Monday, April 9, 7 p.m.
Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel, 304 East Third Street, Davenport IA
Descibed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as the creators of “soul music that's so much of the old school that it might as well drive a car with fins,” Durand Jones & the Indications headline a Moeller Nights concert on April 9, the group's self-titled 2016 album leading Spill magazine to rave, “Jones absolutely dominates the songs with his powerful, soulful, and ever-evolving voice.”
A deep-soul revival band based in Bloomington, Indiana, Durand Jones & the Indications' frontman, lead singer, and songwriter was raised by the Mississippi River in Louisiana, and admits to having his life changed when his grandmother gave him an alto saxophone in his youth. After Jones graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, he headed north to Bloomington, where the nascent artist entered a postgraduate program at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. After performing with a saxophone quartet, Jones served as frontman for the IU Soul Revue, in which he musically collaborated with drummer/vocalist Aaron Frazer and guitarist Blake Rein. The trio eventually added bassist Kyle Houpt and organist Justin Hubler to form Durand Jones & the Indications, with the quinet performing and recording original songs inspired by classic soul hits, deep rarities, and contemporary revivalists.
Supported by the Colemine label, the Indiana musicians debuted in 2015 with the single “Smile” and followed it with 2016's Durand Jones & the Indications, which Dead Oceans reissued in 2018 with live material from concert engagements the band played in Bloomington and Boston. Dusty Groove called the resulting release “easily one of the best deep-soul albums we've heard in years,” while the Chicago Reader said of the ensemble, “It's a band that writes compelling original material and turns out ultra-fun, dance-filled performances at the club. If, like many folks, you’re missing the panache and energy of the late Sharon Jones, this Jones will definitely fill the void.”
Durand Jones & the Indications' April 9 concert at the Triple Crown Whiskey Bar & Raccoon Motel opens with a set by Christopher the Conquered, tickets to the 7 p.m. show are $12, and more information is available by visiting MoellerNights.com.
