Ayron Jones and The Way

INTRODUCING SEATTLE BASED 3 PIECE URBAN ROCK GIANTS, AYRON JONES AND THE WAY....



Our very own Mark Wincott recently visited Seattle to take in the sights and sounds of a city that shaped his musical upbringing, whilst he was there the buzz was building around a band called Ayron Jones and the Way who were being touted as members of the Seattle Movement. Their album 'Dream' was purchased and transported back to the U.K for all to hear on the council estate.

Mark caught up with Ayron Jones from the band to chat about not having super powers, smashing up guitars and dining with Gandhi, here's how he got on....





Please introduce the yourself and the band and your music in one sentence....

I’m Ayron Jones of Ayron Jones and the Way and we play Urban Rock.



The band is called ‘The Way’ how did you come about choosing this name?

When I was young, I wanted to make a name for myself and find my way…. So I made a name for myself, and created a way.



If you could describe your music in the form of a fictional character, who would it be?

Batman because he’s the only superhero that doesn’t have any super powers…. He just is.



The Seattle music scene exploded around the world during the 90’s with bands such as Mother Love Bone, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden to name but a few, what in your opinion was it about them that seemed to touch the people that became their fans?

Those artists were real. They didn’t compromise their music to meet anyone’s needs. Instead, they expressed themselves from a place that we can all relate to, and that place is the heart.



Sir Mix A lot has called you 'the future of rock', how does that feel to have respect from a legend such as him?

It feels really good and also affirms that all the hard work we are putting in is paying off and we are going the right direction.



'Dream' has such an eclectic style, ‘When Will I learn' and ‘My Love Remains’ are two strong tracks, heavy and soulful, are you aware of how your music makes the listener feel? What do you think it is about your songs and music that allows the listener to 'tune in'?

In some respects, yes, but in others probably not. I am aware of how I felt when I wrote those songs, so I’m sure a lot of listeners can relate to that emotion. But everyone interprets songs differently, so I’m sure other people respond to certain songs in a way I cannot relate to. I express myself from a very human place and try to put that in my music. I play emotionally and energetically and in the end, that’s what we are all made up of—emotions and energy.






What is an AJ and the Way live show like? What would future fans expect to see?

I think fans can expect to see something refreshing. It’s wild, distorted, heavy, and beautiful – everything that Rock and Roll should be. And sometimes, we smash guitars and stage dive for the cherry on top experience.



In your opinion, what is the BEST album/record ever released and why?

That’s a hard question to answer, but if I had to chose I would say the best album ever released was Are you Experienced by Jimi Hendrix and the Experience. Because of the important role it played and influence in development of modern rock. Without him and that album, Rock wouldn’t be what it is today.



If you had a chance to put together your own ‘super group’, who would be in it? (only living members please)

Myself on guitar and vocals

Mike McCready on guitar

David Grohl on drums

Bernie Worrell on keys

Les Claypool on bass



What was the first guitar solo you heard that still to this day gives you chills?

Little Wing by Stevie Ray Vaughn



Who designed the artwork for your Album cover?

It was a photo taken by our manager that perfectly embodied our city and the attitude of our album.



What classic song would you have liked to have recorded and why?

I would love to record “Spanish Castle Magic” by Jimi Hendrix Experience because it’s a badass song that expresses the attitude and feel of where Jimi and I both come from, Seattle, WA but more specific, the Central District.



I recently had an amazing time in Seattle; I found the Stalking Seattle tour, where Charity showed us the memorable places, of bands and the musicians that had a huge effect on my teenage years. Who were your influences when growing up and now?

When I first started out, there were a lot of blues and classic rock bands because of it’s guitar heavy music from artists like Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble. The Experience was a big one too. But as I’ve grown, I lean more towards soul music and music of the grunge era…. Like Pearl Jam and Nirvana, of course. And also artists like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles.



You have fans in the UK, are there any plans for you to come to these shores? What would the process be to book a venue etc?

That is definitely a market and I would love to play to that fan base. But at the moment we have a year of touring Mid-West, East coast and the South and will see about getting out to the UK.

