The Great Jones

Great Jones is the musical vision of vocalist Tommy London, who was actually born in Queens and cut his teeth with Philly groups while working in his family's produce business. He played with high school bands and at subsequent college festivals. Soon London's night gigs developed a flourishing local following: typical big fish in a small pond stuff. Inspired by immortal acts like Cheap Trick and the Replacements, London broke away from Smallville, PA, and took his stadium dreams down the Jersey turnpike to break into the city of dirt, New York City. Most of London's songs took shape from the bustling Big Apple streets. The singer clearly needed a band to escape a life defined by living in the apartment upstairs, so he placed an ad in the Village Voice (à la Kiss) for kindred spirits. Frustrated by the lack of commitment shown by many of the musicians he auditioned, London headed back to Pennsylvania and trucked into the studio solo to capture his ideas on disc. Hometown hero Drew Raison (who worked with Third Eye Blind and Barenaked Ladies) owns Big Sky Audio in Springfield, PA, and stepped up to produce when he overheard London recording. At the same time, drummer Tony Iannuzzi, a tri-state music fixture, also overheard the sessions and snagged a piece of the action as engineer. Iannuzzi recommended Dave Landry, a lead guitarist with an endless batch of chops and riffs. Old friend Steve Karsch rounded out the outfit, with his axe and songcraft. Fun City legend Bruce Halverson also lent a songwriting assist, and while originally planning merely a demo, London and his new partners wrapped an entire album. The record is aptly titled Standing Room Only and concentrates on the smooth energy of the '70s while harnessing the technical proficiency of the new millennium....