Get Real (for adult/general audiences)

Get Real" is Billy's studio follow-up to "Life So Far".  From matters of the heart, to geo-political intrigue, "Get Real" invites the listener to climb into a "percussion-rich" universe full of sonic exploration and emotional adventurousness.  "Get Real" is filled with sounds that come from homemade and recycled object instruments ("industrial re-percussion":  5 gallon water bottle, pots & pans, bottles & cans, buckets, garbage bins and carpet tube marimbas), as well as a host of more traditional sounding instruments (guitar, bass, Middle Eastern & African percussion), and LOTS of voices!

Billy Jonas Live  (for adult/general audiences)

Billy Jonas is a singer/songwriter, guitarist, "industrial re-percussionist," and a one-man-band whose primary instrument is the audience. "Billy Jonas LIVE" is a portrait of a turn-of-the 21st century hootenanny, in the grand folk tradition, where everybody's in the band. With the exception of the bonus track, "Billy Jonas LIVE" was recorded all during one concert on February 16, 2002, by Neale Eckstein at Fox Run, in Sudbury, MA. It features Billy solo, accompanied by a stellar "audience orchestra" who learn their parts as they go. Special guests include Eric Schwartz (backup vocals on "Coup d'Etat") and David Wilcox (backup vocals on the bonus track "God is IN").

Life So Far (for adult/general audiences)

LIFE SO FAR is the first solo studio recording by Billy Jonas, singer-songwriter, re-percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, and former member of the highly acclaimed funky folk duo "The Billys." LIFE SO FAR sparkles with unique perspectives and found sounds. Songs filled with hope, yearning, wonder, and wisdom include special guests Bill Melanson, David Wilcox, Nance Pettit, Lynn Rosser, and Chris Rosser on harmonies; Glen Velez on percussion; Robert Moog on Theramin; and Zimbabwe's 9 man Black Umfolosi voice and percussion choir. LIFE SO FAR was released in 2000, and was recorded in studios in Atlanta, Chicago, and Asheville. The songs and sentiments of LIFE SO FAR are born out of Billy Jonas' live shows, which are an explosion of energy. In singalongs, bangalongs, whisperalongs, as well as improvised songs, his primary 'instrument' is the audience. Everyone becomes part of a performance that reaches out and ". . . touches even the most hardened of hearts." (Fayetteville Morning News).

Time Has Come (for adult/general audiences)

THE TIME HAS COME is the 1993 magnum opus of THE BILLYS, an original, singer-songwriter duo, whose "foraged folk music" features great vocal harmonies, homemade "industrial re-percussion" instruments, and guitars. The recording features an eclectic array of songs of hope, love, political intrigue, and late night travel vortices. Some of the homemade instruments include the 'maBOOMba' -- a marimba made of carpet tubes; 'tin can xylophone' -- fashioned from soup cans; and a 'kutlery kalimba' -- exactly that! THE BILLYS (Bill Melanson and Billy Jonas) met in 1990 while accompanying singer-songwriter David Wilcox at the Black Mountain Folk Festival in North Carolina. While on stage they grabbed nearby recycling containers and led the audience in a spontaneous, improvised "re-percussion" jam. The response was overwhelming: THE BILLYS were born.

FREE Chanukah Song "Let There Be Light"  - new from Billy!

Happy Accidents (the NEWEST CD!)