All it would take is getting a hold of our manager through our website.



‘Baptized in Muddy Waters’ is such a great track, how did the song come about? Also what music has “brought you to your Knees?” see what I did there?

That’s really funny, I saw what you did there! The song has changed meaning for me over time. I started writing it when I was 15 and so over time the song has evolved and changed. So what it means to me these days, is that I follow the beat of my own drum. ‘Baptized in Muddy Waters’ is about forgetting what everyone else wants you to be and being comfortable in who you are.



What do you feel makes a great role model for the kids these days?

Someone who can install in young people a sense of power to take control of their lives.



First gig you ever went to and the last gig you have been to?

The first show I went to was Incubus in 2002 and the most recent was Train and Michael Franti in Vegas this past October.



Where did you record your debut album ‘Dream’ and what made you choose that studio?

We recorded at Sir Mix-a lot’s house, believe it or not. Working at his home gave us unrestricted flexibility to record and be creative.



Name three people (alive, dead or fictional) that you would like as dinner party guests?

Bruce Wayne, Russell Wilson, Mahatma Gahndi



There are many good bands and musicians out there, who would you ask the readers of musicmuso to look out for?

Reignwolf, He’s a really dope guitar player out of Vancouver, British Colomubia. Another good friend of mine is Grynch and Sol, both eclectic rappers out of Seattle.



Do you think we can ever live in a world where a chicken can cross the road without having its motives questioned?

No, we won’t. Those are the kind of questions that make the world go round.



What are your plans for the remainder of 2014 and the beginning of 2015?

Resting, writing, and preparing for the next year. 2015 is going to be a really big year with lots of challenges to be conquered.





We thought it was only fair to fire a few quickfire questions at Ayron and see how he managed.....





Coke or Pepsi?

Coke



Spray on deodorant or Roll on deodorant ?

Roll on



Drum machine or the real deal?

Real deal



Mac or PC?

Mac



MMA or Boxing?

MMA



Taco or Burger?

Burger



Lemmy (Motorhead) or Ozzy (Black Sabbath)?

Ozzy



CD or Vinyl?

Vinyl



Recording studio or Live Show?

Live



Car or Motorbike?

Motorbike



Benaroyal Hall or The Moore Theatre?

The Moore



Acoustic or electric?

Electric



Shower or Bath?

Shower



Tattoos or Piercings?

BOTH!



Robert De Niro or Al Pacino?

RDN



God or Google?

Google





We'd like to thank AJ for taking time out of his busy day to read through our questions, we wish him and 'The Way' every success in 2015 and maybe, we might see him in the UK before long, fingers crossed! Please spend a few minutes taking a look through the band's social media pages, they're all listed below, just point and click, I promise it won't hurt a bit!



Interview by Mark Wincott - Music Muso

The band gets interviewed for national publication The Hype Magazine - The Hype Magazine

Ayron Jones and The Way performed four songs at KINK FM's Bing Lounge. Check the links below:

http://youtu.be/VvaNdbCIGDs
http://youtu.be/n5SeR0QE75o
http://youtu.be/UJNs4FFuS1I
http://youtu.be/oSutMKI_Ox0
http://youtu.be/yUQQYqBxkPk

http://kink.fm/bing-lounge/ - KINK FM- Bing Lounge in Portland

Los Angeles based Amoeba Music has a blog that did a tour preview and video posting for My Love Remains - Amoeblog

URB did a video posting and tour preview - URB Magazine

Ayron Jones and The Way did a live in-studio performance on KSPN's Kitchen Concert series in Aspen, CO. - KSPN Kitchen Concerts

Ayron talks about his upcoming show with BB King - Seattle Magazine

Ayron interviews with Greg R and does a live acoustic performance - 107.7 The End

Ayron interviews with Josh Kerns, talking about the album and an upcoming show opening for BB King - Seattle Sounds

University of Washington's Daily News crew interviews both Ayron and Sir Mix-a-Lot - UW Dailly

Ayron Jones is a crazy-good guitar player. Recently he and his band teamed up with Anthony Ray – better known as Sir-Mix-A-Lot – to put out the band’s first full-length. The Monarch had a chance to catch up with Ayron and talk about the process of putting together this new highly-anticipated record.



