The Bones of J.R. Jones

The Bones of J.R. Jones

The Bones of J.R. Jones is the musical project of Jonathon Linaberry, an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from New York, born in central New York State in 1982. He works as a solo act and is associated with blues, country, folk and western sounds, with a style that also sits within alt-country, folk, blues and Americana.

Background and influences

Linaberry begins playing music at the age of six, when his mother requires him to take piano lessons, as she does with his brothers. He later teaches himself guitar and banjo. His songwriting and sound are shaped by old gospel hymns, blues musicians such as Son House and R.L. Burnside, and artists including The Carter Family and Tom Waits.

His songs draw on images and sensations from rural and domestic life, including apple orchards in the morning, wooden floorboards, the sound of boots, summer fans and early autumn in the country. His work is often described as combining folk elements with sorrowful lullabies and rough, blues-influenced material, with vocals that convey intimacy, loss and longing.

Live performance

In performance, he plays guitar and banjo alongside a kick drum and high-hat, and sometimes adds harmonica and kazoo. His live shows are built as a solo display of both musical and emotional range.

Thematic concerns

The songs deal with sorrow and hope, ideas of home and return, and what he describes as the more unsavoury desires and wants in life, including the “demons and devils” that haunt a person.