NEWS FLASH: HAPPY ACCIDENTS has been awarded a Parent's Choice GOLD award!!! Happy Accidents, the latest Billy Jonas recording, is funky folk music for the whole family. It's musical medicine for the mind, body and spirit of young and old alike. It's a splendiferous sonic sojourn into the near and far reaches of fun and fantasy, possibility and purpose, word-play, wonder, heart, and hope. The 18 songs feature 13 originals, and 5 adaptations of traditional tunes, all destined to inspire and inform. For instance, "Eyes Wide Open," "You are Not Alone," "Get There," and "Open Sesame" each provide a different 'musical map' for navigating challenging situations; "To Be One" and "Hollow Bamboo" enliven the soul; "Cabeza" teaches Spanish; "Happy Accident" explores four mistakes with wonderful outcomes; and "What Kind of Dog are You?!," "Vitamin Alphabet," "Knock Knock," and "One Tutu too Many" are just plain FUN question-answer songs that invite the listener to guess-along and sing along. The arrangements include Jonas' trademark homemade "re-percussion'' drum set, as well as a glorious panoply of found sounds (rubber bands, body percussion, door squeaks, apple cider jugs), exotic kalimbas and marimbas, conventional instruments (guitars, bass, piano, banjo, accordion, tuba) and 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-part vocal harmonies. The finale of the CD is the "Wake Up Suite," a series of 5 songs that trace a young person's morning rituals. Jonas and an 8-year-old friend sing duets designed to be easily learned and re-sung, to help families move their morning process along with as much fun as possible. The pieces include "Gotta Get Up," "Two Minute Shower," "Eat Something!" "Brush Your Teeth," and "Totally Ready to Go." Happy Accidents is Jonas' seventh recording, and his second "family" CD. Built on a foundation of voice and percussion, with strong, memorable melodies, it has something for everyone, regardless of age. It was recorded over the course of a year, primarily in Asheville, NC, with the help of co-producers Bill Melanson (from The Billys) and Adam Johnson. Happy Accidents features more than 40 local musicians and a host of nationally and internationally renowned co-conspirators, including David Wilcox, Moira Smiley, The Fire Cracker Jazz Band, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, River Guerguerian, Don Porterfield, Jake Wolf, Ashley Farmer, and Eliot Wadopian. LINER NOTES BILLY JONAS' "HAPPY ACCIDENTS"……… RELEASED: 2009 Produced by Adam Johnson, Bill Melanson & Billy Jonas Recorded & Mixed by Adam Johnson & Billy Jonas at Possum Palace, Braidsteam Studios, & Upstream Studios, Asheville, NC Additional Engineering / Recording: Van Coble at Children's Theatre of Charlotte, NC  Marc Doten at Trend Coma Studio, Pasadena CA / River Guerguerian at The Resonating Room, Asheville NC / Ric Hordinski, at the monastery, Cincinnati OH / Andrew Shatsberg at Landslide Studio, Asheville NC / Joshua Pearl at Let It Out Productions, Woodstock NY / Chris Rosser at Hollow Reed Studios, Asheville NC / Thomas Vanderbrook at Tonehaus, Austin TX Mastering: Eric Conn & Don Cobb, Independent Mastering, Nashville TN All songs and introductions copyright 2009 Billy Jonas, Bang-a-Bucket Music (BMI), except: Eyes Wide Open copyright 2009 Billy Jonas, Bang-a-Bucket Music (BMI) & Moira    Smiley, (ASCAP) Open Sesame copyright 2009 Billy Jonas, Bang-a-Bucket Music (BMI) & David Blum One Tutu Too Many copyright 2009 Billy Jonas, Bang-a-Bucket Music (BMI) & Laura Mahr Vitamin Alphabet copyright 2009 Billy Jonas, Bang-a-Bucket Music (BMI) & David Wilcox, Gizz Da Baboo (SESAC) Eat Something copyright 2009 Billy Jonas, Bang-a-Bucket Music (BMI) & Jane Anne Tager Brush Your Teeth copyright 2009 Billy Jonas, Bang-a-Bucket Music (BMI), Bill Melanson, Adam Johnson, & Agent 23 Skidoo, based on traditional song Totally Ready To Go copyright 2009 Billy Jonas, Bang-a-Bucket Music (BMI) & Bill Melanson.   