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Gratitude Times 

Even in turbulent times, changing of seasons, and many unknowns, we go forth with grace and gratitude. 
We are still here, the sun comes up, and we write, breathe, play music, and share cherished friendships. 

"Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest 
human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living 
side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance 
between them which makes it possible for each 
to see the other whole against the sky."  Rainer Maria Rilke

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New Videos plus upcoming shows 

Did you get to see the episode of NCIS: New Orleans???

What a treat!  Matthew and Ian had fun being 'on the set' in the French Quarter, and meeting director Rob Morrow.  They performed an instrumental version of our song, I've Seen on the episode.  They show up at about the halfway mark if you're watching the episode later.  We're looking forward to more fun adventures like this :)


Matthew's birthday weekend was a blast, thanks to everyone who helped make it amazing for him!
We set up the tripod to capture…Read more

NCIS: New Orleans plus Matthew's Birthday! 

Matthew's birthday weekend is coming up and full of wonderful adventures!!!!

Our song, I've Seen, will be featured on NCIS New Orleans, airing October 11th, 2016, where Matthew performs the song instrumentally on the show, with local trumpet player Ian Smith. The show airs on CBS, Tuesday, October 11th, 10pm eastern/9pm central time.  Check your local listings.

Friday, Oct. 7th - 11pm
Matt will be playing guitar with local band, Revival, at The Howlin Wolf Den

Saturday, Oct. 8th - 9AM - noon 
Covington Farmers…

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NEW BAND NAME!!! and Upcoming shows in TX/LA  

PRESENTING....The Dirty Rain Revelers (formerly Sweet Jones) 
yes folks, after 8 years as Sweet Jones, we are moving forward to now be known as The Dirty Rain Revelers. Many reasons, but simply put, it was time to change.  More details on that as we get all our websites and social sites linked up with the new name.  weeeee!

Upcoming events...

Friday, Sept. 30th - 8pm
Sweet Home Farm and Market - Brenham, TX
We're back in Brenham for the autumn version of Texas time! 
Home Sweet Farm Market & Biergarten is a…

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back home in New Orleans - shows coming up 

What an incredible journey we've had.  4,000 miles later, we're back home, refreshed, inspired, and renewed. 
We have so much love and gratitude for all of our new (and old) friends in New Mexico.  Thanks so much for making us feel special!
Look for videos coming down the line in the next couple months or so from the various gigs and filming moments...we're working on a music video as well, and New Mexico was the perfect back drop for us.

Now that we're back home, the work awaits.  Editing video, recording…Read more

Tour Time Update - New Mexico 

Life on the road, we have to be flexible and roll with the breeze.  Changes happen, miscommunications misfire, and other opportunities arise.  And we rise to the occasion.
Here's the latest calendar happenings...

June 29 - 7pm - Taos Mesa Brewing Taos, NM   

July 1 - 7:30pm - Blue Grasshopper - Rio Rancho, NM  (upgraded to 7:30 time slot!)
Awesome brewery and brick oven pizza joint, along with music...join us! It will be our first time in Rio Rancho :) 
  
July 2 - 3pm - Santa Fe Wine Fest - Santa Fe, NM 
   
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Vintage Guitar Magazine feature - our video included! 

Vintage Guitar Magazine featured a review about the New Orleans Guitar Company Model 8 and they included our video as the demo feature for this particular guitar!
(This article originally appeared in VG August 2012 print issue)
Read the review here, and scroll to the bottom to watch Matthew record his guitar track for "Song for Melissa", for our CD Magnolia, using the same instrument they used in the review.  (NOGC Model 8) 
http://www.vintageguitar.com/16999/new-orleans-guitar-company-model-8/

("Song for…

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TOUR TIME - TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO 

TOUR TIME - just a couple weeks away now! 
TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO - Here's the basic run down of what we've got booked so far...check our calendar for more specifics. 
BUT...if there's a hole in our schedule and you have a place for us to play, we'd gladly join you in song and merriment.

