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Jon Stickley
The Jon Stickley Trio has earned a reputation for painlessly shattering expectations. The originality and sheer energy of this genre-bending ensemble serves as a welcome wake up call for those who experience it. With roots in bluegrass, gypsy jazz, and hip-hop, Jon Stickley, one of the worlds most innovative flatpickers, violinist Lyndsay Pruett (Futureman), and drummer Patrick Armitage (Atmosphere), have fused their collective styles into a repertoire of exciting, innovative original music, along with fresh takes on traditional tunes. While recording their latest album, producer Dave King (The Bad Plus) referred to the band’s imaginative sound as “this whole other thing”. The virtuosic trio’s compositions truly do not fit into any specific genre, but remain totally accessible and danceable to audiences across the board.
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Jon Stickley Trio: Point to Point
by Geno Thackara
Cross Nickel Creek with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and you'll start getting close to Jon Stickley's neighborhood--but there's still a lot more in there to discover once you make your way around town. The JS3 starts with folk/bluegrass instrumentation (acoustic guitar/violin/drums) and adds dashes of anything from math-prog to Latin or Celtic, while the dazzling level of virtuosity is still outmatched by the level of warmth and fun. ...
read moreJon Stickley Trio: Scripting the Flip
by Geno Thackara
Mere flips are child's play to the Jon Stickley Trio; their performances are more the equivalent of tumbling somersaults and almost physically-impossible stunt dives. Scripting the Flip shows that their intricate jigsaw-puzzle pieces are as painstakingly well-scripted as ever, though never to the point of suffocating their chemistry and in-the-moment playfulness. With new-ish drummer Hunter Deacon having had a solid couple of years to settle in with Stickley and Lyndsay Pruett, leading up to this recording, the affair shows an ...
read moreJon Stickley Trio: Lost at Last
by Geno Thackara
Intricacy and virtuosity can so often turn listeners away if they get excessive, but the Jon Stickley Trio finds that sweet spot where it never sounds awkward. They specialize in a stylistic mishmosh based around (but hardly limited to) folk, jazz and bluegrass, hooky and melodic enough to make any instrumental flash feel like an afterthought. When the melodies don't do that job, the sheer fun factor does. Lost at Last is a cracking album that sizzles with energy even ...
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