JW Jones: Heir to the Canadian Blues Throne

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JW Jones: Heir to the Canadian Blues Throne
October 26, 2010
By: Dr. Matt Warnock
Guitar International

Canadian Blues guitarist JW Jones has spent the past decade building his reputation in the great white north and beyond. With five albums under his belt, the talented blues picker has toured across the globe as he brings his fiery, personalized blues style to blues fans in North and South America, Europe and Australia. The award winning guitarist seems like he’s just warming up as he hits the road in support of his latest album Midnight Memphis Sun.

In between European tour stops, Jones sat down with Guitar International to talk about being a Canadian blues man, his choice of guitars and how he plans on building on his already successful career. Not yet 30 years of age, the future looks bright for this Les Paul wielding Canuck.

Matt Warnock: Growing up in Canada how would you define the Canadian blues guitar sound and how does it differ from the US blues guitar sound?

JW Jones: Blues is American music, so I think all of us Canadians are either studying it from the source, or should be. In today’s state of the blues, I don’t think there’s a big difference in the blues guitar sound, no matter where the person is born or breaks out onto the scene.

Matt: Is the goal to move to the US and pursue a career in New York or Chicago, or is there a strong enough scene in Canada right now to make a go of it there?

JW: Though I love the US, I have no intention to move there. I strongly believe that to be successful, an artist must travel and tour as much as possible. If you wear yourself to thin in any market, whether that’s Ottawa, Toronto, Chicago, or L.A., it’s going to have the same negative effects.

Matt: What guitars do you use right now?

JW: These days I’m mostly playing my Les Paul Gold Top, but I also use a Strat and Epiphone Dot from time to time.

Matt: Do you have a preference for amps and does your live rig differ from your studio set up?

JW: I use a Fender VibroKing, it has 3 x 10” speakers and on board reverb controls like on the old tanks, so I can dial in a specific reverb tone. It’s the same amp I use live and all over our new record, Midnight Memphis Sun.

Matt: You were included on the Guitar World Guitar Masters CD, what was it like to see your track beside the likes of B.B. King and Jeff Beck?

JW: I thought it was a mistake. I was truly honored that they found a track I’m proud of called “Parasomnia,” a swing tune that features a solo by David “Fathead” Newman, who was Ray Charles’ main sax player for 12 years.

Matt: You’ve performed a lot in Europe, how do you find Europeans react to blues and is blues a truly international musical language?

JW: Europeans are much like fans in Quebec, Canada. They support the arts, don’t mind paying a decent ticket price, and they buy CDs. They are amazing audiences, and some of the most educated blues fans anywhere.

Matt: You’ve spent time playing in Brazil and are currently looking to go back, what is it about that country and its people and music that has attracted you to it?

JW: I hold Brazil and the people there very close to my heart. Traveling to Brazil in 2002 was the first trip I had ever taken alone, and was actually my first time flying. I was so lucky to have been part of a festival that included my friends Fernando Noronha and Black Soul, and others. Little Jimmy King was there as well, and I had been a fan since walking through the halls in high-school with his music in my ears.

I became close with him and his brother instantly, and we really had a blast. Unfortunately, within a couple of months, he passed away at a young age, and it was heart-breaking. I remember the Brazilian people having a really warm nature, and they took me in like family. I loved it, and can’t wait to go back sometime, hopefully soon.

Matt: You’re billed as “Canada’s Top Touring Blues Act” how important is it to you to get out and bring your music to the people?

JW: It’s the most important thing to me actually, bringing it to the people. I want this music to continue to inspire blues fans, but also to bring in a new audience. We’re young guys and we put on a great show that often catches the attention of a younger audience, this is what it’s all about, passing it on to the next generation, and trying to make the heroes before us proud.

Matt: Since the blues has been around for over a hundred years now, and is built on a relatively simple musical form, do you feel that people will ever run out of things to say within the context of a 12 bar blues?

JW: It depends on the person and the writer I suppose. There are plenty of amazing song writers and soloists that can still find creative ways to work within the 12-bar form, but many have definitely hit a brick wall with it and still play the same old same old.

This is part of the reason blues appears to struggle in terms of sales and interest at times. It needs to grow. However, there is being creative within blues and pushing boundaries within blues, but then there are many artists who call themselves blues artists but are just playing rock.

It’s a fine line between pushing the boundaries and simply playing rock with the odd blues lyric or riff thrown on top of it.

att: Do you practice or study other musical genres to try and bring a new voice to your blues playing?

JW: I always keep my ears open to anything that inspires me, and then it definitely makes a natural transition into my blues playing. I don’t consciously do it, but really there are only two types of music, good and bad.

Matt: Where do you go from here?

JW: In many ways, I just have to keep doing what I am doing. We’ve toured 15 countries, 4 continents and released 6 records. There’s no time to sit back, we just keep bringing it to the people, and hope for more and more fans and attention, especially in the US, the toughest market of them all. The social media sites like Facebook are helping, so we’ll just keep on keepin’ on.