About 4th Avenue Jones
4th Avenue Jones is a band that has
consistently pushed the boundaries of its sound—a groundbreaking blend
of rock, soul and hip-hop influences with energy reminiscent of the
glory days when music was art and innovation was king. The 4th Avenue Jones' 'Hiprocksoul'
is a flavor that defies conventional songwriting with a combination
of energy and precision as found on their incredible new album due out
March 2005 entitled Stereo: The Evolution of HipRockSoul
(Lookalive/Gotee/EMI). Frontman Ahmad Jones calls the project "an
optimistic celebration of music, and its ability to help quench our
despair."
4th Avenue Jones was conceived by Ahmad Jones, known to long time Hip Hop fans as Ahmad. His 1994 platinum single "Back In The Day" thrust him into
the national spotlight at the age of 18.
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Ahmad decided to
abandon his solo career and form his own label, Lookalive Records. He
set out to bring together a dream team of gifted musicians who were
committed to the art of music. "It was my goal to create a situation
that enabled us to make the music we loved on our terms, and be
treated fairly in the process," he explains. "In the band we feed off
one another's influences and are always introducing each other to
artists we dig, like Tribe Called Quest, Depeche Mode, Public Enemy, The Cure, Rachmaninoff, Sibelius, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead,
and almost every artist that ever appeared on YO! MTV Raps. We work
things out in a collaborative way—it's a lot more fun than being a
solo artist."
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Inspired with a vision of things to come
Ahmad enlisted a roster of amazing talent that would position the
group for refinement and growth: his wife, Tena Jones, blessing the
vocals, Tim Stewart aka “Timmy Shakes” joining on lead guitar,
the amazing Gailybird on violin, “Phat” Albert Parker on bass, and
Derrick “Dee” Calloway on drums. The collaboration ensured
consistent, invigorating performances, and set the pace for the next
phase of their careers together. “Our chemistry shows that we are
authentic about who we are and what we do, and people appreciate
that,” says Tena. “People who support our band know we are always
going to give it 100% in terms of our energy on stage, as well as our
preparation beforehand.”
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“The mixture of musical genres
we cover while maintaining our own style gives us the ability to
reach a wide array of people,” Timmy Shakes says. “I think we just
need to continue to make music that's from the heart, because people
are hungry for that. What we are doing is different but it's still very
relevant.”
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With their globally appealing sound and
amazing live show, 4th Avenue Jones is creating a diverse and loyal
following of supporters who don’t mind ‘keeping up’. “We will never
stop wanting to improve,” says Ahmad. “There is no place we will
‘arrive’ and feel satisfied musically. The journey itself is the best
part of the process.” Gailybird concurs: “At this point, I feel the
strength of 4th Avenue Jones is resilience. We are not so set in our
ways that we feel we have to control every step of our lives. Being able
to overcome challenges, standing out when appropriate and pulling
back when we need to. That’s what has made us what we’ve become as a
band.”
To check out the band’s music visit No
Plan B (1999), Move On (2002 - SINGLE), Respect (2000 - SINGLE), and
the Evolution of Hiprocksoul (2005).
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