Charleston-based musician Noah Jones is perhaps best known for his soulful contributions to Psycodelics, the Lowcountry’s well-loved blues/jazz/disco/funk/rock group. But he has actually been here his whole life, gathering the influences and ideas which spill over into not only the music he plays in three different local bands, but also the projects he makes solo, like, High! All by Myself, Jones’ brand-new album-in-progress slated for release later this year.
Jones told the Charleston City Paper that his early education helped to place him firmly on the musical path, especially his time at Charleston County School of the Arts, where Jones studied from 6th through 12th grade.
Lessons learned
“My parents and the music they played for me was a huge influence when I was growing up, particularly Stevie Wonder,” he said. “His music inspired me to start trying to learn piano.”
For a while, Jones’ only options for tinkering were the upright piano that he had access to whenever he was visiting his grandparents’ house in Franklinton, N.C. and the low-budget Radio Shack keyboard that he had rescued from his own parents’ attic.
Once he mastered the instrument, however, Jones became an integral member of the scene here in Charleston. Besides his notable role in Psycodelics, Jones is also a driving force in several other popular area acts, including Stop Light Observations and Little Bird.
Jones said that making the rounds and exploring new sounds is just part of the process that keeps him motivated to keep moving forward in the professional sphere. “I’m all about the song,” Jones said. “The genre doesn’t really define the quality to me. What I care about is if, through and through, the songs can speak to someone and mean something to them.”
A sort-of-solo endeavor
Now that the in-demand piano man has taken a moment to do his own thing, Jones playfully warns that “people can expect a bit of jumping around stylistically,” with the solo stuff, too.
Jones does come clean by disclosing that he’s not really alone in all of this, but rather he is the one leading the charge for his longtime musical allies.
“The funny thing is that the people who are involved are, for the most part, from those other projects of mine,” he said. “So it’s kind of an oxymoron to call this a solo endeavor because I definitely couldn’t accomplish something like this without them.
“Being in South Carolina, I’m truly inspired by my fellow creatives, and I love getting to work with them in a variety of ways,” Jones added. “The premise for High! All by Myself comes from me writing music all the time for other outlets and simply wanting to create a body of work that reflects who I am as an individual.”
Although the new single “Taxes,” which is available on all of the standard streaming services, is currently getting a lot of attention, Jones confirmed that no official live shows are on the books yet to showcase the High! All By Myself material.
“I definitely want to put these songs out into the world and let them exist first, but folks can certainly expect a couple more singles to drop throughout the spring,” Jones said.
At this juncture, Jones couldn’t be happier about the state of affairs in his decidedly funky world.
“When you stop trying to compare yourself to others then you start to see how far you’ve actually come. With social media, it’s really easy to get lost in the sauce. Everyone’s doing everything out there. But nobody else can be or do you. So, as long as I’m able to support myself financially by being genuinely me and creating music that is as well, that is success.”
To stay tuned for upcoming releases and concerts, friends and fans can give Jones a follow on Instagram @not_norah_jones_.
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