JJ GREY SET TO RELEASE FIRST EVER LIVE DVD/CD, BRIGHTER DAYS, ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

JJ GREY SET TO RELEASE FIRST EVER LIVE DVD/CD, BRIGHTER DAYS, ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Alligator Records continues its 40th anniversary celebration with the September 13 release of Brighter Days, the first-ever live DVD/CD from the master of "front porch soul," JJ Grey and his band Mofro. Over the course of five studio albums and thousands of live shows in the U.S. and abroad, JJ Grey has emerged from the backwoods of Florida to perform on concert stages across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia. Now, with Brighter Days, the galvanizing power of a JJ Grey & Mofro concert has finally been captured on film and CD. The 78-minute CD and 2-hour DVD were recorded at Atlanta's Variety Playhouse in January 2011. The film, directed by musician/filmmaker Spookie Daly, intersperses captivating live footage with band interviews and insightful commentary from Grey and others, recalling classic "rockumentaries" like The Last Waltz.

The New York Times praised JJ's "balance of wildness and cool" describing his music as "Southern swamp rock with undercurrents of Memphis soul. His songs chronicle ambiguous truths and unambiguous urges," delivered by Grey's "winningly uncontrived vocals." Likewise, Billboard touted Grey's "world-beating blend of Southern rock, blues and Florida swamp soul." Singing with a passion and fervor directly influenced by his classic soul heroes, Grey's deeply personal original songs are steeped in the rhythm of his native home outside Jacksonville, Florida.

Shot in stunning HD and boasting 5.1 surround sound, Brighter Days finds JJ (vocals, guitar and harmonica) and his band - Andrew Trube on lap steel and electric guitar, Anthony Farrell on organ and piano, Art Edmaiston on saxophone, Dennis Marion on trumpet, Todd Smallie on bass and Anthony Cole on drums -- swimming in and out of thick grooves and hot, funky riffs. JJ prowls the stage, ripping notes from his guitar, singing with preacher-like conviction, telling stories overflowing with organic truths, breaking down the wall between audience and performer. "I've always felt that music opens the door," says Grey, "but we've got to walk through it together."

Born into a family with generations-old roots in rural Florida, JJ Grey was raised with a combination of backwoods wisdom and old-school blue collar values. He heard music on neighbors' front porches and in local juke joints, all the while developing a deep love and respect for the land and its people. Inspired by Southern rockers like Lynyrd Skynyrd, soul greats like Otis Redding and Toots Hibbert, country stars like George Jones and Jerry Reed, as well as by the street preachers and tent show revivalists who crossed his path, Grey's music touches on classic soul, gritty funk, sweaty rock ‘n' roll and front porch blues. His songs blend home-spun realism with undeniable swamp beats and R&B rhythms. Whether it is a narrative passed down to him from his grandmother or the tribulations of a childhood friend, Grey's ear for detail rings through in true storyteller fashion.

Debuting in 2001 with Blackwater, following up in 2004 with Lochloosa (both albums reissued by Alligator), Grey steadily built an intensely loyal following. In 2007 Grey released his Alligator debut, Country Ghetto followed by 2008's Orange Blossoms, further growing his already large audience. With the release of 2010's Georgia Warhorse, Grey stepped further into the mainstream, making an album Paste described as "understated elegance...soulful and funky." The Philadelphia Inquirer said, "Georgia Warhorse is warm and organic with blasts of hard-edged rock, Memphis soul and gutbucket blues."

Both as a film and a live concert CD, Brighter Days perfectly captures Grey's power as a writer, his passion as a vocalist and his mesmerizing stage presence. As old fans know well and new ones keep finding out, a JJ Grey & Mofro show is a joyous musical celebration shared between Grey and his audience, with each driving the other to greater heights. With Brighter Days and an overflowing tour schedule, the bond between Grey and his fans grows deeper as JJ Grey's future looks brighter and brighter with each passing day.

 

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