Terrie Carr and Mike Anthony interview Ayron Jones at WDHA's Rock The Rock Fest 2024
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00:00There's blood in the water
00:12I pray for forgiveness
00:21The Lord made my weakness
00:25Ain't nothing gonna save me
00:28There's blood in the water
00:31We are back broadcasting live from WDHA's Rock the Rockfest 2024.
00:43I'm so happy to see Aaron Jones.
00:46Oh man, you know, I feel you're another person I feel like
00:51there are people I connected with during the pandemic online
00:55and I feel like I've known those people forever
00:58because you sort of remember life as like pre-pandemic
01:01and then post-pandemic
01:02and you and me got together
01:04because you were just starting to release music
01:05which by the way, Aaron Jones is here
01:08was a very brave thing to do in 2020.
01:13You were getting ready to start releasing stuff
01:15and all of a sudden, boom, shakalaka
01:17the world shuts down and everything shuts down
01:20but there were certain artists
01:21and I talked to Sean Morgan about this
01:23who just were like, you know what?
01:24We'll do whatever we have to do to connect with the fans.
01:26I did that, man.
01:26And you were the guy.
01:28Virtual happy hour with Aaron
01:30and like incredible members of his band
01:33that just happened to be in the background for the Zoom
01:35like it was just incredible
01:37and you have been since that time
01:39I would say one of the hardest working men in rock and roll.
01:43Man, I appreciate that.
01:44The rock and roll biz.
01:44I appreciate the recognition too, man
01:46and we've been doing this pretty relatively
01:48with a skeleton crew, man
01:50mainly a van and some gear behind
01:52Get out.
01:53That's it, man.
01:53We don't have a huge production.
01:56We just get up there and we play
01:57and we play.
01:58We turn our instruments up
01:59and what you get in that moment
02:01is exactly how it is, you know, every single time.
02:03And Aaron's a rock star.
02:04Don't you feel like Aaron Mike is a rock star?
02:06Oh, he looks much cooler than me.
02:08He is.
02:08I'm looking at him like, oh man.
02:09He just is the full package.
02:11Thanks.
02:11He just has it.
02:13He's got the swagger.
02:15He's got the whole vibe.
02:16He walks in and you're like,
02:17that guy is somebody.
02:20That's cool, man.
02:21I worked really hard on that, dude.
02:21I took notes.
02:23I was like, man, wear sunglasses at nighttime.
02:28Wear my filthy hat all the time.
02:30Wear my filthy hat all the time.
02:31Yeah.
02:32So, but again,
02:34one of my favorite Seattle rockers
02:36because I think you encompass everything
02:38that Seattle gave us.
02:39Yeah, yeah.
02:40And when people think of Seattle,
02:41some people just think of the grunge.
02:43Right.
02:43But they don't think of the Hendrix or the Hart
02:46or, you know,
02:47there were so many amazing artists
02:49that came out of Seattle.
02:52Yeah.
02:52And so much of your journey
02:55has been a self-expression
02:56of what you've gone through in your life.
03:00Child of the State, Chronicles of the Kid,
03:03you know, your most recent records
03:04were really very self-explanatory timestamps for you.
03:09Absolutely.
03:09And what you were going through.
03:10So talk to people who maybe
03:12are not that familiar with you
03:15about a little bit about your journey
03:17and how Aaron Jones became Aaron Jones.
03:21Yeah.
03:21It's actually, you know,
03:22I call myself the slumdog millionaire of rock and roll
03:24because I always found myself
03:26in the graces of people
03:27that had the ability
03:28to progress my life and my career
03:30into the direction that I saw
03:31as long as I chose to do so.
03:33So I first started out in Seattle.
03:35I was just playing a bunch of bars.
03:37And in doing that,
03:39I got a chance to,
03:41I met Sean Kemp
03:42and Sean was partners
03:43with a guy named Troy Wright
03:44who used to be married to Janie Hendrix.
03:47And Janie Hendrix
03:48is Jimmy Hendrix's little sister.
03:49So I got an opportunity
03:49to play at his bar
03:50every Thursday night.
03:52And I became friends with his kids
03:53and all sorts of stuff.
03:54And then shortly after doing that,
03:57I got a phone call
03:58to go and be a guitar player
04:00for this group called Deep Cotton
04:01who was associated
04:02with a label called Wonderland
04:04who was owned,
04:06which was owned by Janelle Monae.
