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TomAroundTheWorld Writes for:
TOOL & DIE Magazine
Music, Motorsports & More

Tool & Die Magazine is a locally owned bi-monthly 'zine founded by Chuck Kahl (Bassist of Brand New Sin) and Bob "Hop" Hopper. Tool & Die covers many areas of our Rock & Roll culture from music and bands, to street machines and dirt sports, including the people who build and use them. There will be news, humor, opinion sections, as well as reviews of food and places to eat, places to go, and underground art.
Everything about Tool & Die Magazine ROCKS! From the heavy glossy paper, the full color photos, and excellent layout to the funny cartoons, smokin' centerfolds, and interesting articles, everything is top notch!
I was honored when Chuck approached me about writing for Tool & Die. My first assignment was to interview the legendary Jeff Jones in issue #5.

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This article originally ran on page 17 in the March/April 2009 Isssue, but to give Tool & Die the exclusive for their Magazine,
I agreed to wait until the newest issue came out before posting this one on my site. Enjoy.
- Tom

Jeff Jones: Building a Legacy One Song At a Time
by Tom Carpenter - www.TomAroundTheWorld.com

If you are involved in any aspect of the Syracuse music scene, you know Jeff Jones.
As a veteran of the scene, I have known Jeff Jones on many levels; first as a fan, then as a peer, and eventually as a friend.
When I moved back to Syracuse in 1987, Jeff fronted the band Dracula Jones. They were THE band in the Syracuse scene. I saw my first show three nights after returning and was an instant fan.
Jeff Jones was every inch a rock star. He had the rock star look, the rock star moves, and a seemingly endless supply of good, catchy songs, and an equally long line of beautiful women. (Honestly! He must write at least six songs while taking his morning shit and it's hard to date a woman in this city he hasn't already slept with.)
A few years later, with the Born Again Savages, I often shared the stage with Jones, both solo and/or any one of his various bands such as Drac Jones, Pale Green Stars, and The Ghost Monkeys. I was personally honored to be considered one of his peers.
Through many years of shows, parties, and even working together, Jeff Jones and I have become friends. So, when I was approached to do this article I was excited.
I met up with Jones at MoleTrax, the new 24 track analog recording studio that Jones and his partner in crime, Jeff Moleski, have built, tucked away off Midler Ave. in Syracuse.

"It's kind of like my fortress of solitude, Tom. I like to come here in the morning. I meditate. I light some candles. I got a yoga mat I throw out. I do a little downward dog, a little crouching swan… and then I get my jimmy waxed by some whore around the corner, and we get it on… you know. Time to make the rock for the kids."
Syracuse post-punk prog band Undergang (myspace.com/undergang13) recorded their latest CD at MoleTrax with killer results. The song "Not Typical" placed 5th in the nation for Hard Rock (Jan. 2008) and "Conqueror" placed 9th in Punk/Ska/Rockabilly (Oct 2008) on OurStage.com. Not too shabby for a new studio's debut clients.
(For more info on MoleTrax: www.myspace.com/salvadordalisorgyclub )
We cracked open a few beers and I asked Jones what he wanted to talk about. He informed me that he didn't want to talk too much about the past because he was focused on the future.
I asked Jones what he thought of the fact that so many of the clubs in Syracuse aren't doing live music anymore and what could be done to help it progress.
"I love this city. And I love being part of the energy. Everything happens in central New York. And I like building a legacy of what we're doing, you know. Performers better evolve and start having a better, more entertaining show."
And Jones speaks the truth first hand. Many new bands could learn some hard lessons from him. As he tells it "I had few great years" but for a while things got really dark.
"I was addicted to narcotics for five years. Honestly. That's the fucking truth. From pretty much like1999 to 2004 I was a useless piece of crap. I fucking ruined my voice, it tore up my throat and larynx, and it made for an unstable situation. I think people were like 'what will he do next?' because my head was just not anyplace near normal for a long time.
It took me getting rid of pretty much every person I hung out with, every place I went, and everything that was normal in my life. I had to fucking ax it off. I had to go live by myself and just get away from it all. It was one of the hardest battles I have ever fought…getting away from that kind of thing and moving myself in a direction where I could function during the day. But I think a lot of that stems from having bands and situations not work out and… you know…I guess this is how it goes."
But Jeff Jones was never one to be kept down. He fought against his addiction, cleaned up, and moved forward again in many creative ways.
"It took me two years to get out of that. I had to dig a really deep tunnel to get out from underneath that stone. But coming out of that I think you can see what we have been able to create at The Gear Factory down on Fayette and Geddes Street."
For those that don't know, The Gear Factory is a huge old warehouse that has been turned into practice spaces, art studios, and gallery spaces.

"I mean, me and the guys that own that place have created a bunch of spaces. Right now that is where I'm at. I am in the middle doing of this record and building things down there... We have pretty much got this to a point where we can do something with it."
Besides building a studio and working at The Gear Factory, Jones keeps busy with music.
"Right now, I actually have about three bands. I think I might have four bands, but really three bands, solid bands. We have The Legendary Jones Gang. Mole and I have a band called Hillbilly Theatre where we do the vaudeville show at the Dinosaur. We dress like hillbillies. We come out, we tell Hee-Haw style jokes…"
"Except with a lot more filth!" interjects Moleski
"…And then, I have a brand new band that we just started called Blood Hammer. And it's basically the heaviest songs that I have ever written. And we do a couple covers, like we do Lil' Wayne's "Got Money", but we play it in a Dracula Jones "Real World" style."
The Legendary Jones Gang is currently working on their newest CD and I asked Jones what it was like and this is what he told me: "It sounds like a monkey… no, two monkeys, one playing guitar with a hacksaw, another with a microphone… only he's got that microphone stuck up his ass. Unfortunately, he's got that thing up his rectum."

Jones and Mole played me a few of the new tracks and it was possibly some of the best stuff Jones has ever recorded. Production values were great. Ripping guitars, solid rhythm section and Jones' signature vocals combined with excellent lyrics make for material that is very listener friendly and will have you singing along in no time.
But don't take my word for it, learning about new music by reading about it is like making love by mail…Go check it out for yourself on the band's MySpace page: myspace.com/thelegendaryjonesgang. (Tell 'em TomAroundTheWorld sent ya!)
As a final question I asked Jones if he had to pick one moment of his entire career that was his favorite, what would it be?
"I would have to say probably in third Grade; the very first time I sang in front of a room of 200 people. I sang solo as some part of a chorus thing. I sang in front of a whole cafeteria of family, and kids' parents and whatnot. When that concert was over, I stood outside in the hallway; so many people stopped to talk to me…it changed my whole life. From that moment forward, all I really wanted to do was sing in front of people. I mean, we played hundreds of shows with Dracula Jones, but that moment in particular; it's always with me. Right then I realized I had a talent for doing something entertainment-wise."

In The May /June Issue od Tool & Die, I Begin a Multi-Part History of The Lost Horizon.
DO NOT MISS IT!!!