Andrew Harris: Over the years, you seem to have built your following in the more traditional fashion by playing basically everywhere you can. Was that a conscious choice?

Ayron Jones: It was just about getting as much exposure as possible. When I started this thing I didn’t really think about how, I just knew what I wanted it and just went for it.

AH: When you started, did you want to be a rock star?

AJ: Absolutely yes. I’m trying to go big.

AH: As the modern definition of success has shifted away from a major label signing and gone more towards the self-promotion model that doesn’t require a record label, has your idea of success shifted?

AJ: Yeah, I think it definitely has even in the last five years. Watching people like Macklemore come up and basically just say to the record label, ‘You’re going to work for me,’ rather than the other way around, and then watching people gain more and more popularity basically on their own without the help of labels has been interesting. I’m leaning more towards the indie route, but I’m not really holding out for a label to approach me. I mean, if someone approached me with the right deal, I’d definitely consider it, bur the bigger goal is to try and bring more attention to Seattle Music. My hope is to start a new label, and after we’ve gotten there we can bring more attention to people in Seattle.

AH: It sounds like you want to be far more than a rock star…

AJ: I do, but my main objective for my music is the people. For instance, this album coming out was created as a gift to the world, and I hope people receive it as a gift, because that’s the thing that I can give them. In the long, run, the goal is to help talented people get where they need to go. There are countless people in the Seattle music scene that are more than talented to compete at the national level, but they don’t have the resources to make it there. The unfortunate part of living in Seattle is that we aren’t a media mecca like New York or L.A. We’re up here in the corner without the resources that they have, so the long-term goal is to provide those resources to people from Seattle that need to be heard. Right now I’m at the first step, and I’d like to be someone that artists can look at as a beacon and something to look up to as someone that’s made it.

AH: I’ve talked to many bands that are at that same place, where they’re about to break in a big way, and they’re all saying the same thing, that they’re trying to bring everyone else with them. Are there local artists that you’ve talked to on the way up that have had the same plan?

AJ: There’s a really great artist from Colorado that lives in the NW named Kara Hasse who is amazing, and I’ve been talking to her about how hard it is to find those resources here. I’ve been lucky enough to play with some national acts and go on tour and really see how different it is out here in Seattle.

AH: The music that you play lends itself to improvisation and a lot of space within the structure to take it in different directions, and the chemistry between you and your band is palpable. There’s no doubt that you can all follow each other in whichever way is necessary. How do you capture that flexibility into the very structured environment of the studio?

AJ: That has been the challenge of the last three years; how do we bring our sound into the studio? We recorded this album a few separate times, and when we started working with Anthony [Ray] (aka, Sir Mix-a-lot) it really took that long to nail down that formula that was really working for us. It was definitely hard for Anthony and us to sit in the studio to figure it out, and on top of all that, we changed drummers midway through the album, which was tough. The chemistry really helped, though. Where most people would take a longer time to lay out a bunch of different songs, we went in and were like, “We only have four hours in here” and we had to get it done. Most people would take several days to lay down so many songs, and it took us four hours to lay down eight songs, and that comes from knowing each other as well as we do, as well as knowing our music that well also.

AH: It sounds like you insist on a very high quality product. Is that the reason that it’s taken so long to get a full-length major release out?

AJ: Basically, it’s about resources. Luckily, I was able to come across a group of people that were really into us and offered their services to us. That has been the greatest blessing; people seeing us and believing in us and wanting to be a driving force in where we want to go.

