BROKEN RECORD

Picking up where he left off with the previous album Fading Flowers, Zach Jones’ Broken Record continues to showcase his musical diversity. While refusing to be pigeon holed into any single genre, Jones further explores themes of personal growth, past reflection and uncertainty about the future. With an encyclopedic knowledge of yesterday’s music and an awareness and appreciation for today’s, Jones combines the raw energy and style of the 60’s British pop explosion, from artists such as The Who and The Kinks, with the soulful expression of the American R&B that poured from Motown and Stax. While paying tribute to the music he loves, yet expanding beyond tradition in sound and arrangement, Jones has created a fresh musical melting pot of modern rock, pop, and soul.

 A step forward from Fading Flowers in size and intricacy of arrangements, at the heart of Broken Record lays Jones’ poetic songwriting and the energy of a live band.  Simple melodies, profound lyrics and infectious hooks teamed with the honesty and raw emotion of a live performance provide the foundation on which Broken Record is built.  The album opens with the up-tempo rocker ‘Let It Go’, blasting off as if it were Black Sabbath performing a song written by The Police and sung by David Ruffin of The Temptations. Jones then seamlessly transitions into ‘Empathy’, a soulful mid-tempo ballad that could almost be a lost Stevie Wonder gem.  Whether or not these two songs, with their two distinct styles, should belong on the same record is never a concern. Flowing naturally from one song to the next, Broken Record takes the listener on a musical journey of the unexpected, eagerly anticipating what might be next.  From the Brit-pop sounds of ‘When I’ve Got Time’ or the melancholy longing of ballad ‘If It Should Fall’, to the Queens Of The Stone Age-flavored punch of ‘Never Easy’, Broken Record brings a full listening experience that would feel just as at home spinning on a turntable as it does blasting through a pair of iPod ear buds.

 With Fading Flowers, Zach Jones announced his arrival as a new force of the independent power pop genre. Having previously established himself as a fiery lead guitarist and energetic live performer, on a seemingly endless tour of the United States as lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the pop/rock band AS FAST AS, Jones showed that he is also a skilled craftsman as a songwriter. With Broken Record, Jones continues to push the boundaries of pop music while embracing the integrity of the pre-auto-tuned era.

 FADING FLOWERS

Zach Jones’ Fading Flowers musically chronicles his journey of closing one chapter and starting over, reflecting on lessons learned while building a new life 3,000 miles from home.  Pulling from Jones’ real life experiences, this highly personal album manages to speak to larger universal truths, like the complexity of relationships and the challenges of facing new obstacles when youve only got yourself to rely on. With guitar-driven rock songs like the Foo Fighters-flavored ‘Easy Way Out’ or Kinks-esque ‘3,000 Miles’, to the soulful longing and loneliness of ballads ‘Back Home’ and ‘Sweet Insomnia’, Jones’ powerful, poetic, honest lyrics combine with passionate vocals and expressive rhythms to explore the highs and lows of starting anew.

Combining classic rock with vintage R&B grooves and power pop hooks, Fading Flowers explores themes of geographic and personal change based on Jones’ own move from Portland, Maine to San Francisco, California, where he found himself for the first time away from his network of friends, family and the comfortable predictability of home.  Often mirroring Elvis Costello’s rapid-fire vocal delivery, Jones sings Beatles-inspired melodies wrapped in Beach Boys harmonies and Motown soul backed with his distinctive guitar playing and a dynamic rhythm section to create a unique modern rock sound.

Having toured tirelessly as lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the band As Fast As, Jones is no stranger to the world of rock and roll. Along with his AFA band-mates, Jones has appeared on stages across the country at venues such as New Yorks Irving Plaza, Denvers Fillmore Auditorium and San Franciscos Warfield Theater opening shows for the likes of Maroon 5, OAR, Butch Walker, INXS, Gavin DeGraw, John Fogarty and more. With Fading Flowers, Jones makes his debut as a solo artist.