http://billyjonas.com/index.php?page=gallery&intro=true Media contact: Beth Blenz-Clucas, Sugar Mountain PR, (503)293-9498, [email protected]
Booking: Susan Lounsbury, Loyd Artists, [email protected] Billy Jonas World Headquarters: Ramie Thorstad, 828-232-9962, [email protected]
Billy Jonas
By DASCHELL M. PHILLIPS Staff Writer
It shocked Billy Jonas to realize that his childhood dream of making “music anytime, anywhere, about anything, for anyone,” has come to pass. “I originally made my music for adults then the children of the adults began to like it,” said the musician. “Both can enjoy it on their own but it works best when they are together.” In fact Jonas, a Hyde Park native and front man for the Billy Jonas Band, is released his third family album, titled “Build It Back Again,” on Nov. 23. The band’s new album explores themes of embracing and celebrating the good and bad things that happen in life.
The Billy Jonas band, which includes Jonas (vocals, guitar, percussion), Ashley Joe Farmer (vocals, percussion), Sherman Hoover (vocals, bass, percussion) and Juan Holladay (vocals, marimba, percussion), is known for creating an interactive experience at their concerts and in their music. The band’s unique approach, which includes using repurposed items to create instruments and belting out four-part vocal harmonies, has led to numerous awards, including gold awards from Parents’ Choice and the American Federation of Independent Musicians. The group has released two albums, “What Kind of Cat Are You?” and “Happy Accidents;” two family DVD/videos “Bangin’ & Sangin’” and “Everybody’s in the Band” and have performed at arts centers, festivals and schools nationally and internationally. Jonas said one performance of note was at the 2010 White House Easter Egg Roll where he was reunited with an old neighbor from Hyde Park.
“My family lived across the alley from the Obamas,” Jonas said about his family’s earliest encounters with President Barack Obama. Jonas said when his father, Wally Jonas, would walk the dog every morning he would exchange salutations with Barack Obama, who was having a smoke in his backyard.
Jonas said his journey into music began in his native Hyde Park where as a kid he began exploring sound by banging around on pots and pans. He went on to receive formal piano and guitar lessons and played the trombone in school bands at Ray Elementary School and Kenwood Academy High School. He also played for the Congregation Rodfei Zedek synagogue, 5200 S. Hyde Park Blvd.
Jonas now lives in Ashville, N.C., with Adrian, his wife of more than two years. The two are expecting their first child in December. In addition to making albums and touring, he is also a music teacher and music ministry leader at the Congregation Beth Ha Tephila in Ashville. Before he began working on “Build It Back Again,” he was working on a Jewish album. “I was recording a Jewish album, but I put it on hold,” Jonas said. “Once I got married I knew I needed to have a couple of projects ready to go in case a baby came along and it did.”
Jonas said there are three objectives to his music: empowering children to see themselves as creators, helping his listeners of all ages develop a sense of connectedness with themselves, with community and the world beyond and what he calls the joy agenda. Jonas said the joy agenda is “finding a way to offer everyone a window to joy.”
For more information about the band and its new album, visit billyjonas.com.