Six albums deep into his career under the alt-country moniker The Bones of J.R. Jones, Jonathon Linaberry continues to prove he still has plenty of territory yet to cover both musically and lyrically. The recently released Radio Waves marked the songwriter’s first album to feature an outside producer (GRAMMY nominee Robbie Lackritz, who’s previously worked with Feist and Alvvays), while the words he penned for these tunes continue to dig deeper into the human condition. “The patterns we create tend to define us and our life choices,” he shares of the stand-out cut “Heart Attack,” a song about intentionally breaking these patterns, “and I think many of us make these choices subconsciously. They could be ingrained in us by our family, they could be hereditary, they could be made by us over a course of many years, because it seems easier; they could be patterns that emerge in relationships.”
It’s this track he chose to perform on acoustic guitar outside of his home in the Catskills in Upstate New York for his “Neighborhoods” session, a rustic garage and scrap shed serving as a backdrop. “Home in the western Catskills is where I feel most alive and most myself,” Linaberry shares of his setting. “This community—which is small, supportive, scrappy, underestimated—I love deeply, and wouldn’t change a thing about it. This old house which hosts family, friends, dinners, late morning breakfasts, and so many memories requires attention—constant work and upkeep; it demands it, but like the community, we support each other. It’s where my life slows down and my cup is filled.”
Check out his performance below, and catch Linaberry on his West Coast tour kicking off in late September at the dates listed here.