Tour Dates - 
May 12 -  notsuoH - Houston, TX 
May13 - Sanchos - San Antonio 
May 19 - The Driskill Hotel - Austin, TX 
May 21 - Downtown Austin Farmers Market - Austin, TX 
May 22 - Lone Star Farmer Market - Bee Cave, TX 
May 27 - …

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Louisiana Music Factory Performance Video and New Photos 

Such a pleasure to be a part of the Louisiana Music Factory Free Concert Series! They've posted video from our performance featuring three songs. From Magnolia, You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone; from Home: Vol.1, I Remember Your Half Grin; and a new one which may be on Home: Vol.2 as yet to be recorded, called To Hell and Back. Big thanks to Barry and Linda and the rest of the crew at the Factory for being so supportive and giving the world a place to find Louisiana music!
We've also posted new photos from…Read more

Double SJ gigs, two weekends in a row! 

We are feeling the energy of spring and it's uplifting!
We are so happy to announce more shows for Sweet Jones coming up...and double gigs two weekends in a row! 

Sat. March 26th, 9am-12pm - Covington Farmers Market -   609 N. Columbia
(duo show)

Sat. March 26th, 3pm-3:45pm - Louisiana Music Factory - 421 Frenchmen Street
In-store performance with the band!

Sat. April 2nd, 12pm-2pm - brand new venue/events space in Bay St. Louis, MS
more details TBA

Sat. April 2nd, 7pm-10pm - Art Night Out in Slidell, LA at…Read more

New Videos and Video Page Layout! 

We've uploaded new video from our Saturday February 13 show at LA46 Vintage Market. Captured with Mrs D's iPhone 6, we're delighted and amazed at how well they look and sound. Let us know what you think :)

In the process of uploading these new videos, we decided to revamp the video page altogether, hopefully making it more navigable. We separated the videos into three categories, each with it's own page accessible through a new drop down menu. Categories as follows:
DUO PERFORMANCES
BAND PERFORMANCES
TELEVISION…Read more

Live at LA46 Second Saturday Series - Videos 

The amazing Skip Bolen captured video at our recent show at LA46.  You can view the videos here  -

Sweet Jones Live at LA46

We're now editing the videos we captured from our iPhone/tripod set up and will be posting those soon as well. 
Thanks to Skip & Monica at LA46 on St. Claude Ave, and thanks to all of you who came out to the show!

Mardi Gras and the Spring hereafter 

After holidaze, comes carnival time in New Orleans!  Phew!  Good times though, and no snow (sorry, East Coast friends, we like our Southern winters). 
Although we're not necessarily "doing" mardi gras this year, we've got fun stuff coming up post-mardi gras, and in New Orleans proper :)

Saturday, February 13th - 2nd Saturday series at LA46  8pm
RSVP on Facebook here -  https://www.facebook.com/events/1646774465589602/
 

Sunday, February 28th - Rock & Roll Marathon - 7:15am - 10:40am.
We're so excited to…

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Home: Vol. 1 - Review by The Alternate Root 

Sweet Jones (from the album Home: Vol. 1) - Sweet Jones was a result of Hurricane Katrina. Matthew DeOrazio was in Austin retreating and recovering from the storm when he met Melissa at a gig. The New Orleans-based couple record as Sweet Jones, with the recently-released E.P., Home: Vol. 1, as a calling card for their music. Blues hovers a little above the songs on Home: Vol. 1, like the spirits hearing “Welcome Home” as they head towards the hopes of better days. The stories on the album sway with a…Read more

Gratitude time, a trip to Kentucky plus Slidell shows 

Coming up quick on Halloween and the end of daylight savings time.  Time to open the windows for that fresh, autumn air while it lasts; time to wash those heavier blankets and pull out a few sweaters.  Weeee!

Our next adventures -
Saturday, Nov. 21st at the Covington Farmers Market

For the first time, we'll be traveling for Thanksgiving!  Excited to visit with family in Lexington, KY for Thanksgiving. 

Friday, Nov. 27th at Common Grounds Coffee in Lexington, KY

Saturday, Nov. 28th at Yazoo Pass in Clarksdale, MS…Read more

Home: Vol. 1 and more touring! 

Autumn leaves blowing across the open road...So begins the first line of the first song on our first studio album (Magnolia 2012). 
Time flies when you're having fun!

