Ten years ago, when Ayron Jones and his group were first breaking in their take-no-prisoners sound at dive bars around the Pacific Northwest, they’d sometimes get hassled because they didn’t look like, in his words, “a usual rock band”.
“In certain parts of the country, people don’t expect four black dudes to get up and rock,” Jones tells Classic Rock, on the phone from his home in Seattle. “They expect us to do hip-hop or R&B. But those gigs really made my career what it is today. I’ve learned how to walk into a room, feel out a crowd and give them what they want.
“Based on age, demographics or whatever, my set-list will take on an image that reflects the people I’m playing in front of. And that still helps when you’re trying to win a crowd over.”
The 35-year old guitarist and vocalist’s dual appeal – amash-up of BB King-style bluesy fire and Stevie Wonder tender soul – has helped him win over
