(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Americana outfit Laney Jones and the Spirits bring their rock-fueled string-band music to Club Helsinki Hudson on Thursday, June 23, at 8pm. Local heroes Chops and Sauerkraut, joined by steel guitar player Teddy Weber of the Wiyos, will warm up the crowd for Laney Jones. With their melodic hooks and bashing rhythms and lyrics about getting drunk and having a good time – as well as those lead guitar lines snaking through the whole song – the group can sound like the Replacements led by a banjo-playing female.
Already a rising star on the modern bluegrass scene, having been featured on the PBS series, “Great Performances,” in a 90-minute documentary offering an overview of the Kennedy Center’s American Voices weekend-long festival, featuring Jones as an emerging artist alongside musical great Alison Krauss, Laney Jones made a 180-degree turn on her most recent eponymous album, featuring experimental sounds mixed with bluegrass textures and rock ‘n’ roll rhythms.
Jones’s music ranges from very traditional-sounding bluegrass to electro-funk string-band tunes (“Work It Out”), on which she sounds as much like Arcade Fire as Alison Krauss. On “The Simple Truth,” which you can see her perform live here, Jones and the Spirits get down and rootsy in a ballad that reminds me of The Band.
Raised on an exotic animal farm in rural Mount Dora, Fla., Laney Jones sings tales of love and adventure with a voice that has been described as “a mix of lemon, molasses, gin and gunpowder” (WPRK), mellifluous and smooth but brimming with passion. Her live performance highlights her multi-instrumental prowess on banjo, ukulele, tenor guitar and harmonica backed by her band, the Spirits.
Since releasing her first studio album, “Golden Road,” in 2013, Jones has traveled far from the orange groves and marshes of her home, graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston and playing festival stages at Grey Fox, Shakori Hills, String Break, Lancaster Roots and Blues and numerous others.
Laney Jones and the Spirits have also performed at SXSW, Sundance, a formal IBMA showcase and a Southern Musician Sponsorship from Belk Department Stores which earned her performances with Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban.
Watch the official video for “Allston (Dance Around)” to see what a superhero Laney Jones really is.
For reservations in The Restaurant or in the club call 518.828.4800.