Karen Jonas Gets the Last Word with “Keep Your Hands to Yourself”

Karen Jonas Gets the Last Word with “Keep Your Hands to Yourself”

Elmore Magazine - October 6, 2016

Brenda Hillegas

Karen Jonas has a new album debuting soon, and any fan of classic country should put it on their must-list. Set to release on October 14th, Country Songs, is a labor of hometown love. The songs were written in her living room in Fredericksburg, Virginia, then taken to a studio down the street for the finishing touches. Country Songsand Jonas herself channels timeless, twangy tunes with a modern storytelling twist. 

Jonas, along with guitarist Tim Bray, have created a collection of songs that fans will love to hear performed live (tour starts on October 7th in Harrisonburg, VA). One song in particular, “Keep Your Hands to Yourself”, is the perfect example of a rise above heartbreak and self-pity. Jonas says:

“I had a bad night. I walked into a local bar and noticed that someone I was seeing was also seeing someone else. I considered wallowing in self-pity, but I decided to go home and write this firecracker number instead. In the end, storytellers get the last word and songwriters always win.”

It’s a country song at its finest. Listen to “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” below and pre-order Country Songs via Bandcamp or iTunes.

Hear Karen Jonas’ Rollicking Honky-Tonk Song ‘Ophelia’ [Exclusive Premiere

If you’re like many country music fans these days, you’re probably wondering where all of the real country music went. While you won’t hear much of it on the radio, there are several artists operating outside of the Music Row establishment who are making country that’s true to the spirit of the genre. Fredericksburg, Va. native Karen Jonas is one of them.

Jonas’ new record, Country Songs, comes out later this month, and today we’re premiering one of the best tracks ahead of the release. Jonas records and performs with her lead guitarist, twang master Tim Bray. “Ophelia” showcases both of their incredible talents. Jonas has a Bakersfield-inspired sound and a voice drenched in country heartache. Bray picks his guitar like country greats Jerry Reed and Scotty Moore. On “Ophelia,” they both shine.

Jonas says Shakespeare’s tragic character of the same name inspired the lyrics of the song, which has become a crowd favorite at her shows.

“I don’t much care for reading Shakespeare, but Ophelia captured my imagination,” says Jonas. “She’s an innocent bystander – the victim of a plot she’s hardly involved in – and her ultimate demise into a shallow pool of madness seems both tragic and avoidable. So I wrote “Ophelia,” a big sister’s firm shake and wake-up call to Ophelia, to myself, and to friends that I’ve seen let a relationship take their best and give nothing back.

Karen Jonas - Whurk Magazine

You have to get your heart broken to appreciate country music. That’s what this singer-songwriter tells us in her aptly-named sophomore album.

So thank you for teaching me to like country songs
For making me so sad, I want to sing along

After more than 200 performances together in the past year alone, Karen Jonas and guitarist/collaborator Tim Bray have witnessed a natural evolution in their songwriting. It’s this hard-earned foundation that underpins Karen’s sophomore album, Country Songs, a collection of work that reflects the rich sound they’ve honed together in their live shows. This release follows in the spirit of her critically acclaimed 2014 debut, Oklahoma Lottery, full of intensely personal tracks that capture both the true essence of country music and a uniquely local sound that the duo hope to bring to the national stage.

While the success of Oklahoma Lottery was somewhat a surprise, having come together out of personal pieces written in Karen’s room with no thought of being recorded, Country Songs delivers a noticeably more intentional sound. Produced in Fredericksburg by Jeff Covert at Wally Cleavers Recording Studio, Karen and Tim chose to record the album entirely live. “There’s a cohesion there that’s hard to replicate when we are doing different parts separately,” Tim explained. Karen described the results as not having “a studio perfection about it. It’s got a real grit rather than a produced grit.”

