Bodhi Jones' Bones album release party with special guests from the Peak Performance Project, tonight at St. James Hall at 8 p.m. Tickets $15 at the door (19+ show).
Singer/Songwriter Bodhi Jones had all but given up on music until a complete stranger reached out to him.
"In my darkest moment a businessman with no relation to the music industry contacted me through my website," Jones says.
At the time, Jones was struggling to make sense of the business side of the music industry. He had announced on his website that he was going to walk away from music entirely.
"It costs so much money to make a proper record and promote it and tour," Jones says. "I just couldn't see how that was going happen in terms of taking my art to the next level."
That's when Andrew Jappy, an executive at Canaccord Financial, did what is almost unheard of these days. He offered to back Jones' musical project without forcing him to sign a contract.
"We met up the next day and hit it off and we've been together ever since. It is pretty amazing. He's been helping me out so much," Jones says. "I am going to make the most of every moment of my music life. I'm just going to work my ass off and have fun with it."
Jones just recently released that musical project, his fifth solo album titled Bones to iTunes. The Salt Spring Island native will be holding an official CD release party tonight at St. James Hall.
"Bones took me two years to write and six months to get into my hands from the recording process," Jones says.
Prior to releasing the album, the alternative-poprock artist had been stymied by some difficult personal issues.
"I went back to school and tried to become a social worker but it just did not feel right," Jones says. "The only thing that made me feel better during hard times was writing and music."
Jones has also put out a music video for his new song "Drink Like The World's Gonna End." (youtu.be/U_FS_pSTu94) The timelapsed video consists of more than 10,000 photographs and was filmed at the corner of Granville and Broadway. Jones was required to stand in the same spot for 12 hours while the shooting took place.
"I honestly didn't think I was going to be able to make it through it," he says. "I kind of lost my mind after about eight hours of doing it."
Jones was born on Salt Spring Island. When he was 10-years-old his mother moved him and his sister to Vancouver.
"I was mostly outdoors, building forts and playing in the river or the lake. I was always outside," he says. "Then I went from being always outside to being always inside when I moved to Vancouver."
During his pre-teen years, Jones experienced a strange illness and was often sick. It was during those dark moments that he developed a passion for music.
"I think it was probably just stress and anxiety because doctors could never diagnose it," he says. "I was generally just feeling like crap because I didn't want face my realities so I tried to stay home as much as I could. It was kind of a perfect storm, feeling isolated and down."
That perfect storm coincided with the grunge music scene becoming increasingly popular. During his senior year, Jones along with a friend formed the band Rider Jones. Over the next three years, Rider Jones released five albums and began busking on the streets of Vancouver to make money.
Jones began a solo career shortly after leaving Rider Jones. He reverted to busking on the streets of Vancouver as a way to make a living.
"I think a lot of people think it's begging or whatever but I like to think I take it to the next level. I have a nice setup with an amp, a battery and a microphone," Jones says. "The tips aren't huge because I don't talk to people or hustle people. I just play my music and try to make connections through my music."
For the past five years, Jones has been busking at the corner of Robson and Burrard. During a typical four hour shift he says he can make anywhere from $200 to $400.
In eight years of busking, he has sold more than 25,000 albums.
"This might sound crazy but I don't listen to music," he says. "I don't because I do not want it to influence what I am doing."
Jones likes to write music for people who are going through tough times can relate to. He says he tries to keep things simple and that he wants people to understand what he is feeling at the time.
"I think mostly I write to connect to people who are down and out. I tell them it's going to be okay and that we're in it together."
In 2009, Jones was selected as Virgin Radio 95.3 Best of BC Artist of the Month.
"Every time you get validated it is like Christmas morning. It keeps us going," he says. "It keeps us alive as musicians because you get self-doubt in your head and wonder what you're doing and so any time you get something like that is amazing."
For more information on Bodhi Jones visit bodhijones. com and follow him on Twitter: @BodhiJones.