04:07And so the first tour I ever went on
04:09was getting a phone call
04:10from a Hendrix
04:11to go on tour with Janelle Monae.
04:14And that year it was,
04:15Nate Roos was a part of,
04:17well, Fun was on that tour.
04:19Fun was on the part of that tour,
04:20Janelle Monae.
04:20And then it was this group
04:21called Deep Cotton.
04:22We all toured together
04:24and it was pretty crazy.
04:24Such a great eclectic group
04:26of people too.
04:27Getting together
04:28and just doing what we talked
04:30with Seether about,
04:30making music
04:31and just connecting with people.
04:33Absolutely.
04:33And then shortly after that,
04:35I got discovered
04:36by Sir Mixed Alight in Seattle.
04:37That was the guy
04:38I was going to tell you about.
04:39Yeah, that's cool.
04:40So Sir Mixed Alight
04:41helped me put out
04:41my first indie record.
04:43And then in doing that,
04:43I got in with the Grunge guys
04:44and then my second indie record
04:46was produced by Barrett Martin
04:47from Screaming Trees
04:47and Mad Seasons.
04:49I told you.
04:49Is this crazy?
04:51This is awesome.
04:51And then in 2019,
04:54into 2019
04:55was when I first got
04:56my first big label offers
04:58started coming in.
04:59And didn't you have a connection?
05:00Wasn't Duff McKagan
05:01somewhere in there too?
05:02Duff, I opened for Duff
05:03in this time.
05:03So after my second record,
05:04I ended up opening for Duff.
05:05Became good friends.
05:06I'm still to this day
05:07good friends with Duff.
05:07I can text him anytime
05:09and we talk
05:10and all that stuff.
05:10And so right after that,
05:13in my indie career,
05:14by the way,
05:14as an indie artist,
05:15I did really well.
05:16I mean,
05:16we shot out of a can
05:17and ended up opening
05:18for mainly Blue Zacks,
05:19B.B. King,
05:20Jeff Beck.
05:21I worked with Run DMC
05:22and Public Enemy
05:23and Rakim.
05:24And I got a chance
05:25to work with Walter Trout,
05:27Robin Trout,
05:29you know,
05:29some of the biggest names
05:30in rock history.
05:32And then I got signed
05:33by my first major deal
05:34in 2020
05:35and that's when
05:36we released Take Me Away
05:37and then the world opened up
05:38and we took off,
05:39you know,
05:39after going number one
05:40in 21,
05:41took off.
05:42Which was pretty amazing.
05:43It was crazy.
05:44I mean,
05:44that was crazy,
05:45you know,
05:45by like this new guy,
05:47you know,
05:47and had a number one
05:48rock single.
05:50Just wild.
05:51I mean,
05:51you've had such
05:52an amazing journey
05:53and I think it's made you
05:54the incredible artist,
05:55you know,
05:55and songwriter
05:56that you are today.
05:58And you worked
05:59on this record,
06:00the most recent record,
06:02with people like
06:03Scott Stevens
06:04and Marty Fredrickson
06:05and that whole crew
06:06who are great writers
06:08and great producers.
06:09Really,
06:10I say there are
06:11visionaries
06:12and executioners
06:13and you want
06:13to be around both.
06:15You know,
06:15you want to be around
06:15people who have the vision
06:17and then people
06:18who really know
06:18how to execute it
06:19and I think
06:19when you get together
06:20with those people,
06:21it just makes magic.
06:23So what was it like
06:23working with some
06:24outside people
06:25and giving them
06:26an insight
06:27into who you are
06:28as an artist?
06:28It was vulnerable
06:29and validating
06:30at the same time,
06:31right,
06:31because, you know,
06:32I opened up to them
06:34in a way
06:34that you have to
06:35if you're going
06:35to make good music,
06:36you know,
06:36and so they saw
06:37every four of me,
06:38the good,
06:38the bad,
06:39the ugly,
06:39the beautiful,
06:40the whatever,
06:41the complex,
06:42the complicated,
06:43it was all there
06:43on the table for them
06:44and they, you know,
06:46accepted me
06:46being these guys
06:47that have been
06:48in the game
06:48for so long,
06:49it wasn't anything
06:49that they hadn't seen,
06:50you know what I mean?