Honesty is what comes to mind when listening to this album. There’s a genuineness that makes these tracks feel something like diary entries. “I’m a very private songwriter,” Karen confessed, “I like to be by myself where no one is listening. I’m very fragile at first.” This tender vulnerability is apparent in the single “Wasting Time” where she pines, “I’m holding on / I’m holding out for love / Yes, I’m holding on / I’m holding out for you / I don’t know what else to do.” In the more upbeat, almost whimsical “Whiskey and Dandelions,” she daydreams the lines, “We won’t notice the days go by / Ten years in the blink of an eye / Silver morning to golden night / We won’t notice the days go by.” Whether belting out her heart in an emotionally charged moment or caressing a contemplative lyric, Karen navigates the emotional waters of her own experiences with a smoky-sweet voice that carries both the warmth and sting of a good bourbon. “I still write very much to a moment,” she reflected, “not really to a theme or to an album even. I try to write for whatever I’m particularly feeling at that time. It turns out that when you do that, though, it ends up involving a story arc. When you go through whatever you’re going through, you learn things and your writing progresses with it.”

For Karen and Tim, an important aspect of Country Songs is the context in which the music would be created. Still not satisfied with the current state of the music industry, this will be their second album released entirely independently. Finding strength and confidence in what they’ve accomplished together thus far, an independent album just felt like the natural thing to do. “I like the idea of a sound that could be something other than the factory music that all comes from the same place, from the same people, with the same musicians playing on every album,” she said. “It’s us here, doing our best with the people that are actually from here.” Both long-time residents of Fredericksburg, Karen and Tim went on to explain that these were songs written there, with people from there, and about experiences that happened there. The result is a locally authentic work with an element of Fredericksburg baked into just about every part of it. Even the album’s aesthetics are locally sourced with cover art by Amber Renee and music videos filmed by local videographer Timothy Ryan Poe at the A. Smith Bowman Distillery and along the historic downtown streetscapes.

During a time in country music when so many albums are created as products to be cheaply consumed, Country Songs delivers an exceptionally refreshing experience. This is a collection meant to provoke the same contemplation and longing that inspired them, that demand to be taken in a bit more thoughtfully. Karen so graciously gives us little glimpses into her head and heart that come together like a love letter to the country music she has come to treasure. Much in the same way that Dwight Yoakam sang straight to her soul, Karen’s voice invokes emotions you didn’t know you were ready to feel, while Tim carries them forward with the twang of his signature Gretsch. Karen explained that, in a time where there’s something disingenuine about so much of what’s on the radio, “it’s important that real music can connect us and help us understand our experiences.“ Country Songs bears that empathy, helping you understand your own story a bit better.

On October 14, amidst the dreamy backdrop of the Kenmore Inn’s newly renovated ballroom, Karen and Tim will debut Country Songs as they play the entire album through from start to finish. Praising the advantage of these more intimate settings, Karen explained, “It’s more about connecting with the audience. We definitely have a conversation with the room when we’re in a listening space like this that you don’t get to have in a louder setting. I think especially when hearing new music, you need a set up a little bit in order to latch onto what it’s about, so it’s really fun to be able to do that.”

"Wasting Time" Video Premiere - on The Boot

With a perfect blend of classic country and new-school charm, Karen Jonas is debuting the music video for her latest single, “Wasting Time,” exclusively for readers of The Boot.

Jonas’ voice is smooth as a shot of bourbon in “Wasting Time,” a modern interpretation of the classic country “done me wrong” song. In the accompanying video, which is sparse and intimate, she’s illuminated in an angelic halo of light as she and her band perform in a rickhouse. Readers can press play above to watch.

“Well, you don’t know / I don’t know how / But you don’t know / I stopped trying to say / But I feel like I should tell you every day / That I’m holding on,” Jonas sings in “Wasting Time.” “I’m holding out for love / Yes, I’m holding on / I’m holding out for you / I don’t know what else to do / Believe me, I tried to forget you.”

A native of Fredericksburg, Va., Jonas stormed on to the country music scene with her independently release debut album, 2014’s Oklahoma Lottery. The record earned praise from even the stodgiest of country music traditionalists, and “Wasting Time” appears on Country Songs, Jonas’ follow-up project to the critical smash.

Country Songs is set for release on Oct. 14. Fans can order a physical copy via Jonas’ website or pre-order a digital version on iTunes.

