Today we’d like to introduce you to Ethan Jones.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ethan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Growing up, I’ve always liked music whether it be the intro theme song for DK 64 or music that my parents/brothers have shown me. There was always music playing in my house so it was something I have been surrounded by all my life. Up until the 10th grade, I had only listened to music casually. My Sophomore year is when I began my musical rabbit hole listening to artists like Snoop Dogg, A Tribe Called Quest, Common, and Kendrick Lamar. Ever since then I’ve been adding songs that I like to a playlist which now has over 1500 songs. My Senior year of highschool I started messing around on FL Studio and the first beat I produced “Fallin In” had high praise from my friends. Fast forward to the end of my Senior year I’m still making beats on FL, but I also decided to pick up guitar because I started to listen to more rock/pop music and I had always been interested in guitar in general. In my first semester at UH, I joined Coog Radio and Uncommon Colors and met other creatives who shared the same passion for music as me.
This helped me focus on what I really wanted not just with music, but also my future as well. The same semester I also started to work on my vocals as well as practicing and improving my skills on guitar. I had my first acoustic performance in the second semester and I decided after that that was my thing. I got introduced to Alex Barboza and Brandon Smith through mutual friends and we decided to put a band together for the upcoming Aloha event. We ended up loving it so much that we played shows almost every week at UH for the rest of the semester. When summer came, I was approached by Noah Jaskolski, who I knew from High School, to play lead guitar in his new band Moon Phase.
After talking to him about the band I decided to join and since then we’ve gone on multiple tours throughout Texas and other states. We’ve even released an EP titled “There’s Always a Little Discomfort”. Throughout my Sophomore year at UH If I wasn’t studying or playing with Moon Phase, I was writing songs on my guitar trying to put together an EP for an Indie-Jazz-Surf Rock project I want to start. Today I have finished all of the songs, the next step is just getting a band together and then playing shows/ recording.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve been very blessed in life with a great family and friends however, it hasn’t been perfect. When I was a junior in high school, I gained a lot of weight which did a number on my self-esteem. This led to me dealing with anxiety and depression. Before I had always been optimistic and outgoing but this was a bump in the road for sure. Through this part and even today music has helped deal with all kinds of issues and has provided clarity for me during tough times. Ultimately, this chapter in my life forced me to deal with my problems and bad habits in a real genuine way. At the end of my senior year of high school, I had started to force myself to eat healthier and exercise. Eventually, I lost the weight I had put on. This taught me the Invaluable lesson of staying disciplined, which I transfer over to all my crafts. Songwriting provides me with an outlet to express myself emotionally which helps when I’m feeling down.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
When I was making beats in FL Studio, I was primarily making Pete Rock and J-Dilla inspired 90s Hip Hop beats with some trap beats every now and then. During this time I released three beat tapes and a playlist of some beats I made after the beat tapes. Nowadays I write Indie-Jazz-Surf Rock songs. Basically take The Beatles, The Beach boys, Jack Johnson, and mix it with Jazz chords and progressions. The music also has a Swing to it like something you would hear when listening to a Doo-Wop song. The two bands that I’ve heard that sound the closest to the sound I’m going for is this band from Austin called The Irons, and a band from Massachusetts called Surfliner. The band Im currently in, Moon Phase, is a shoegaze 4-piece band comprised of me on lead guitar, Noah Jaskolski on rhythm guitar and vocals, Jake Cashion on Bass, and Andrew Reavis on Drums. The best way to describe Moon Phase to someone whose unfamiliar with our a music is that it sounds like Smashing Pumpkins but a lot more ambient. Recently we played a show with my older brothers bands called Illusion, and Ekulu in San Antonio, and that was a great moment for me personally with the band. Also our tours have been a blast! We get to meet great people across the US, see some great sights, and hear some rocking bands.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One that stands out right now is the Christmas of I think 2007. Me and my brothers were given Rock Band for Christmas and we were ecstatic. Me and my older brother Connor then proceeded to beat the entirety of Rock Band in that single day. It sticks out especially because I remember the next day, Connor told me that his foot was sore from hitting the kick pedal too much.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soundcloud.com/ethanxjones
- Email: ethanjones.wow@gmail.com
- Instagram: @ethanxjones_
- Twitter: @EthanxJones
- Other: https://ethanxjones.bandcamp.com/
Image Credit:
photos by ig- @thingsbyging and ig- @erick_hndzz
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