We've re-tracked Melissa's vocals and re-mixed/re-mastered Home: Vol. 1.  We've now had it pressed and is now available on iTunes and Spotify.
For those of you who already have a copy, allow us to send you a download link for the updated version.
Or let us know if you'd like to order a new physical copy...there were some issues with proper titles…Read more

New Orleans show! What?! 

I know it's been a very long spell since we played in New Orleans...what with all the recording and then touring :)  good times abound.

We're playing at Banks Street Bar Thursday, Sept. 10th at 9pm.
This show is part of the WTUL ABC night in collaboration with Milo Records.  (ABC = Americana/Blues/Country).

Also, tune in to WTUL 91.5  on Saturday, Sept. 5th at 12:30pm.  We'll be performing on the air!  :)

We'd love to see y'all there...FUN!

Live video from Taos Mesa Brewing now posted! 

Matt has been putting in the hours mixing and editing the sound recording and video from our show at Taos Mesa Brewing.  He's so multi-talented <3

We've got 5 songs from the night live on the video page now.
Now you can see and hear us with the awesome rhythm section we got to play with while we were in New Mexico - Johny Broomdust on upright bass and Jamie Russell on drums. 
Cheers and enjoy!

Being at Home for a hot spell 

We made it home from this amazing tour. 
4,870 miles in 26 days.  Epic!
Thanks so much to everyone along the way who made us feel so welcome and at home wherever we were.
The trip was amazing, we just fell in love with New Mexico.  We look forward to spending some time out there again, particularly when it's 102 degrees in Louisiana and we check with our Santa Fe and Taos friends and see that it's 25-30 degrees cooler.  Sigh.
Everywhere we played, the responses were really positive.  It's very encouraging :) 
…Read more

Radioland and post-tour notes 

We're coming to the end of this piece of the #homeVol1Tour and the journey has been amazing. So many new friends, much joy and gratitude for the kindness and for the amazing landscapes we've encountered. 
We look forward to returning to these new places strengthening the bonds. 
We also look forward to coming home and continuing the work on the Home volumes recordings. We've had a chance to flesh out some of the newer songs for volume 2, and be inspired for new songs for volume 3. 

In radio news, Home: Vol. 1…Read more

Official Press Release for Home: Vol. 1 

New Orleans Roots duo, Sweet Jones, takes their new EP ‘Home Vol. 1’ on the road.

The couple met at a gig in Austin, a post-Katrina love story set to music.  Melissa has family roots in TX and grew up in Austin; Matthew was retreating and recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  As two independent artists from divergent backgrounds, they felt compelled to merge their styles to create a sound more representative and ultimately more rewarding.   They have been performing together as Sweet Jones…Read more

New EP and Summer Southwest Tour Update 

I'll admit, we've been busier than ever, but not in the clubs with the usual gigs;
Busy on the home front - creating and crafting, listening, writing and revising, booking, visualizing.

Steadily we go on this new batch of songs!  We've decided to release multiple EP's instead of one long playing (LP) album. This way, we are able to compile groups of songs as they …Read more

Summer Southwest Tour 

Recording continues at Los DeOrazios studios, really pleased with the sounds we're getting now and the way the songs are shape-shifting.  We hope to have at least a short-run EP ready for summer.  


We're also in the midst of planning and booking our annual summer tour getaway - this time to Santa Fe.  We'll be performing at the Santa Fe Wine Festival July 4th weekend.  
Stops along the way include:  Clarksdale, MS; Memphis, TN; Norman, OK; various parts of TX and of course the Santa Fe/Taos/ABQ region.  We…Read more

Spring approaching 

Hello and hallelujah that Springtime is just around the corner!
One of our favorite seasons...jasmine and sweet olive blooming their sweet fragrant flowers...music and festivals around town begin to flower and flow as well.  Good times to be coming!

We've started the recording process, pre-production style - We record basic tracks for all the songs, as a sketch to listen back and decide what we'd like to add/subtract/rework.  So far, so good - 11 songs have unfolded before us, and we're super pleased. 
…Read more