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Okefenokee! (Sep 08)
On a little down time so I took a minute to go up to the Okefenokee swamp just outside of Folkston, GA. We've had a lot of rain so the swamp was looking top notch again with everything good and green. Only saw one gator but there was so much water that I figured we wouldn't see many of them since they would have more freedom to move about. The swamp also had its "A game" on with the snakes as I saw two rattlers (a pigmy and a 4 foot diamondback). This kept my long standing record of seeing at least one snake every time I've ever been there in the summer going. Chesser homestead was as beautiful as ever. Go if you ever get the chance.
more > News
JJ Grey & Mofro Hitting the Road in April!
JJ Grey & Mofro is hitting the road starting April 8th, 2010 in Greenville, South Carolina! Upcoming dates include festival plays at Tampa Bay Blues Festival on April 11th, Wanee Music Festival on April 16th, and a return to Tipitina's during New Orleans Jazz Festival on April 22nd. We are really excited to be back on the road so be sure to get your tickets and come join us at the shows!
3/29/2010 @ Blueberry Hill St. Louis, MO JJ Solo date
4/8/2010 @ Handlebar Greenville, CS
4/9/2010 @ Visulite Charlotte, NC
4/10/2010 @ Masquerade Atlanta, GA
4/11/2010 @ Tampa Bay Blues Festival Tampa, FL
4/14/2010 @ Rick's Cafe Starkville, MS
4/15/2010 @ The Bottling Company Hattiesburg, MS
4/16/2010 @ Wanee Music Festial Live Oak, FL
4/19/2010 @ Bourbon Street Bar Auburn, AL
4/20/2010 @ The Lyric Oxford, MS
4/21/2010 @ Soul Kitchen Mobile, AL
4/22/2010 @ Tipitina's New Orleans, LA
4/23/2010 @ Jupiter Tuscaloosa, AL
4/24/2010 @ Rites of Spring Festival Nashville, TN
more > Press
New York Times Review
Out of the Swamp, Dripping With Both Wildness and Cool
In the first few moments of Friday morning, J J Grey was in the middle of a lean, casually nimble guitar solo, sounding a bit like a young Jerry Garcia. His band, Mofro, had a lock on a sharply credible funk groove, playing “Ho Cake,” a tune from its 2001 debut. Some in the crowd at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza were reacting with gawkily un-self-conscious dance moves. For the moment Mr. Grey and his crew were doing a fine impersonation of a jam band.
For much of the previous hour, though, Mofro had delivered something murkier, deeper and more measured, if no less assertive in its rhythm. Mr. Grey, from Jacksonville, Fla., makes a loose derivation of Southern swamp rock, with undercurrents of Memphis soul. His songs chronicle ambiguous truths and unambiguous urges, occasionally lighting on a righteous cause.
The show’s biggest singalong was on “Lochloosa,” a wistful ballad inspired by the Florida lake and wildlife area of that name. “All we need is one more damn developer/Tearing her heart out,” Mr. Grey sang in his urgent drawl.
The set otherwise drew mainly from “Orange Blossoms” (Alligator), a sturdy album released last year. And, among other things, it suggested that Mofro has one of the great unhurried rhythm sections in rock, capable of heavy track-laying but comfortable with airy fluctuation. “Move It On,” a molasses-dipped entreaty, involved sinuous bass lines doubled on Hammond B-3 organ. “Higher You Climb,” a bitter scold of a song, featured a tersely chugging groove.
Mr. Grey’s bleary take on soul singing felt winningly uncontrived, and his rapport with the six other members of Mofro, including a two-piece horn section, couldn’t have been clearer. Every now and then, during one of his pithy guitar solos, he turned to exchange grins with Anthony Cole, a terrific drummer. By the show’s final encore, a rave-up gospel version of “Got My Mojo Working,” Mr. Grey was huffing hard through a harmonica while the band, loose but driving, flailed on.
Jambase Reviews Orange Blossoms
JJ Grey & MOFRO have been gradually making a name for themselves since the early side of this decade, and following this summer's release of their fourth studio album, Orange Blossoms, it looks like things are going to keep getting bigger and bigger for the front porch soul man from Jacksonville, Florida. The 2007 release of Country Ghetto saw JJ Grey's music break out into a larger audience with the help of quality promotion and a good deal of radio play. But with Orange Blossoms, it's starting to seem as though Grey and his MOFRO cohorts are finally being seen and heard with the crossover appeal they've held from the start.
Next Show
Bass Performance Hall - FORT WORTH, TX
What It Is! featuring Mavis Staples, Booker T. and JJ Grey. Thursday 3/25 more info >On Sale Now!
"intriguing and fortuitous... Grey's a songwriter with a sharp wit
and a knack for skewering the hypocrites, jive politicians and carpetbaggers who litter
the landscape. The MOFRO vibe travels freely among swamp funk, blues, rock and soul,
and does so with a certain down-and-dirty swagger that's as real as it is appealing."
(Billboard)
(BUY IT NOW)
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| more >>UPCOMING EVENTS | ||
| JJ GREY SOLO | ||
| Thu Mar 25 | Bass Performance Hall FORT WORTH, TX | |
| Fri Mar 26 | Paramount Theatre AUSTIN, TX | |
| Sat Mar 27 | The Meridian HOUSTON, TX | |
| Mon Mar 29 | Blueberry Hill ST. LOUIS, MO | |
| Tue Mar 30 | Krannert Center URBANA, IL | |
| Wed Mar 31 | Mission Creek Festival IOWA CITY, IA | |
