The Bones of J.R. Jones Shares New Single 'Stay Wild'

NY-based artist The Bones of J.R. Jones will release his new EP A Celebration on March 19th. Inspired by the American Southwest, it was written on his honeymoon during trips to Tucson, Bisbee, Joshua Tree, and other desert destinations. The six-song collection is everything its title promises: a celebration of the thrill of getting lost in something new, whether it's a landscape, a sound, a perspective, or all of the above. Today he shared the atmospheric new single and video for "Stay Wild," watch it below.

"I wanted 'Stay Wild' to toe the line of realism and the fantastical," Jones told American Songwriter. "It was important to me that it reflects on how the mundane parts of life can overflow and the only outlet would be an ungraceful somewhat ugly response. In the case of the video, it was a dance performed by someone who does not dance. Something that wasn't planned and unintentional and hopefully once you lose yourself in that moment something spectacular could happen."

"Stay Wild" follows the release of lead single "Bad Moves." It debuted on Under The Radar who called it "the EP's dark and manic centerpiece" and raved "Though Linaberry expands his instrumental palette with the track, it is as evocative as any he's penned yet, bringing out grimy new facets to his songwriting while retaining the haunting tone of his music."

A Celebration marks a new stage in The Bones of J.R. Jones' own evolution, fusing the songwriter's southern gothic sound - a sound rooted in acoustic instruments and J.R.'s woozy vocals - with drum machines, analog synths, vibraphone, and the rich, dark tones of a Magnatone amplifier. The songs were recorded quickly, in a series of first takes and instinctual performances, with J.R. playing nearly every instrument himself. The result is an organic record with an electric pulse - a collection of music that, like the region that inspired it, is familiar one minute and otherworldly the next.

Over the course of three full-length albums and two EPs, Jonathan Robert Linaberry - the songwriter, storyteller, visual artist, and one-man band behind The Bones of J.R. Jones - has woven his own tapestry of American roots music. It's a classic sound for the modern world, influenced not only by blues, soul, and forward-thinking folk, but also by J.R.'s environment. Noisey once raved "He's a one man band who can hold an audience rapt, rendering the cacophony of a stage full of musicians utterly unnecessary."

Next week, J.R. will continue his special series of virtual shows taking place on his Instagram page. Each show benefits a local venue and fans are invited to donate to J.R.'s PayPal/Venmo where half of the proceeds will be donated to the venue. J.R. is also making limited edition Linocut posters for each date featuring handmade wood carved letters. Visit www.thebonesofjrjones.com/shows- for more info.

Watch the video here:

Photo Credit: Christian Harder