Alligator Records Prepares Label Debut from JJ Grey & MOFRO

Press release
Source: Alligator Records

Alligator Records has set a February 20, 2007 street date for down-home roots, rock and soul artist JJ Grey & his band MOFRO's new CD (and Alligator debut) Country Ghetto. Produced by Dan Prothero, Country Ghetto features 12 original JJ Grey compositions that come right out of the Southern musical and literary tradition. While his songwriting inspirations range from Bill Withers, Van Morrison, and Dan Penn, Grey's songs are always his own. JJ Grey and his band MOFRO exude rocking, funky, melodic, front porch realism in every song they play.

JJ Grey comes from a long tradition of Southern storytellers, and his songs oftentimes use the loss of his natural surroundings and the marginalization of the Southern culture he grew up in as a metaphor for universal truths. The band delivers his material with brilliant musicianship, resulting in music that is thought provoking, rhythmically dynamic and texturally mesmerizing.

Grey's ear for detail inhabits his songs, whether it is a story passed down to him from his grandmother or the tribulations of a childhood friend. His voice delivers them with an unflinching strength that makes the personal universal and paints a vivid portrait of an exact time or place with words and music. Like his songs, his rich, soulful vocals are forceful and commanding, seemingly old beyond his years. And the music, from smoldering soul ballads to gospel-fried funk to straight ahead rock 'n' roll, brings it all home with danceable grooves and a melodic freshness that will stay with you long after the album ends.

Grey's songwriting influences are widespread. "I listen to people who tell the story," he says, naming Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, R.L. Burnside, Tony Joe White, Jerry Reed, Otis Redding, Dr. John, Sly & The Family Stone, Van Morrison, Bill Withers and Dan Penn. What these writers and performers have in common is a love for simplicity, evoking complex emotions with a minimal number of words.

As a performer, Grey is influenced by the sexually charged blues of Howlin' Wolf, the country soul of George Jones and the hard funk of James Brown, as well as local personalities like street preachers and old time radio DJs. From the beginning, Grey's songs have been connected to his ancestral Florida homestead 40 miles outside of Jacksonville, a landscape he writes about with passion and devotion.

Back in 1986, Grey worked at an air conditioning company, where he befriended guitarist Daryl Hance. At the time Grey had a young, original band that needed a guitar player, so he gave Hance the call. Grey was immediately impressed with Daryl's minimalist approach. "Daryl plays like Curtis Mayfield or Peter Tosh. He plays like the older generation, with patience." Under the name of MOFRO (Grey's nod towards a lumberyard he worked at), they recorded a demo together, which drew the interest of a UK label. The two then flew to London in 1994 to record.

While in London, the deal collapsed. Deciding to stick it out for a while, Grey placed ads in Melody Maker for musicians and quickly put together a band to play in the local London music scene. They were courted by a number of record labels, but were not at all impressed by the seemingly false and unrealistic promises being offered. On his own, Grey researched and found Fog City Records, owned by Dan Prothero. The two hit it off instantly.

Returning stateside, Grey and the band - with Prothero producing - recorded Blackwater in 2001 (released on Fog City and named by Amazon.com as one of the best CDs of the decade). In 2004 - again with Prothero at the helm - they cut Lochloosa for Swampland Records.

JJ Grey & MOFRO's rabid following, through hard work, touring and undeniable musical prowess, grew quickly. A National Public Radio feature in 2001 brought JJ's music to more people than ever before. Doors at press, radio and venues opened across the country. JJ Grey & MOFRO performed at Bonnaroo, opened for Widespread Panic, Ben Harper, Galactic, B.B. King and Jeff Beck.

Word of their live show spread quickly, and bookings at festivals and concerts around the world increased, including jaw-dropping shows at The Austin City Limits Festival and The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The band continues to tour constantly, and will hit the road hard in support of Country Ghetto.

From gritty funk to juke joint romps to contemplative country soul to blistering rockers, JJ Grey & MOFRO occupy a distinctive space in the music world. And, like the best of the great Southern novelists, JJ Grey fills his stories and songs with details that are at once vivid and personal, political and universal. The songs and the music on Country Ghetto will make you smell the cypress trees, feel the hot breeze, taste the ho-cakes, and remind you that home is where the heart is.

Country Ghetto Tour Dates:
Feb 15 - Gainesville, FL - Abbey Road
Feb 16 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theater
Feb 17 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House Of Blues, Orlando
Feb 18-19 - Tampa, FL - Skipper's Smokehouse
Feb 20 - Tallahassee, FL - Beta Bar
Feb 22 - Charleston, SC - Music Farm
Feb 23 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
Feb 24 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
Feb 26 - Charlottesville, VA - Satellite Ballroom
Feb 28 - Townson, MD - Recher Theatre

Mar 1 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
Mar 2 - Philadelphia, PA - World Café
Mar 3-4 - Allston, MA - Harpers Ferry
Mar 9 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
Mar 10 - Sunrise, FL - Langerado Music Festival
Mar 14 - Baton Rouge, LA - Chelsea's Café
Mar 15 - Houston, TX - The Meridian
Mar 16 - Austin, TX - SxSW Music Conference
Mar 17 - Austin, TX - SxSW Music Conference
Mar 18 - Dallas, TX - Gypsy Ballroom
Mar 21 - Mountain Village, CO - Heritage Plaza
Mar 22 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up
Mar 23 - Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Mar 24 - Park City, UT - Mountain Town Stages @ The Canyons
Mar 24 - Park City, UT - Suede
Mar 27 - Flagstaff, AZ - Orpheum Flagstaff
Mar 28 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
Mar 29 - Hollywood, CA - Knitting Factory
Mar 30 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
Mar 31 - San Francisco, CA - Fillmore Auditorium

Apr 1 - Crystal Bay, NV - The Crystal Bay Club
Apr 5 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater
Apr 6 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
Apr 7 - Vancouver, BC - Richards on Richards
Apr 10 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater
Apr 11 - Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
Apr 12 - Columbia, MO - The Blue Note
Apr 13 - St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill
Apr 14 - Nashville, TN - Exit In
Apr 17 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
Apr 18 - Newport, KY - Southgate House
Apr 19 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
Apr 20 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues
Apr 21 - Louisville, KY - Thunder Over Louisville
Apr 26 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's

Jun 8 - Lawrence, KS - Wakarusa Festival

For more information, please visit www.alligator.com or www.mofro.net.

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