“This is a Good” … artist feature with Desmond Jones
For John Nowak, a beat on a drum and a riff of a guitar means it’s the start of a show. It’s a night of friends and strangers dancing along to the tunes coming through the speakers. The band is Desmond Jones this is the music they create together — it’s their lives.
“We’ve all been in it since the beginning,” Nowak said. “It’s always been this band.”
Desmond Jones is beginning the New Year with their “This is a Good Tour” tour that will bring the band through the mid-Atlantic region and the surrounding states. The first show of the tour was a sold out New Years Eve bash in their home-base, Grand Rapids, Michigan, at The Tip Top Deluxe.
The band continues it’s tour Friday at The Avenue Cafe in Lansing, Michigan and Saturday at Tonic Room in Chicago.
For more information on tour dates and more, visit www.desmondjonesband.com
“We’ll be heading all over,” Nowak said. “Being on the road is so much fun. All six of us are really easy going, we understand the commodity aspect of it — you can’t be in a van with someone you don’t get along with.”
All five members are songwriters and play a range of instruments, so they all contribute to writing songs and putting music together. They’re genre is a blend of rock, funk and jazz with a few hints of bluegrass and soul. It’s upbeat, fun to dance to and easy to sing along with.
Photo by Psychedelic Eyes Photography
Issac Berkowitz has been by Nowak’s side since the pair was in middle school. Berowitz plays guitar and drums, as well as vocals. The 5-piece band also includes Chris Bota on guitar and vocals, George Falk on saxophone and vocals and John Loria on bass and vocals.
Pretty soon a bunch of kids from Michigan State became Dirty Mike and The Boys. They played house parties and practiced in their dorm rooms.
Photo by Psychedelic Eyes Photography
When things got a little more serious, the boys became Desmond Jones and today the group has played over 500 shows in 20 different states, 2 EPs and a full length album. The album was released in fall of 2017.
“We needed to get something out there that was a more up-to-date representation of our music,” Nowak said. “We were pushing for a fall release date anyway when we got booked at Founders Brewery, so we treated that as our album release party.”
You can find more info, tour dates and more at www.desmondjonesband.com
Photo by Psychedelic Eyes Photography
Also, check out their live recordings at www.thearchive.com.
