| 27 August 2010
JJ Grey's "Georgia Warhorse" is bound to be a hit
Snook Foundation Board Member, JJ Grey's new release is a #1 Amazon best seller this week.
JJ Grey has been around the swamp – er, block – a few times, and has demonstrated that he ain’t afraid to get his shoes dirty.
All too often, an actor or musician gets behind a cause to draw attention to him or herself, or create a contrived sense of concern. For Grey, the Snook Foundation is simply something that he thinks is right, so he does it.
“The Snook Foundation is kind of like a good music jam fest. You won’t hear just blues, or only jazz – it’s a wide range of music. Well, snook use a wide range of habitat. You can’t protect ‘snook habitat’ by protecting only mangroves, or only oyster bars. To me, they represent all habitats.”
What's a Georgia Warhorse?
'Georgia Warhorse', title of new album, is a common name for the 'hard to kill', Melanooplus differentialis (creature pictured above.) To listen/purchase album click on photoJJ's many fans spend countless hours trying to decide which genre his music best matches. The fan club site, www.mofrofans.com, has numerous threads where fans call his vibe swamp funk, blues, retro funk, jazzy blues, southern rock – the list goes on. But those that have been fans long enough to understand a smidge about Grey’s energy are content to use the term “front porch soul,” and let JJ define the expression as he sees fit at any given time - from album to album, concert to concert, conversation to conversation.
JJ Grey & Mofro’s CD “Georgia Warhorse” hit the stores on August 24th, and can be purchased directly from his website. It’s hard to pick a song or two to highlight – as usual no single tune can define the subtle overall vibe or message of JJ’s CD.
Like a black water stream in the heart of the swamp, you might not be quite able to determine the path ahead, but as you pass each bend the flow makes sense – it’s going somewhere specific. And if you relax and trust the flow without fighting it, the experience seeps into your consciousness.
JJ will be playing in Pompano Beach October 30 - plan to visit/volunteer at the Snook Foundation Booth Many of Mofro’s tunes have played like a soundtrack to my mental image of what fishing, hunting or surfing is all about.
Over the past few years, JJ has done much to further the mission of the Snook Foundation. including headlining the Surfin' Snook Summer Jam, a benefit for the precedent-setting case which stopped destruction of essential habitat in Reach 8. (see photo below of Snook on Reach 8 this year!)
JJ's powerful music comes from connecting with places and people.I asked JJ what song on Georgia Warhorse put him in a “fishing state of mind,” and he didn’t hesitate. “Mostly the title track, Georgia Warhorse, because that’s what it’s about. The ruggedness of where I’m from, from the environment to the people that I grew up with.” Somehow I knew he was going there. “I guess ‘Gotta Know’ applies, too. It is a jab at man’s need to know, to conquer everything. Especially when it comes to [natural] Florida, we’ve shown that our knowledge of how to deal with it is pretty puny.”
The music of JJ Grey is based on his personal life, and his ongoing interpretation of how the world unfolds in front of him. Therein lays the risk of being associated with a very active conservation group, because as fans try to get closer to the music they enjoy they search for a motivator that doesn’t exist. It’s a fine line, but what separates JJ’s music from most drivel that is written and produced these days is that for him, the music is the end of the line. It’s his personal release of internal energy. The outward manifestation is a byproduct, not the driving force. If we the fans dig it, good for us. If not, he’d play it just the same anyhow. For that reason, it’s understandable that some folks won’t be able to completely absorb his music. Many of us have settled into a lifestyle that doesn’t allow true, raw emotion so we don’t always recognize it.
This Snook on Reach 8's hard pan reef would have been looking for a new home if the dredge & fill project opposed by Snook Foundation was not halted. Thanks JJ and all who worked on that project! But for those that can open up and accept it, there is no turning back. It took me all of 3 measures of the title song of his first recording, Black Water. I was drawn to the vibe, and the clear emotions each song laid out.
JJ is drawn to the Snook Foundation because of the clarity of our mission, which ultimately boils down to conserving essential habitats. “When I was 12, fishing the creeks at mom and dad’s house, we’d catch catfish, perch, bass…,” JJ drawls. “Even then, things was getting knocked down. A whole spring fed swamp I played in became a subdivision. …and it could have been done right.” He saw it coming. “When the orange bands started appearing on our favorite trees, we knew it was about over.”
Georgia Warhorse will elevate JJ Grey and MOFRO’s popularity – it’s just too well done for anything else to happen. Just like the Snook Foundation seems to be gaining more and more traction with a clear, straightforward agenda, maybe the world is ready for real music again, and JJ and the boys will get their just desserts. Regardless, I don’t mind flat out telling you: purchase a copy. You’ll be glad you did, of that I’m confident. And you’d be supporting someone who in turn helps outdoors men and women.
Click on the photo or the banner at the top of the page to check out ordering one of these caps.What about these Caps?
Will Conner was dragged into the Snook Foundation fold by JJ Grey when JJ asked him to play at the Surfin Snook Summer Jam. Since then, Will has been a great friend of the foundation. Aside from being an avid surfer and worldwide advocate of habitat protection, Will followed his father’s footsteps and makes hats! As the owner of www.adventurehats.com, Will designed a killer JJ Grey/Snook Foundation hat. 100% of the profit comes directly to the Snook Foundation. Will is also a globally known musician, with a release of his own this past spring titled “Sailing, Love, and Food.”
His latest business venture is worth a peek as well. Will has designed a social networking site for travelers and music lovers – kind of a face book for folks that actually get out and do things, not just type about it on the computer. Perfect for water men and women that travel and want to prepare themselves for their destination, it’s worth checking out at www.cooweeme.com.
Show up at the Snook Foundation booth at the Southern Monster Jam at the Pompano Amphitheatre on Oct 30th wearing one of these hats, and you will be given a free chance to win a sweet goodie bag filled with framed marine art, and plenty of JJ Grey merchandise!!
