JJ Grey & Mofro
Growing up in the swamplands of northern Florida, JJ Grey became a realist early on. "You fall in love with a pig," he says, "and then one day your granddad knocks it in the head and bleeds it for butchering. You tend to grow up with a certain amount of realism in your life."
JJ Grey and his band MOFRO exude rocking, funky, melodic, front porch realism in every song they play. 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. A National Public Radio feature in 2001 brought the band music to more people than ever before. Doors at press, radio and venues opened across the country. Then JJ Grey & MOFRO performed at Bonnaroo, opened for Ben Harper, Widespread Panic, 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 relentlessly, and will hit the road hard in support of COUNTRY GHETTO.