UK artist MT Jones makes music that feels like it exists outside of time, sounds from eras past converging with modern sensibilities. It evokes soul and R&B from the 60s and 70s coupled with tangible elements of the heydays of Motown. It feels rich, warm, authentic, like music you’ve known since you were a kid, that held you when things got hard as your world became bigger. After starting his career busking on the Liverpool streets as a kid, Jones recently released his debut album Joy and it stands as a testament to his talent and his fascination with sounds of the past. The album is smart, heartfelt and true, a work of art that makes you need to move in equal measure. On May 18th, Jones is stopping at Denver’s beloved Globe Hall for a show that’s sure to transport all in attendance to decades long past.
Denver Dive spoke with Jones ahead of the show about his musical origins, his love for the music, approaching creation with authenticity and more.
Denver Dive: I’d like to take it all the way back to the beginning. How did you first become interested in music? Do you have any memories growing up with music or any stories that come to mind?
MT Jones: My folks got an old second hand piano to put in the house and my dad plays a bit of guitar and loves music. As soon as we got it, I was pretty drawn to it. My uncle is also a great piano player and plays by ear, so he used to come round and play it. I was like, “I’d really like to do that,” so I started getting lessons and playing.
DD: How much did the music you grew up listening to influence the music you make now?
MT Jones: The radio was always on growing up, so I’d listen to whatever was on from a young age. I also got given a ripped MP3 CD that had every single Beatles tune on it. So I became pretty obsessed with that, and then started diving into American music while I was looking into who inspired the Beatles’ material. It was all the Motown, Stax and blues records from the states. Then the Ray Charles biopic movie came out and I loved that too.
DD: I imagine music took quite a hold on you, given your time spent busking. Tell me about first deciding to pursue music as a career, make it your life. What got you singing out on the streets?
MT Jones: I think it’s just the love of it. My friends and I all started busking as kids. We started a little band in school and couldn’t get gigs in bars or clubs because we were like 11/12 years old, so we just started busking to play in front of people and get some pocket money to buy instruments & hopefully eventually get gigs.
DD: Can you then tell me what brought the busking to an end and how you ended up touring with the likes of legends such as Lauryn Hill?
MT Jones: The busking kind of came to an end when we got a bit older and started doing more gigs in bars & clubs and things like that. I did all that stuff to earn money, so I could have a bit of time to focus on my own material. I started meeting new people, and playing with new bands & artists. I was playing as a session musician for a few people at the time. I played for Jalen Ngonda, as we were good friends, and he was releasing his first couple of songs. He got a chance to open up for Lauryn in Canada, so we went and played that gig. This was before I started releasing my own music. It was an incredible thing to do and experience.
DD: Your music has such a timeless sound not heard much these days, reminiscent of soul and R&B from the 60s and 70s. It has an authenticity to it and a warmth. You can tell how much heart you put into your art. What is it that fascinates you so much about the sounds of those decades long past?
MT Jones: Firstly, thank you. It’s just a sound I’m drawn to. I love the sonics, the band playing, and mostly the songwriting of that time. Real people playing music in a room together. But I equally love modern music too, there’s a lot of great music being made at the minute.
DD: What place does the sounds from that era have in the modern day?
MT Jones: I think there’s definitely a resurgence of styles happening at the moment. I feel like every genre has a space in the modern day.
DD: You released your debut full-length album, Joy, earlier this year. I find the album to be a very human work. It’s soulful and upbeat at times and rather devastatingly sorrowful at others. Yet, I find it to end rather quietly hopeful, the sun coming up after a long night. Personally, it felt like the idea of losing love but still treasuring the good times that proceed such a thing. Better to love and lose, if you’ll pardon the cliche. That’s just my interpretation but I’m interested, what are you trying to say on the album?
MT Jones: Thank you. For me, the album has a few themes. Love, loss and life’s ups and downs. It’s based on real experiences throughout my life. And, as it’s my debut, it felt relevant to have moments from across a few years. When I write, it’s based around feeling, so when I’m feeling a certain way, putting pen to paper seems like the best way for me to process things. So I hope when people listen to it, they can relate and it resonates with things they’re feeling.
DD: You’ll be coming to Globe Hall on May 18th. What can fans new and old expect from an MT Jones show?
MT Jones: A good time! I hope it makes you feel something. I love playing live, and it’s the most honest way I can present the songs.
DD: This next one is a broad one I really like to ask. Feel free to answer however you’d like. Do you have a philosophy when it comes to creation?
MT Jones: Keep it honest & real. I think if something is contrived, people can just tell.
DD: Finally, anything else you’d like to mention or anyone you’d like to shout out?
MT Jones: Thanks for having me!
Get tickets to MT Jones’s May 18th show at Globe Hall here!