"Karen Jonas Discusses Her New Album 'Country Songs'"

Fredericksburg Today - Q&A by Ashleigh Chevalier

By Ashleigh Chevalier.

Karen Jonas will release her second album -- "Country Songs" -- on October 14, 2016, at a show in Fredericksburg.

"We'll be performing the album in its entirety, as well as a set of our favorite cover tunes in the beautiful new ballroom at the Kenmore Inn," Jonas said. Admission is $20, and includes one CD. Tickets, album preorder, and single iTunes downloads are available now at https://squareup.com/store/karen-jonas

I asked Karen about the new album and plans for what's next.

What has been the most exciting part of the process for "Country Songs," your second album release?
It has been super exciting to see all of this art that I've envisioned come to life. It's like taking a whole world that only I could see and making it live. It's like Frankenstein's monster but better and less creepy. From tiny inklings, then songs Tim and I hash out at live shows, then a few days at Wally Cleaver's Recording Studio with Jeff Covert, and straight out into the world on this record. From talks with photographer Amber Renee and videographer Timothy Ryan Poe, and then bam! There are videos and photos. It has been amazing to work with such talented artists and collaborators and guide my artistic vision to life.

I heard the album cover and video were your brain babies. What inspired them? 
Amber and I worked together to create a look for the photos. She listened through the album and said she felt this "empty house" feeling about it, which I could totally relate to. And I looked at all of her amazing previous work and picked out some looks that I really liked. We talked colors, filters, couch patterns, wardrobe. It was like hanging out with a best friend and planning some awesome party or something. Then we worked from there to create some lonely, longing shots that I think really captured the feel of the album. Erin Bray put it together with an awesome logo, and ta-da!

The "Country Songs" video was an idea I had while I was taking a nap one day (everyone should take naps - they're great for brainstorming). I got up and drew out the whole thing with stick figures, shot for shot. I wanted to depict a journey, in some ways my own journey, while also staying true to the song's storyline. So I ended up with this cool surreal story in which an earlier, broken-hearted version of myself sees a country singer version of myself - and is then inspired to become ... myself. Make sense? You may need to watch it to understand. Tim was somewhat hesitant to hear I had dreamed up our new video, but his support is unwavering and when I showed him the sketches. He loved the idea. So we met up with Ryan Poe at Sammy T's to put it all together. Ryan did an amazing job of capturing it. I couldn't be happier.

What was the hardest lesson recording and releasing this album? 
I definitely had to learn how to be patient. I get an idea for things and I get so excited about it, I want immediate results. But in the real world, good things take time. And taking time takes patience. In the end, things have a way of working out, as long as you keep moving forward.

"Country Songs" is a brilliant song, and the video is a sweet sentiment to a community that loves and supports you. Do you have any more video releases planned? Any hints?  
Thank you! Making "Country Songs" a Fredericksburg-centric video was really fun, and not hard to do in this very picturesque city. We're so grateful to Colonial Tavern, Kenmore Inn, and Hooked for letting us film in their spaces, and to all our local friends -- such as yourself, Ashleigh! -- who participated in the shoots. We've got one more video ready to go, for a real heart-breaker love song called "Wasting Time."  Look out for that one. It's shot in the barrel room of the beautiful A. Smith Bowman Distillery, another Fredericksburg destination, and we can't wait to share it with you.

What's next? 
Naptime.  Oh, after that?

Well, Tim and I are working away at plans for our album release party at the Kenmore Inn on October 14. We've been working with the lovely and gracious Jacquie Hartmann to get it all set up in the brand new beautiful ballroom. Full band, a full run of the new album, a set of the rest of our favorite songs. And signature cocktails. And t-shirts and hats. And our brand new album! Tickets are on. sale. now.

We've also got a ton of other tour dates, including a trip to Texas and New Mexico next week, a little trek down to Charleston after the release, and a swing up at New York City in November. Tim's forever booking our forever tour, I've been beautifying our website. We've got a publicist on board for our album press, but other than that we're an entirely self run organization, so Tim and I have our hands full and keep plenty busy staying on top of everything.

