“The band ripped through a frenetic set that included “Stand Up,” a propulsive rock ‘n’ roll throwback number that could’ve been recorded in 1961.”

— Magnet Magazine

J. ISAIAH EVANS & THE BOSS TWEED

What People Are Saying...

"Evans comes out of the gate with all cylinders firing"- The Amp

"A retro curve of rock ‘n’ roll with a modern-day twist"- Americana Highways

"Evans and The Boss Tweed are loud, gripping, lean, serving it up raw at every turn"- Rock & Blues Muse

"This trio gets after it" - The Alternate Root

extended bio

Fueled by American rock & roll and Texan country-boogie, J. Isaiah Evans & The Boss Tweed play revved-up roots music for garages, roadhouses, and juke joints. It's an old-school sound for the modern age, performed by an organ trio with overdriven amps and plenty of reverence for the trailblazers who came before them. 

 

At the center of that sound is Evans himself: a songwriter and electric guitarist who spent a decade fronting The 40 Acre Mule, earning accolades for the band's contemporary spin on classic rhythm and blues. Classic music was in his blood, with the Dallas native growing up in a creative household filled with swamp pop, southern soul, country, Texas blues, and funk. His mother played piano, too, and the sound of twinkling ivories became a staple of Evans' childhood. "I was raised around the piano and organ," he says. "It was always there… in the church, in the home, in my head."

 

These days, it's in his songs, too. Teaming up with Hammond organist Matthew Vasquez and drummer Spud Crowley, Evans formed The Boss Tweed during a break in The 40 Acre Mule's schedule, reimagining the organ trio — a lineup traditionally seen in jazz music — as a vehicle for lean, mean rock & roll. "Unless our audience is going to 1960s jazz-soul shows, they might not have seen something like this, so we're throwing them a curveball," he says. "We're grateful for that. Not being part of the traditional rock & roll band formula has set us apart. It gives us the freedom to do something unique. It forces us to explore." 

 

The exploration reaches a peak with the band's full-length debut, Americana Radio. The album breathes new life into vintage sounds, turning Evans' musical influences into fuel for something new while focusing on renewal, not revival. "This music goes back to my favorite artists growing up, like Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, but I don't want to be a retro act," he explains. "This is something different. It's a garage power trio that drags the classic music I'm talking about — kicking and screaming — into the current century." 

 

To capture the raw and rowdy spirit of Americana Radio, The Boss Tweed took a 72-hour trip to Memphis, where they tracked the album in two whirlwind days at Memphis Magnetic Recording Co. "We weren't sleeping at night," Evans recalls. "We were just working." The band's setup was straightforward — just a 1960s Ludwig drum kit, an old B3 organ with a Leslie speaker, and two vintage guitar amps dialed up to 10 — and they recorded each song to analog tape, focusing on live-in-the-studio performances while producer Scott McEwen manned the boards. Americana Radio kickstarts its engines with "Let's Rock" — a kinetic call to the dance floor, aimed at 9-to-5 workers in need of a well-deserved release — and keeps the pedal glued to the metal for 30 minutes. Along the way, the guys dish up a mix of heartland rock ("Americana Radio"), holy-roller desperation ("A Thing For You"), roadhouse blues-rock ("Pullman Porter Blues"), R&B covers of country deep cuts (a hard-driving take on Mel McDaniel's "Stand Up"), and fresh takes on previously-released originals (a revision of 40 Acre Mule's "Hat in Hand," driven forward by Evan's melodies and Vasquez's swirling organ). 

 

The result is a contemporary album inspired by the best parts of the past. "It's important to me that this band honors the history and roots of rock & roll," Evans says. "Rock & roll comes from guys like Chuck Berry, Ike Turner, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, and Howlin' Wolf. It's black music, and that fact gets overlooked sometimes. I hope the songs we play can shine a light on the people who made this kind of music before us, and I hope we're a reminder that it takes all kinds of colors and backgrounds to make up this thing we now call Americana music." 

 

With Americana Radio, J. Isaiah Evans & The Boss Tweed's national broadcast has begun. Tune in and turn it up. 

 

brief bio

Fueled by American rock & roll and Texan country-boogie, J. Isaiah Evans & The Boss Tweed play revved-up roots music for garages, roadhouses, and juke joints. It's an old-school sound for the modern age, performed by an organ trio with overdriven amps and plenty of reverence for the trailblazers who came before them. Inspired by acts like Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Ike Turner, Evans teamed up with keyboardist Matthew Vasquez and drummer Spud Crowley to form The Boss Tweed after fronting another critically-acclaimed act, The 40 Acre Mule, for nearly a decade. The band's debut album, Americana Radio, finds the guys reimagining the organ trio — an ensemble traditionally seen in jazz music — as a vehicle for lean, mean rock & roll, delivering tracks like "Let's Rock" and "A Thing For You" with a mix of groove, grit, and Hammond B-3. Recorded to analog tape during two days of live-in-the-studio sessions, Americana Radio introduces a power trio rooted in the 21st century and inspired by the best parts of the past, breathing new life into familiar sounds along the way.

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CONTACT US

PUBLIC RELATIONS: PATI DEVRIES, DEVIOUS PLANET MEDIA: patidevries@deviousplanet.com

BOOKING AND ALL OTHER INQUIRIES: jieandthebosstweed@gmail.com