Two-Pack of New Songs: Re-Brewed

I have a new single up for sale in the Music section here. It features a pair of MJ songs from previous recordings of mine, re-recorded and re-issued in honor of the 20th anniversary of my moving to Denver and putting down my music and beer roots here. It's just $3 for both songs.

"One More Beer" is --to me -- the best song I've written and as fine of a healing-power-of-a-beer-in-a-bar song as there is. Okay, I said it! Written from firsthand band, beer-lover and last-call experience, the original version (just me and a guitar) closed out the acclaimed MJ & the PBPBs debut. It got some great airplay. It's become a regular in MJ & the GUs shows and my solo shows, and seemed like one worth a revisit.

"Match Made in Milwaukee" came about years ago in a Phoenix bar while I was telling a pal about the wonderful mutual affections for beer that my bride and I enjoy. The chorus nods to a great Jerry Lee Lewis song -- "What Made Milwaukee Famous (Made a Loser out of Me)" -- and may qualify as a "hit" song of mine. This new version features the rocking Great Unknowns and takes the songs to new and especially beer-friendly heights.

I hope you'll buy this single and these two new cuts.

To spread some extra joy (and a few bucks) around for the holidays, from December7-25 I'm donating two bucks from each sale of Re-Brewed to Reading Partners. I'm a reading tutor volunteer (go Cole Academy!) for the group, which helps low-income students improve their reading skills.  They are a fantastic group and need financial support and more tutors.

My So-Called Solo Career, New Song

Milestones are great for celebrating the past and improving the future. Having recently hit the 20-year mark as a Denverite (time really does fly when you’re having fun), I’ve been having some extra fun looking back on the adventure and blessings I’ve enjoyed here. Thank you very much Denver, Colorado and all of your fine people. Thank you Mrs. Jones for your grand “let’s move to Denver” idea.

But the milestone has also reminded me that I’ve wasted much musical time. I’m way behind in my solo-artist pursuit. I’m overdue on cutting loose a bunch of songs that’ve brought me much at-home pleasure but never seemed to fit with my band-backed sound. The songs are too sad, too angry or too goofy. Or I’m too chicken to put ‘em out there.

So I’m fixing that. Starting with a song now on my Music page that was a napalm set bomb -- deservedly so, perhaps -- the few times I ever played it live. “Heaven Knows” came about due to the murder of a 6-year-old girl in Boulder back in December of 1995, just a few months after I moved here. You know the story. Everybody knows the story.

Like so many others, I’m still amazed that -- despite all the attention the case got -- nobody was brought to justice for it. It also bugged me that nobody ever wrote a song about it. So here’s my humble part for remedying the latter (and far less troubling) of those two things.

More solo numbers are on the way. Don’t worry, most of them are much sunnier than this one. 

“Thoughts and Prayers “ for All of You

I have a new song available in the Music section. Very exciting. For me, at least! 

“Thoughts and Prayers” is a response to the terribly tired refrain that follows small problems and terrible events that require much more than that. Sure, the thoughts and the prayers are nice. I’m a believer and practitioner of both. But they’re aren’t near enough, are they? 

I hope you appreciate the song. I started it shortly after the shooting in Parkland, FL at Marjory Stone Douglas High School. 

What’s the key to a topical or “protest” song? Years ago I had the thrill of interviewing the legendary songwriter and rabble-rouser Utah Phillips. His wise take was that the best ones have a sense of humor and are not overly preachy. I hope I hit that tricky sweet spot. -- MJ

PS - Utah Phillips was one of smartest, punkest, most inspiring people I’ve ever interviewed. Read my piece on him at https://www.westword.com/music/state-of-grace-5065380 . RIP Utah.

My New Solo Recording

At last, my debut solo recording is available for you fine folks to buy and enjoy. Nothing to Cry About features six songs written and performed by yours truly. The songs stretch from my typical winking numbers to a personal protest number, a lonely blue boy ode, and optimistic songs for tough times.

This is my first solo disc. It feels downright liberating to have it done. I've been wanting to release a batch of bare-bones tunes for a while now. This recording is also my first step in a quieter, more stripped-down approach to playing music while landing Grammy awards and global fame. (Haha!)

The solo gig puts an unvarnished (and a bit nerve-wracking for me) focus on my songwriting efforts and singing, and songs that never seemed to fit my with-band pursuits. This solo approach also frees my ears from any more damage, while pushing me into a new but especially satisfying artistic discomfort zone. 

Each song link on my Bandcamp page has a few details on the song and the lyrics to the song. The songs are available in digital format and I also have a few Nothing to Cry About CDs available for old-school CD buyers like me.

I hope you dig this batch of songs. I hope you'll buy this recording. Each song was lovingly crafted by me in small batches, right here in Denver, CO. These songs were recorded in brilliant no-frills fashion by the mighty Kyle Jones of Sleeping Brotherhood Studios in Denver.

Alright, there's the latest news from me. I have a few gigs coming up in support of this CD, stay tuned for details on those gigs.

Marty Jones, Singer/Songwriter/Musician