Rusty Jones

Songwriter/singer/guitarist, Rusty Jones, was a founding member of eighties one hit wonder group, The Monroes. “What Do All The People Know” was a national hit and can still occasionally be heard on *classic* radio stations. The 80’s are classic? In recent years, Rusty has developed a sound melded of blues, R&B, pop, folk, and some good ol’ rock n’ roll! Rusty is genuinely in love with music. There is a decided intimacy to his music that makes you feel like you’ve known each other for years. A staunch supporter of local music, he attends as many shows as he plays…maybe more. A true fan, with many fans of his own.

Rusty will be performing Sunday, Feb 21st for Mitch Feingold’s Songwriter’s Acoustic Nights series.

Swedenborg Hall
1531 Tyler Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
7:30 – 9:30pm $7

And now, the questions…

1. I know you have one, but what’s your day job?

I never talk about my day job, and I don’t like talking about the past much either, but you’re my friend, so I’m making an exception. The past is never as interesting as the present.

2. By now, everyone must know you were in the fairly successful 80’s group, The Monroes. What came after that? I mean in the sense of whether you took a long vacation from music, or kept trying to “make it” with another band(s), or…?

After the Monroes fizzled, I had a little home studio, and made a very half-hearted attempt to pitch songs in Los Angeles. My songs were terrible then, and I was very discouraged with the music business, and eventually gave up playing altogether. Instead I went back to school, had two kids, bought homes, and worked as an operations manager for a fortune 500 company. I also became a little bit compulsive about running! 10ks and 1/2 marathons. I really did not want to be in a “band” at that point. I had been in bands for a long time. Also, music was terrible in the late eighties…godawful. When the nineties rolled around, I started to perk up my ears.

3. Is guitar your only instrument?

Guitar is my thing. I actually do play bass pretty well, and really love doing it too! I can play chords and scales on the piano, and can compose a song, but I don’t have the chops to sit down and play a song straight through with out major blunders.

4. You’re always so well-dressed when I see you…have you ever appeared in GQ?

If you wear any kind of jacket, people think you’re dressed up!  I’ve always admired the old school jazz musicians, and rhythm and blues artists of the fifties and sixties, who always dressed very sharp for their performances.  Music is church for me, and it’s an honor to be able to share that experience with others.  Performing is always a special occasion, and God is always in the room.

5. What would you like to do, musically speaking, within the next year or 2?

I am going to make an amazing CD, with a rhythm and blues flavor. Surprise everybody with my electric guitar skills, and maybe hope to win an award or so! I am also going to have a very small combo that completely rocks! Something that is very fun to dance to, share with friends, download to your iPod, yet interesting to watch as well.

6. Has making music in San Diego changed all that much, environment-wise, from back in the day?

Music in San Diego is VERY different! The nineties brought two important things to music: a resurgence of acoustic music, and an explosion of serious female songwriters and performers. All the coffee houses and live music venues all around town made for a thriving “scene” locally. In my twenties there were two or three bars that allowed “original” bands, and you pretty much had to “pay to play”. Acoustic music was for old hippies who hung around music stores. All the musicians behaved as if they were in junior high–much posing and and stabbing each other in the back. I’m amazed at the local musicians today. In general, fantastically talented, supportive of one another, interested in their musical roots, and genuinely striving to make music that is artful and sincere. A lot of venues have fallen by the wayside, but many remain that are very committed to live, original music. To sum up: The music scene is FAR, FAR, BETTER now.

7. Ok…I just gotta know. What was Merv Griffin REALLY like?

I never met Merv Griffin, even though our record company paid him to have us (The Monroes) on his show. Not even a handshake! I met Rick Springfield though! As a matter of fact, I partied more than once, and in several locations with Rick, and his band too. I even got him a girl for the evening, but that was an accident…I thought she was interested in me, until we got to Trader Vic’s, and found I was merely a vehicle to get within striking distance of the real “rock star”, Rick Springfield.

You can find Rusty online at:

http://www.reverbnation.com/eplay/artist_346682
http://apps.facebook.com/reverbnation_fb/artist/rustyjones
http://myspace.com/rustyjonesmusic