Dennis Jones will be performing July 7 at the Levitt AMP Concert Series in Carson City.
Shake away the blues on Saturday with Dennis Jones. The blues musician from Los Angeles brings his band to Carson City as part of the free Levitt AMP Concert Series hosted by the Brewery Arts Center.
Jones is playing the series for the first time, but the band played in the area many times since it formed in 2003. Jones said he’ll have some fans traveling from nearby for the show and he’ll have some new music to share.
“We’re really looking forward to making some new fans and hopefully people will like what we do,” he said.
He describes his music as blues you can rock to.
“It’s really just American music — blues, funk, rock,” he said. “I like to write about things I know about and things I experience and just observe. At the end of the day, it’s the blues.”
When Jones first started touring, the band was opening for Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy and George Thorogood and Tinsley Ellis and then the band started to get headlining gigs. Since then, the band has played many notable blues festivals and shows across the United States and the world.
THE BAND
The band performs as a trio with Jones playing guitar, and he is joined on stage with bass and drums. Jones said he really enjoys having just three members on stage.
“There’s a lot of trios I just gravitated toward,” he said. “Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Joe Bonamassa — that’s always been my favorite form of music. I’ve played with horns and keyboards, but it’s something about the power of three.”
Jones is joined by Rob McDonald on bass and Raymond Johnson on drums. Jones has a long-standing relationship with Johnson, having played with him since around 2013.
“I liked his vibe and personality,” Jones said.
McDonald joined the band more recently, within the last two-and-a-half years. McDonald was committed with playing in other bands, but when Jones needed a bassist, things worked out and McDonald joined.
“I feel like this is the best band I’ve ever hand,” he said. “When everybody is good at their instrument, from my ears it is very satisfying, and I enjoy it.”
He said while the band plays very well together, they also get along off stage and have great personalities.
NEW ALBUM RELEASE
Jones released his album “About Time” on June 28 and will have the new songs to share in Carson City. It’s his eighth release on Blue Rock Records, Jones’ personal record label. He said he can’t wait to share the new music with new people and bring his older fans something fresh to the table that shows his growth.
“I’m really excited about it,” he said. “It keeps me going. It keeps my fans interested in what I’m doing, and you can see the process of me growing as a person and as a musician.”
He said he focuses deeply on the lyrics, but he leaves space for people to interpret their own meanings.
“Some songs are cut and dry,” he said. “Some you actually have to think about and how you translate it into what your life is about or what your experiences are.”
Jones’ goal is to connect with fans and give them a release from their day-to-day lives. He said the biggest compliments are from fans who come up to him after a show and tell him the music really spoke to them.
“They come up and say, ‘It feels like you wrote that for me; it’s exactly what I’m going through’ — and that’s the best compliment you can have,” he said.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Dennis Jones with opening act Moxy Ruckus at the Brewery Art Center’s Levitt AMP Concert Series
WHERE: 449 W. King St. at the Brewery Arts Center
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, July 7
MORE INFO: breweryarts.org; www.dennisjonescentral.com