BUZZ Magazine September 2016

Taper Jones! How are you? And
what are you up to these days?
Hey there Bay Buzz... I'm great...
Wow.. You're cute.. :) Ok ..Ok...
What am I up to? Like most, I work
my 9-5 during the week. In my
spare time I've been working on
my new project Taper Jones &
Company which started as a solo
instrumental performance of
Blues, Psychedelic Jams and Reggae.
I always invite others to join
in ...hence the term "& Company"
and as of late have been considering
adding on a couple of musicians.
I’ve known you for a little over a
year and I can tell you have had
a music vibe in you for a long
time. How did it begin for you?
When did you know that music
was “it”?
When I turned 18 I started working
for a band called Max Creek
for their road crew. One day
while doing a sound check with
Scott's guitar, I was working on a
Grateful Dead cover "Estimated
Prophet" and had my back to the
room. I didn’t realize they had
already opened the Front Doors
and when I was done I turned
around to an audience of 100+
people shouting "Don't stop". I
knew then this was it. I have been
playing now for 38 years.
You have been visiting a lot of
open mics and open jams lately.
Where hae you been? ...And do
you believe open mics are a
portal to possibilities? I wanna
start by saying THANK YOU for
Open Jams/ Open Mics. And,
thank you to all who host them. I
have been playing at the Blueberry
Patch, where I met and played
with and joined the band Beerhand.
I also have been at Brewers
Tasting Room, Sawgrass Tiki Bar
and I'm presently doing a Taper
Jones & Company at the American
Legion for our vets. As for Open
Mic/Jam a portal of possibilities?
ABSOLUTELY, I met the Beerhand
at the Blueberry Patch's Open
Jam. So my advice is go do the
open mics and Open Jams. Nobody
judges you no matter how
well you play or sing. Just go. You
never know when someone you
played with comes up to you and
says. "Hey... we liked what you
did... wanna come to a rehearsal?"
It happened to me. Future
open mics at Beach Fyre, Nauti
Nancy's, and Wild Willy's (with Josephine
and the Machine) and sit
in with some blues players.
Your original song, “Bonnie Lee”
is a hit with everyone! Tell us a
little about the song. Ah yes,
Bonnie Lee. Fun song to play and
sing. It's a catchy tune. Wrote the
song about my girlfriend at the
time. Wanted to let her know she
was the best thing in the world for
me. It is also the only original song
I never changed through the years.
Do you enjoy songwriting? Are
there more original songs? Well I
haven't in a while but yes I do
enjoy writing. I will say that I am
in the process of writing one now.
I do have a few other originals.
"Waiting for You" and "Tie Dye
Daydreams" both of which I have
done live. I also wrote "Golden
Way" and "Shannon" which I have
yet to do live.
Who is your inspiration? What
music do you like to cover most
and why? I have to say that Scott
Murawski from Max Creek has
been the biggest inspiration to
me. He gave me 1 guitar lesson 38
years ago. I have been listening to
his style, ESPECIALLY his sound
and have taken from it and applied
it to my own playing. I absolutely
love to play anything
Grateful Dead. They go from one
song to another. I also cover The
Band, Eric Clapton, CCR, Beatles,
BAYBUZZ.ORG / SEPTEMBER 2016 / 17