And after all of that - we'll probably start recording the third album!
_____

Karen Jonas will perform her CD release show at 7 p.m. Oct. 14, 2016, at Kenmore Inn, 1200 Princess Anne St., Fredericksburg.

On November 10, she'll be opening for Brandy Clark at The Birchmere(link is external), 3701 Mt Vernon Ave. in Alexandria.

Editor's Note: Ashleigh Chevalier(link is external) is a local musician, who also writes the weekly music calendar and music features for Fredericksburg.Today.

Thank you for reading.

 

Video Premiere - Saving Country Music

Karen Jonas Captures the True Meaning of Country in New Single Country Songs

Saving Country Music - August 29 2016

There is nothing more fulfilling as a music fan than discovering an artist who is completely under the radar, but you known immediately is going to be one of your favorites for years to come. That was the experience many had when discovering the unsigned, and completely-independent Karen Jonas after she released her debut albumOklahoma Lottery in 2014 to much fanfare from the folks who found it, listened, and fell in love with Karen’s songwriting, voice, and unique style of guitar playing.

Since then the singer and songwriter has been hard at work on her second album which she hopes brings a bigger spotlight to her music. Aptly named Country Songs, the new record due October 14th was recorded in her hometown of Fredricksburg, VA, and captures songs written in her living room, and recorded live with a hot shot band, helmed by her guitar player Tim Bray and his signature Gretsch guitar.

Karen Jonas has just made the record available for pre-order (see below), and to pique your interest, she’s also made the first single and title track available for the album, along with a new video.

“Country Songs” speaks right to the heart of what true country music is all about. It’s there to mend the wounds and help us all commiserate over the misery life invariably throws our way. There’s nothing wrong with happy songs either, but country music has always been the best remedy for a sad state of affairs, and Karen Jonas encapsulates this perfectly in this song, while also paying tribute to some of the old greats along the way.

Karen’s album Country Songs immediately becomes one of the most anticipated releases for the second half of 2016 (at least in this corner of the internet), and will hopefully catapult her to where her music can get the greater attention it deserves.

95.3 the Bear

by Monk at 95.3

The artists that have dominated the country charts for many years have become household names: Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, etc.

But there is a thriving underground country music scene that features artists holding true to the old school, honky-tonk sounds and draw influence from bluegrass, popular country of the 60s and 70s as well as the mountain hymns of Appalachia and the delta blues. In recent years, this music has received more attention thanks to ground breaking releases from troubadours like Sturgill Simpson and Margo Price.

Here are a few of my favorites from and I recommend you give a few, if not all, a solid listen and let me know what you think in the comment section below.

Young Mary's Record

Who:

Karen Jonas

And she hails from:

Fredericksburg, VA

And her tunes are like:

 straight-up wearin' out them favorite boots of yours on a pinewood dance floor all night long to every tempo the band'll throw out, quick, slow, quick quick, slow

But more specifically, the genre is:

country // singer/songwriter // alt country

I'd bet the farm on her 'cuz:

don't let her petite frame fool you -- Karen Jonas has carried her smoky sweet vocal, guitar, and tunes to 200+ shows this year all the while mothering three beautiful babies.    Jonas writes songs that range from slow burns to lit firecrackers.  She might be the very walkin', talkin', musical proof that a woman can have it all.  Sure does give new meaning to Mama's Gonna Knock You Out, now don't it?

Oklahoma Lottery Awards

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Press highlights from our 2014 debut album Oklahoma Lottery

 Twangnation: “Cream of the Crop” Winner, 2014
Saving Country Music Album of the Year Nominee 2014
Country Perspective Female Artist of the Year Winner 2014
Country Perspective Album of the Year Nominee (Oklahoma Lottery)
Country Perspective Song of the Year Nominee (Oklahoma Lottery)
Wono Magazine Top Ten Albums of 2014
Frederick News Post: 2014 Best Song “Thinking of You Again”
Americana Show Best of 2014 Winner
Spectrum Pulse Top 25 Albums of 2014 Winner
Farce the Music’s Favorite Albums of 2014 Winner
The Free Lance-Star: Best Albums of 2014 Winner