06:51Like, we've seen all that,
06:52we know about it
06:53and we embrace you
06:53with open arms
06:54on your journey
06:55to figuring out
06:55who you were going to be,
06:57you know,
06:57and so that was
06:58a beautiful experience
06:59and also validating
07:00the fact that like,
07:01here I am,
07:01this indie artist,
07:02I'd written all my stuff
07:02by myself to this point,
07:04right,
07:04everything I'd done,
07:05I'd written by myself
07:06with the exception
07:08of my first record
07:09and, you know,
07:10my first major record
07:11and so here I am now
07:13at the table
07:14with some of the biggest
07:14songwriters
07:15in the rock industry
07:16and I know what to do
07:18and I know how
07:18it's going to go,
07:20I know how songs
07:20should sound
07:21and we're talking
07:22on a level platform
07:24versus me going,
07:25what should I do here guys?
07:26Where are we going to go?
07:27You know,
07:27sometimes you get
07:27in songwriting sessions
07:28with newer artists
07:29and they just kind of
07:30watch you right around them,
07:31you know,
07:32because they're not really
07:32sure of themselves just yet
07:33but I walked in that room,
07:34I knew what I wanted
07:35to sound like
07:35and what we were going for
07:36and we were able
07:37to speak the language together
07:38and so it was very validating
07:39and the success is in the pie
07:42as they say,
07:42you know,
07:42the success is right there.
07:44I mean,
07:44you know,
07:44we produced two number ones
07:46together
07:46and a hit record,
07:49you know what I'm saying?
07:50Filthy was a great song
07:51and, you know,
07:52Chronicles of the Kid
07:53came out as one
07:54of the best records
07:54I've put out to date.
07:55Yeah,
07:55oh,
07:55absolutely.
07:56It's such a dynamite,
07:57amazing,
07:58amazing record.
07:59We got it in 2023
07:59and, you know,
08:00a ballsy thing for you too
08:02because when you were
08:03doing your musical journey,
08:04you had to like
08:05quit your job.
08:06You know,
08:07you were like a guy,
08:07look,
08:08everybody's got to make a living
08:09and you were like,
08:09you know what,
08:09I'm quitting my job
08:10and I'm doing this
08:12full throttle
08:13and,
08:13man,
08:14I'm so happy
08:15that it worked out for you
08:16because I can't think of
08:16anybody who's more deserving.
08:18Oh,
08:18I appreciate that,
08:19man,
08:19you know,
08:19and we just put our heads down,
08:20you know,
08:21and that's me and my whole crew,
08:22you know,
08:22we've been doing this now
08:23together for almost
08:24four years straight
08:25and,
08:25you know,
08:26there's been ups
08:27and there's been downs,
08:27there's been gains
08:28and losses
08:29and things like that
08:30but I'm so happy
08:31to just have a band
08:32and a crew behind me
08:33that understands
08:34the journey
08:34that we're on,
08:35the trajectory
08:36but more than anything,
08:37they give me their beliefs,
08:38they give me their imaginations,
08:39they give me their desires
08:40and I'm going to take them
08:42and turn them into reality
08:43for them
08:43and that's my job.
08:44Aaron Jones with us
08:45doing double duty,
08:46he's in the VIP,
08:48Aaron,
08:48I love you,
08:49thank you so much,
08:49it's so great to see you,
08:50it's always good to see you,
08:51TC.
08:52Always great to see you
08:53and let's rock some Aaron Jones
08:55live from WDHA's
08:56Rock the Rock,
08:57but see,
08:57I told you you'd be impressed,
08:58Mike Anthony.
08:59I'm taking away that.
08:59He's literally,
09:00he's literally speechless
09:03while Aaron's going
09:04through the journey,
09:05Mike Anthony's like,
09:06what?
09:07This is wild.
09:07Put out an autobiography,
09:09I'm telling you.
09:10What's funny is
09:10I have a buddy of mine
09:11who is a writer
09:12and he's actually working
09:13with some New York
09:14publishing company
09:14to try to make that happen too.
09:16Nice.
09:16My story,
09:16I have so many stories
09:17I can tell you guys,
09:18if we have more time,
09:18I can get into some deep stories.
09:20You gotta come by the station,
09:21hang out.
09:21Will you do that?
09:22For sure.
09:22Aaron Jones,
09:23live from Rock the Rock Fest
09:24at WDHA.
09:25Don't chill out.
09:26Awesome.