Houston Jones, Joe Craven join in Americana concert at CVIC

Staff Reports

Carson Valley Arts Council presents the Houston Jones Band with special guest Joe Craven, Saturday at the CVIC Hall, 1602 Esmeralda Ave., Minden. Reception at 6 p.m., show begins at 7 p.m. Information, 782-8207.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at www.cvartscouncil.com/events

Houston Jones is a high-octane Americana quintet from the San Francisco Bay Area performing a blend of original folk, bluegrass, blues and gospel.

Houston Jones has played festivals in Telluride, Sisters, American River, the Millpond Festival in Bishop, Calif., where they swapped sets with Joe Craven, and were voted Best New Discovery and Best Vocalist at the Strawberry Music Festival.

Travis Jones, lead singer and rhythm guitarist, began performing as a child accompanying his mother on gospel tours in the South. He honed his soulful delivery as a child preacher in churches around his native Shreveport, only to throw down his Bible when he saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan.

Chris Kee plays bass, cello, and guitar, and has a degree in ethnomusicology from Yale, focusing on the music of Pentecostal churches. Kee is a regular conscript with Peter Rowan's Free Mexican Air Force, a long-time cohort of Telecaster wizard Jim Campilongo, and has performed with Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller, and at the Kate Wolf festival with Buddy Miller, Emmy Lou Harris, Shawn Colvin, and Patty Griffin.

Glenn Houston on lead guitars was the original guitarist and founding member of the Waybacks. Houston, who plays left-handed and upside-down, was voted 2009 Best Guitarist by the Northern California Bluegrass Society.

Percussionist Peter Tucker, who with Kee was in the original rhythm section of the Waybacks, has performed and recorded with Tim Hardin, Richie Havens, the Beau Brummels, Warren Zevon and Skunk Baxter.

Keyboardist Henry Salvia, a veteran of Detroit's club scene, has toured internationally with the Johnny Nocturne Band, and performed with Bo Diddley, Rickie Lee Jones and Big Jay McNeeley.

More at www.houstonjones.com

Joe Craven plays anything with strings attached: violin, mandolin, tin can, bedpan, cookie tin, tenor guitar, mouth bow, banjo, berimbau, balalaika, boot 'n lace and percussion instruments including animal bones, squeeze toys, cake pans, waste cans, umbrella stands, martini shakers and himself.

Craven was with the David Grisman Quintet for 17 years and played and recorded with Jerry Garcia, Stephane Grappelli, Maria Muldaur, Vassar Clements, the Persuasions, Psychograss, the Alison Brown Quartet, Darol Anger, Rob Ickes, Bob Brozman, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and Ken Nordine.

Craven has performed music and sound effects on commercials, soundtracks, computer games and several Grammy-nominated projects. More at www.myspace.com/joebobcraven