Jon Stickley Trio
"I don’t really know what to call it, but I’m going to go with 'Prog-grass' until I can think of something better. It’s exciting to have NEW and good instrumental music."
- Daniel Connor, Musicmarauders
The trio began as a group of friends in Asheville, North Carolina. Stickley first met classically-trained violinist Lyndsay Pruett through the Asheville music scene. Both just sidemen at the time, the two were introduced by a mutual friend. From there, they started booking gigs, slowly evolving into a trio with the addition of a drummer.
Before founding the group, Stickley spent almost a decade focusing solely on Bluegrass. While playing a few different instruments professionally, he wasn’t writing as much, just studying the craft. It wasn’t until the trio came together that he found himself needing more material, ultimately leading him more in the direction of songwriting and his exploration into grunge, punk-pop and hip-hop.
While producing Scripting The Flip, Dave King used his expertise to help the trio identify their strengths as musicians.
Stickley: “He played a big part in us becoming an all-instrumental band. We used to vocalize a little bit. Maybe 20% or 30% of the material was vocal tunes and the rest was instrumental. Dave just pointed out the fact that our most compelling and original and most personal sounding music was instrumental. And so he said, why don’t you just take that and run with it? Because that’s what people are going to relate to. It turned out to be a great move for us, it’s way more natural. I just didn’t even know that was an option.”
Taking a non-traditional look at the songwriting experience, Stickley explains, “We do try to get feelings and a message across with the music that we play. It’s not just like background instruments and instrumental music. It really does tell a story.”
The ultimate result is a transgressive musical mix that goes beyond the normal boundaries of traditional acoustic music to create an exciting, unique and expressive sound.
(Bio adapted from an article by Madeline Crone, Americansongwriter.com)
On The Web:
Jon Stickley Trio Official Website
Jon Stickley Trio on Facebook
Jon Stickley Trio on Twitter
Jon Stickley Trio on YouTube
Music To Check Out:
from Scripting The Flip (2020):
• "Scripting The Flip"
• "Pronoia"
Videos To Check Out:
from Scripting The Flip (2020):
from Maybe Believe (2017):
• "Almost With You"
on YouTube
please visit the MUSIC page.
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JON STICKLEY
(Guitar)
LYNDSAY PRUETT
(Violin)
HUNTER DEACON
(Drums)
"Mere flips are child's play to the Jon Stickley Trio; their performances are more the equivalent of tumbling somersaults and almost physically-impossible stunt dives. Scripting the Flip shows that their intricate jigsaw-puzzle pieces are as painstakingly well-scripted as ever, though never to the point of suffocating their chemistry and in-the-moment playfulness... Beyond the genre-hopping and instrumental trickery, the Stickley Trio's defining characteristic is an infectious happiness running through whatever they do. As thoughtful as the pastoral moments may get, the playful exuberance is key to making Scripting the Flip the rollicking and challenging affair it is."
- Geno Thackara, All About Jazz
"The result is unlike anything we have ever heard. It’s bluegrass, but don’t expect Bill Monroe. It is jazz, but it ain’t Grant Green. It’s rock. It’s punk. It’s hip hop. Jon Stickley’s paradigm shift is a paella with just the right amount of each ingredient, resulting in a nourishing dish for body and soul. It’s as if Bela Fleck picked up a guitar and started digesting a ton of Dr. Dre and punk music…Three wildly talented musicians emerging as a potentially revolutionary collective."
- Jason Earle, Showsigoto.com
"The Jon Stickley Trio is an instrumental band that showcases great musicianship and high level improvisation and tight arrangements. Jon’s guitar playing employs world class chops with a taste that makes technical playing accessible to the ear. … by his command of dissonant harmony and complex melody one can tell he’s fighting the good fight by carving a path for his own sound. The drummer groves deep and uses a rhythmic simplicity which provides a strong platform for the violin and guitar to play on… The violinist matches Jon’s masterful musicianship. Jon Stickley has what it takes to inspire the next generation of acoustic guitarists..."
- Ricky Mier, No Depression