Jonathon Linaberry looks back on Radio Waves, his sixth album as The Bones Of J.R. Jones, but there’s more than just nostalgia at play. Recorded with producer Robbie Lackritz (Feist, Bahamas), the collection is moody and hypnotic, drawing on the sonic landscape of Linaberry’s youth as it reckons with the doubt and uncertainty of adulthood. The arrangements are entrancing, built on the tension between acoustic instruments and retro synthesizers, and Linaberry’s performances are raw and visceral, at times aching in their vulnerability. Put it all together and you’ve got a poignant exploration of memory and longing delivered by a relentless searcher, a revelatory work of personal reflection rooted in the endless beauty, pain, and chaos of growing up.
Born in central New York, Linaberry got his start playing in punk bands before becoming enamored with the field recordings of Alan Lomax. He launched The Bones of J.R. Jones in 2012 and began releasing a series of albums and EPs that would land his songs in films and TV shows like True Detective, Suits, and Daredevil, and lead to countless tours across the US and Europe, including stops everywhere from Telluride Blues to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Along the way, Linaberry would also share bills with the likes of The Wallflowers, G. Love, and The Devil Makes Three, soundtrack an Amazon commercial helmed by Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi, and earn praise from Billboard, American Songwriter, Under the Radar, and more.