Sunday, January 28, 7 p.m.
The Redstone Room, 129 Main Street, Davenport IA
Appearing locally on a national wintertime tour that takes the band from Iowa to Pennsylvania to its headliner's home state of Florida, the blues, funk, soul, and rock artists of JJ Grey & Mofro play Davenport's Redstone Room on January 28, the musicians' most recent album Ol' Glory described by NoDepression.com as a work of “boundless compassion and honesty” and “Grey's finest outing yet.”
Grey grew up in a small town 40 miles south of Jacksonville, and enjoyed several years wandering the world's beaches as a surfer before honing his skills as a guitarist and writing songs. While working a day job fixing air conditioners in the mid-'90s, Grey met Daryl Hance, a co-worker who played guitar, and together they formed JJ Grey & Mofro, earning a loyal following in the South for their gritty swamp-rock stylings.
The outfit's debut album Blackwater was released in 2001 and its follow-up Lochloosa in 2004, at which point the musicians established a growing nationwide fan base through constant touring and positive word of mouth, playing coveted spots on the festival circuit – including Bonnaroo, the Austin City Limits Festival, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – and opening for artists including Jeff Beck and Ben Harper. Since then, JJ Grey & Mofro hve released an additional seven albums plus the DVD/CD document Brighter Days, with 2015's Ol' Glory earning perhaps the highest praise of the blues rockers' careers; Glide magazine awarded the release nine out of 10 stars, and Blues Blast magazine called it “the band's biggest and best work yet.”
JJ Grey & Mofro's January 28 concert at the Redstone Room starts at 7 p.m., tickets are $37-40, and more information and reservations are available by calling (563)326-1333 or visiting RiverMusicExperience.org.
