“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.” In today’s hyper social media environment, you’d think these were words solely uttered back in the day of Lincoln. No, these are words utilized in the here and now, and they come from one of Seattle’s favorite sons, Ayron Jones.
For Rachael-O-Rama #11, we bring you a very talented musician from the great Northwest. You may have heard Ayron’s song, “Take Me Away” on the radio and thought to yourself “what a cool song with cool lyrics.” You’re not wrong, but there’s a lot more to it. In this issue, we’re going to help answer your burning questions about who he is and what he’s all about.
The best way to start any story is at the beginning. Jones grew up in a tough family environment in Seattle. Like a few icons that walked those same streets, he had an unreal passion for music. Before you ask, Ayron (pronounced A-Ron) had an unfortunate and challenging childhood. Abandoned by his parents at a very young age, he was raised by his hardworking single aunt who had two kids of her own. He turned to the healing power of music by pouring his troubles into singing and playing guitar at 13 years old. This led him to writing all the instrumental parts of his songs to create a healing way to spread his positive message of overcoming adversity.
We all know someone who had a tough childhood. We also love those people who did not let those challenges dictate who they became. Despite those early trials and tribulations that could have led him astray, Jones chose to blaze his own path. With his positive attitude and infectious smile, he took the path less traveled.
THE REAL DEAL
“Ayron Jones is the real deal. He brings such raw rock power, but with pure honesty and a natural beautifulness that is unique to him. When we first heard “Take Me Away” and realized it’s a true story about his early life, it stopped us in our tracks. It’s no surprise he has been endorsed by Seattle’s music royalty and we see Ayron as an artist who will be giving the world great music for a very long time.”
Keith Cunningham | 95.5fm KLOS Program Director
Catch Ayron Jones live with Matt Pinfield February 7, 2021 on KLOS
I had the pleasure of speaking with Ayron about his upcoming album on his newly signed record deal with Big Machine/John Varvatos Records, his latest single, “Take Me Away” and about being a dad during quarantine. With such a hit song being played everywhere, you’d think Ayron might be full of himself, but nothing could be further from the truth. He was so genuinely cool and easy to talk to, it felt like we’d been friends for years.
One of the first things we noticed when prepping for our conversation with Ayron is that he doesn’t have a Wikipedia page like most artists. His lyrics are a raw and deep first-hand account of his childhood. He doesn’t hold back about the experience, this led to an air of mystery about him. He told us that even through he’s been doing this for over ten years, he liked having a mysterious nature and it allowed fans to focus on his music and who he is now.
Ayron is a jack-of-all-tradesman. His first single, “Take Me Away” off his new album is self-written, self-published and co-produced. Although the album release date is currently top secret, Ayron was able to tell us that it will be released sometime in 2021. Despite “Take Me Away” being a massive hit, it isn’t necessarily the best song off his new record. Fans will be pleasantly surprised by this album. He says he sees a lot of genre-blending styles of music lately and although his new album has different styles of music influences, he wants to keep it all in the rock genre because that’s his primary love.
He says about his new album, “Even if you don’t normally listen to rock, there will be a song on the album that you will love. I deliberately tried to draw from the classic rock sound. I think rock found a lot of commercial success so it has become somewhat monochromatic. I think that this record will touch on all the things that made rock and roll what it is through the eras including post-grunge era.” What an impressive undertaking.
Jones also told us about this album will not be covers. Previously, he has been known to fill longer time shows with covers of “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden, Prince’s “Purple Rain” and “Georgia on My Mind” by Ray Charles just to name a few of his favorites. Since this album is meant to be his official introduction to the world now that he’s signed, he wanted this album to focus on his songs and writing talents. Luckily for us, he is looking forward to laying down those cover tracks on upcoming albums.
Jones says he’s such a “Seattle kid” that everything he’s been doing for the last 10+ years in his music career “always pays homage to where he came from and this classic American art form that is rock and roll.” So much so, that in the video for “Take Me Away,” he showcases different trademarks of Seattle, filming in front of London Bridge Studios, Gold Creek Pond, Dick’s Drive-In Restaurant and even at the top of the Space Needle!
Imagine a helicopter filming you while you rock out on top of a 605-foot structure! Luckily for Ayron, a previous job as Space Needle security got his foot in the door and as a result he got to know the right people where he could get permission to film such epic footage. Ayron says, “It was fate. Living life and pursuing my dream left me working odd jobs here and there throughout the years which ended up working out for me.”
When asked about the significance of Dick’s Drive-In Restaurant he said, “Every artist that comes out of Seattle that makes a name for themselves ends up shooting something at Dick’s at some point in their career like Macklamore, Sir Mix-a-Lot, it’s just something you do. It helped that the cat that directed the video is also heir to the Dick’s fortune so he was able to hook everything up.“
Ayron says he’s happy to provide a stable home for his three young kids and “super smart and beautifulwife,” something he didn’t have growing up. He says he loves to hear his kids talk about how they all want to be involved in the music/arts industry in some way. He told us his son loves to run around playing the ukulele and all the kids love to watch “Daddy on TV” (Ayron’s music video).
Jones enjoyed being home during quarantine and spending time with the family. Once concerts open back up, he’ll need to hit the ground running because 2021 and beyond, he’s got big plans!
In the end, who is Ayron Jones? That’s a very complex question with multiple answers. He’s a survivor, he’s fearlessly authentic, life is his canvas, music is his passion, but lifting spirits… that resonates within his soul. For those who know him best, there’s one word that defines him: “integrity.” All that and he just so happens to be a bad-ass rock star. Look out for big things from Mr. Jones.
