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The Mountains & The Trees

Local Yokel Rising Crust Folk Singer

About Me


"Better than pancakes!" - Peggy
Local yokel rising crust folk singer, whatever that means. Described as a "hootenanny" by mother. You decide.
The Mountains & The Trees are/is Jon Janes. He plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, harmonica, bells, drums, and sings.
After spending most of his musical career behind the drums, Janes finally came out of hiding (it was a large drum-kit!) and embraced the singer-songwriter inside. Shy at first, he adopted the stage moniker The Mountains & The Trees and has been loving it ever since. Originally a two-piece, it shrunk to a solo act, then grew to a a 3-piece, 4-piece, shrunk again to a 2-piece, grew again to a 3-pie... you get the idea. The size of The Mountains & The Trees changes with the weather and, often, with whoever in the crowd is brave enough to step on stage to play and sing along.
Genre-wise, Janes has too many effects pedals for folk, too many banjos for rock-n-roll (if you're wondering how many banjos are too many - it's one). He playfully describes himself as Folk-Pop or Folk-N-Roll. Recordings contain a variety of instruments, such as guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, bells, and drums. Live, Janes backs himself up with the help of some looping-pedals, some deft footwork, and a little luck.
The Mountains & The Trees have released two recordings thus far - Paper Or Plastic EP [2006] and Document [2007]. The former is a 5-song disc recorded on a shoestring budget and delivered in creative packaging (will that be paper or plastic casing?). It features Janes in a variety of roles, instrumentally and vocally, as well as guest appearances by Rick Lambe and Lous MacDonald. The latter is a full-length 15-song acoustic effort, recorded over three night-sessions at Park St. United Church in Corner Brook. Featuring Janes on vocals, guitar, and mouth harp, this disc is an effort to capture a moment in musical form. It comes in a hand-printed case with a photo-postcard and a package of dirt and seeds (please plant them). All this is contained in a vinyl case, hand-sewn with help (and love) by grandma. Document is also a limited-edition release of 90 discs. Both discs have received airplay on CBC and College Radio.
Old Bio {circa 2006}
Within the community of Corner Brook (and, indeed, the province of Newfoundland), there are, at any given time, dozens of musicians willing to get together and play a show for the love of playing music, with nothing expected in return. They are all welcome to join The Mountains & The Trees. Formed by Jon Janes, The Mountains & The Trees started with a few phone calls to friends and the simple words "Wanna be in a band?" At any given moment, the make-up of The Mountains & The Trees could be 1 - 100 (well, probably not that many, but, it could be!) and no two shows promise to be alike. Willing to give any type of music a try, The Mountains & The Trees promise to entertain, whether it be 1 or 100 (there's that number again). Are you a Mountain? Are you a Tree? If you find yourself humming along or tapping your feet at shows, you're both, and we thank-you for contributing!
I broke down and got a Facebook - check it out!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 7/10/2006
Band Website: rockandroots.com
Band Members: Jon Janes - Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Banjo, Mandolin, Percussion

A rotating crew of wonderful musicians which has included:

Allison Corbett - Violin, Percussion

Dave Rowe - Upright Bass

Stan Erl - Pedal Steel

Maggie Meyer - Vocals

Curtis Andrews - Drums

Dan Gervais - Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica

Chris Wilcott - Electric Guitar

Ivan Emke - Guitar, Vocals, Mandolin, Acordian, Harmonica, Tin Whistle
Influences: Everything!
Sounds Like: Fun!
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Album Update

It's finished. Artwork is being finalized. I'll post more as soon as possible.- Jon J
Posted by The Mountains & The Trees on Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:17:00 PST

Right About Now...

I should be down at the United Church on West St recording a full-length album. W00t!- Jon J
Posted by The Mountains & The Trees on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:19:00 PST

Big Things

There are some pretty big things (in my mind anyways) happening with The Mountains & The Trees right now, involving touring and recording.  I'll post more when I have more to post (well, more...
Posted by The Mountains & The Trees on Fri, 13 Jul 2007 06:09:00 PST

Liner Notes

You can hear me being interviewed, pre-touring, on local CBC program Liner Notes online at http://www.cbc.ca/wam/liner_archives/2007_may.html . I'm a dofus, hehe. Seriously though, Jim Beam? I shou...
Posted by The Mountains & The Trees on Thu, 17 May 2007 08:55:00 PST

Tour Blog #5

Down to brass tacks?... tax?... whatever...So, back in Halifax and excited beyond belief about the show at Gus'. First, however, comes a shit-shooting session with local photographer Chr!s Sm!th. As...
Posted by The Mountains & The Trees on Mon, 14 May 2007 01:35:00 PST

Tour Blog #4

Shoe Shop dining 101We arrived in Halifax late Tuesday and settled into Fenwick Towers where we were staying with Melanie, a high-school friend who had drunkenly offered us a place to stay while visit...
Posted by The Mountains & The Trees on Sat, 05 May 2007 08:24:00 PST

Tour Blog #3

Didn't we just leave an island?So, after a very pleasent drive from Moncton (with my first crossing on the Confederation Bridge), we arrived in PEI and made our way to Charlottetown - almost. We were...
Posted by The Mountains & The Trees on Thu, 03 May 2007 08:13:00 PST

Tour Blog #2

No Good News is bad news... or is it?So we arrived in Sydney alright - we've established that, right?Ok, so after checking in and seeing what the town had to offer (it offered wonderful Don Cherrys br...
Posted by The Mountains & The Trees on Mon, 30 Apr 2007 08:00:00 PST

Tour Blog #1

We left yesterday after getting-up way too early (anything before 10PM currently qualifies for that status). With the gear packed-up and Tim Hortons in the truck, we set out across the island. We ma...
Posted by The Mountains & The Trees on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:39:00 PST

Bloggity Goodness

Lots of great things going on in Mountains & Trees land!You can see the upcoming shows list on the main page.  I'm pretty happy with being to play so many shows with some great bands, here an...
Posted by The Mountains & The Trees on Wed, 31 Jan 2007 07:32:00 PST