The virtuoso musicians in Houston Jones have accumulated several lifetimes of experience – from gospel revival tents to Irish pubs, from the Great Plains to the bayou, from a church in Cape Cod to a punk club in Berkeley – and somehow they translate all that experience into an explosive blast of bluegrass with echoes of blues and country, honky tonk and funk. The San Francisco Chronicle describes the band as “a confluence of sublime talent.”

Lead guitarist Glenn Houston co-founded the Waybacks and Hearts on Fire, and won the award for Best Guitarist from the Northern California Bluegrass Society in 2009. He plays left-handed and upside down, though he looks right-side up when you see him. Lead singer Travis Jones, who also plays guitar, grew up on blues and gospel in Shreveport, Louisiana, then saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and left his Bible behind. Rolling Stone has described drummer Peter Tucker as “one of the most creative percussionists to emerge in rock music.” He’s recorded with Richie Havens, Warren Zevon, the Beau Brummels, and authors Amy Tan, Steven King, and Norman Mailer. Chris Kee, on stand-up bass and cello, earned a degree in ethnomusicology at Yale and has played with Peter Rowan’s Free Mexican Air Force and Telecaster wizard Jim Campilongo. Pianist Henry Salvia escaped Detroit, and since then, it’s all been gravy. He’s played with the Johnny Nocturne Band, Bo Diddley, Rickie Lee Jones, and Big Jay McNeeley. Special guest Stevie Coyle, former front man of the Waybacks, is known for his spot-on guitar playing and quirky, insightful songs. Guitarist Joe Pomianek, also known as Glenn’s son, glides through the band’s burning tempos like a hot knife through butter.

Add it all up and you’ve got a foot-stomping, heart-thumping extravaganza of acoustic mayhem that’s worth checking out.

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