AH: You are getting a lot of recognition, with your win at the Seatt - The Monarch Review

Ayron performs solo acoustic, and interviews with Sir Mix-a-Lot - New Day NW

Interview with Ayron and Sir Mix-a-Lot - The Seattle Post Intelligencer

Interview with Ayron and live acoustic performance on KOMO News Seattle - KOMO News Seattle

Album review of 'Dream' by The Seattle Times - The Seattle Times

"Ayron Jones elevates his game at Neumos"

Concert review by The Seattle Times for the sold-out album release party with openers Sir Mix-a-Lot and Tomeka Williams. - The Seattle Times

Ayron appears on The Bob Rivers Show. Sir Mix-a-Lot phones in. - The Bob Rivers Show

The Seattle Weekly does a feature music article about Ayron Jones and his album release. - The Seattle Weekly

Channel 5 in Seattle did a great piece about Ayron Jones on their Evening Magazine show. - Evening Magazine

Ayron Jones and Sir Mix-a-Lot debut the first single from the upcoming album and discuss it in an interview - Seattle Sounds

Ayron Jones (pronounced A-Ron) found his current stage the old-fashioned way. Playing shows, playing more shows, and then playing still more shows. It didn’t matter where it was or whether there were 5 people or 500. People would see him at these shows, and then once all the hairs on the backs of their necks returned to normal, they told their friends, who told their friends and, you know the rest. Very few YouTube videos are out (and only one official) and their full length studio album has yet to be released. It’s one of those, let the music speak for itself kind of situations (that is actually working), and on behalf of no one in particular except myself, I’d like to say THANK GOD!! I find this kind of organic buzz refreshing and exciting and hopeful for someone who does not identify as a music media tech savvy or insider-y person.

I just like music. I grew up in a Seattle garage band house on rock, blues, reggae, hip hop and funk. I listened to The End, watched MTV, wore Doc Martens and plaid shirts. The first time I heard Ayron Jones & the Way (with DeAndre Enrico on bass & Kai Van DePitte on drums) my inner 12 year old self started to jump around and look for the Manic Panic. But enough about me.

About a year and a half ago another Seattle native who needs no introduction, Sir Mix Alot heard about Ayron from a friend too and though he probably didn’t think about reaching for semi-permanent hair dye, he did see enough to sign on as producer of his first full-length studio album.

“What I see with Ayron Jones & The Way, I see the resurgence of Seattle and I mean from an artistic perspective. I think 20 years from now I’ll be proud to say I worked with them. You know when these guys are old and grey, they’ll still be crankin’ out hits. I never produce stuff just for money, I produce because I love it so I had to be a fan of the band first and that took about 15 minutes. Seriously.” – Sir Mix Alot

Ayron Jones and The Way @ Dick's Drive-In 60th Anniversary

The first thing that struck me when I spoke with Ayron last Friday was how he first appeared a bit quiet or shy until the moment he spoke. I saw it in the video too. It opens and you can barely see his face and at the close again he’s soft spoken with his head down, but the song, is anything but soft.


In conversation, he enunciates with the speedy enthusiastic articulation of someone enjoying the flavor of legitimate traction on their dreams without wanting to lose any of it. He’s confident but humble, calling himself “accidentally artistic”. A natural leader and businessman as well as artist, which let’s face it is critical to professional success. A career can not be sustained on talent alone anymore than a relationship can be sustained on love alone. Ayron gets it. He gets it, and he wants you to get it and his music too. He’s taken a lot of time to craft his upcoming release deliberately and masterfully.

“I see myself as the leader of a ship, the captain, and I’m going to continue to lead my group to greatness. We’re going as far as we can go.”

Ayron Jones and The Way @ Dick's Drive-In 60th Anniversary

Tomorrow Ayron will play a solo unplugged set of original material and covers at LUCID at 9pm with no cover. I can’t predict the future, but I really believe the opportunity to see him in venues like LUCID for free, a few feet away, where the gravelly conviction of his voice and the exhilaration of his guitar doesn’t use or need a bunch of amps to thump the insides of your chest and give you chills are going to be a hell of a lot harder to find after this album comes out November 2nd.

But hey, you don’t have to take my word for it. The way Ayron works, one of your friends is bound to let you know soon anyway. - Artists for Aritsts

Ayron interviews with Chris Burlingame from Seattle music blog Another Rainy Saturday. - Another Rainy Saturday