MASONBORO BOYS

07/25/2009

Visulite Theatre (18 +)

Doors Open: 8:00 - Headliner Begins: 10:30

The Masonboro Boys are a dynamic quintet based out of Charlotte, NC. With a unique sound incorporating elements of a variety of musical styles, the Masonboro Boys are ready to make their mark on the Country scene. Coupling the styles of artists such as Robert Earl Keen and Cory Morrow with more traditional bluegrass instrumentals, the Boys are able to reach a wide audience while developing a sound all their own.

Drawing their name from a favorite vacation spot, what started as two junior high friends learning their instruments together has blossomed into a full fledged band with an ever-increasing audience ranging from bluegrass traditionalists to fans of distortion driven rock. Alex Correll flatpicks the acoustic guitar and shoulders most of the vocal duties, Ray Morrison makes the mandolin howl, James Walser tears up the bass while Jamie Polen and Pete Mattei handle the drums and lead guitar, respectively. Always sure to draw a crowd, the Masonboro Boys are sure to have you singing along and stamping your feet before you can say "Yee-Haw!"

www.myspace.com/masonboroboys

JUSTIN JONES

Start Time: 9:15

Within the songs of Justin Jones are stories from a life lived long enough to know heartache, loneliness, addiction, and lost love. But the 29-year-old Virginia native has not lost touch with a youthful spirit that imbues his music: raw excitement, romance, and optimism.

"Even the sad songs," he says, "have a sort of romantic hope in them."

None of it is out of character for a man who’s blazing a path for himself in a business where a passable road is hard to come by. Justin Jones’ career began with the musical gifts he inherited from his parents growing up in Rawley Springs, Va. His mother was a singer and actress, and his stepfather was leader of the acclaimed local blues band Tough Luck. By 14, Jones was writing his own songs on acoustic guitar. After a few years playing for drunks in dive bars of North Carolina, Jones migrated to Washington, D.C., in 2002, where he began playing small clubs with just a guitar and a harmonica. At one such show, he dazzled local producer Larry Packer, who invited Jones to record at his studio for free because he so impressed with the songs. Jones released "Blue Dreams," the result of that one-day, stripped-down session, in 2004. Its first pressing was financed by $1,000 from good friend Jackie Grimmer, who, like Larry Packer, also firmly believed in Jones’ talent.

As Jones played around Washington and other East Coast cities on the I-95 circuit, he graduated to bigger and bigger venues, and his following grew. Listeners who heard Jones’ music were touched on a deeper level. Jones tells of one very special moment in 2005 when a young woman approached him after a show to tell him about a phone call she'd just made after hearing him sing "You Ain't Around," a song about his deceased stepfather. Through tears, she explained she hadn't spoken to her own father in six years but decided to break the silence that night because she'd been so moved by Jones' song. It's Jones' favorite story from his 15 years in music and the sort of revelation that keeps him going.