Two Minute Shower copyright 2009 Billy Jonas, Bang-a-Bucket Music (BMI) & Bill Melanson, based on traditional song Cabeza, Hollow Bamboo, Gotta Get Up copyright 2009 Billy Jonas, Bang-a-Bucket   Music (BMI), based on traditional songs   Brief lyrical & music excerpts on track numbers 8 and 11 are used under the fair use provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act, U.S.C. Title 17 S107 Musicians: The Happy Accidents Band is Billy Jonas (vocals, guitars, banjo, percussion, sound effects), Bill Melanson (vocals, guitars, banjo, percussion, sound effects), Jake Wolf (bass, vocals, percussion), Don Porterfield (bass, vocals, percussion), Ashley Farmer (vocals, percussion), & River Guerguerian (percussion, vocals) Additional Musicians (alphabetically): Patrick Boland - piano (To Be One) Dan Brewer - mandolin (Knock Knock, Who's Gonna Make our Music) Isaac Dickson Elementary School - vocals (Vitamin Alphabet, Cabeza, Who's Gonna Make our Music) Pierce Edens - dumpster (Eyes Wide Open) Embe Marimba Band - marimbas (You are Not Alone) Nicky Erker - vocals (What Kind of Dog are You?!, Brush Your Teeth, Cabeza, Vitamin Alphabet, Intro: Happy Accident) Paul Feldman - vocals (Knock Knock) Fire Cracker Jazz Band (Mike Gray, Earl Sachais, Henry Westmoreland, Je Widenhouse)   Mike Gray - vocals, drums (What Kind of Dog are You, Happy Accident)   Earl Sachais - trombone (What Kind of Dog are You, Happy Accident)   Henry Westmorland - tuba (What Kind of Dog are You, Happy Accident)   Je Widenhouse - trumpet (What Kind of Dog are You, Happy Accident)   Ashley Farmer - vocals (Eyes Wide Open, Who's Gonna Make Our Music?!, Vitamin Alphabet, To Be One, Open Sesame, Happy Accidents,  What          Kind of Dog are You?!, Get There, Knock Knock, Cabeza, Hollow Bamboo, Two Minute Shower, Eat Something)   Sue Ford - vocals, marimba (You are Not Alone)   Steve Gorn - bamboo flute (Hollow Bamboo)   Juan Holladay - vocals, percussion, body percussion (Eyes Wide Open, Get There)   Ric Hordinski - electric guitar (One Tutu Too Many)   Daphne Howard - vocals (Cabeza, Who's Gonna Make our Music?!)   Adam Johnson - claps, percussion (Open Sesame, Get There)   Jones Primary School - (Vitamin Alphabet, Cabeza, Who's Gonna Make our Music)   Billy Jonas - vocals, percussion, body percussion, re-percussion, guitar, electric guitar, gourd banjo, 1 gallon bottles, sound effects, anklung, pitch pipe, marimba (everything!)   Katuah Sudbury School - (Vitamin Alphabet, Cabeza, Who's Gonna Make our Music)   Tessa Kvalvik - vocals (What Kind of Dog are You?!, Vitamin Alphabet, Cabeza, Who's Gonna Make our Musiic)   Julie Last - vocals (Hollow Bamboo)   Zedd Littlejohn - vocals (Brush Your Teeth, Eat Something, Vitamin Alphabet, Who's Gonna Make our Music)   Bill Melanson - vocals, guitars, banjo, percussion, sound effects (Who's Gonna Make our Music?!, Open Sesame, Knock Knock, Brush Your Teeth,             Two Minute Shower, Totally Ready to Go, Gotta Get Up, Cabeza, Happy Accident)   Bonnie Grace Melanson - vocals (Cabeza, Vitamin Alphabet, What Kind of Dog are You, Who's Gonna Make Our Music?! Intro: Wake Up Suite)   Carter Mitchell - vocals (Cabeza   Jenny Park - vocals (Vitamin Alphabet, Cabeza)   Eli Pearl - vocals (Hollow Bamboo)   Fiona Pearl - vocals (Hollow Bamboo)   Joshua Pearl - vocals, anklung, piano (Hollow Bamboo)   Orange Peel Audience 12-2-07 - vocals (Who's Gonna Make Our Music?!)   Mark Perry - vocals (Vitamin Alphabet, Cabeza, Who's Gonna Make Our Music, Knock Knock, What Kind of Dog are You?!)   Nance Pettit - vocals (Cabeza, Who's Gonna Make Our Music)   Carl Peverall - vocals (Knock Knock)   Don Porterfield - bass (Vitamin Alphabet, To Be One, Get There, Knock Knock   Chris Rosser - vocals, piano, melodica, accordian, organ (Happy Accident, Vitamin Alphabet, What Kind of Dog are You?! One Tutu Too Many,          Hollow Bamboo)   Lynn Rosser - vocals (Hollow Bamboo, What Kind of Dog are You?!)   Michael Rubin - harmonica (Vitamin Alphabet, Happy Accident)   Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - drum programming (Brush Your Teeth)   Dr. Sick - violin (Vitamin Alphabet)   Moira Smiley - vocals (To Be One, Hollow Bamboo)   Matt Smith - electric guitar, slide guitar (Who's Gonna Make Our Music?!, Open Sesame, One Tutu Too Many)   Luke Tannenbaum - vocals (Cabeza, Vitamin Alphabet, Hollow Bamboo, What Kind of Dog are You?!)   Chris Thompson - vocals (To Be One)   Elijah Tucker - vocals, percussion (Hollow Bamboo)   Eliot Wadopian - bass (Cabeza)   Chrissa Weir - vocals (Cabeza, Vitamin Alphabet, Who's Gonna Make Our Music?!)   David Wheeler - vocals (Knock Knock)   David Wilcox - vocals (Who's Gonna Make Our Music, Cabeza)   Nathan Wilcox - vocals (Who's Gonna Make Our Music, Cabeza)   Nicole Williams - vocals (Cabeza, Vitamin Alphabet)   Jake Wolf - bass (Who's Gonna Make Our Music, Open Sesame, One Tutu Too Many, Eat Something, Totally Ready to Go) Graphic Design: Andrew Findley www.andrewfindley.com Paintings by Barbar Fisher www.barbarafisher.com SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE AMAZING MUSICIANS, CO-WRITERS, ENGINEERS, SCHOOLS & THEATERS! AND (alphabetically)…Tommy Anton, Ted Abrogast, Benjamin Bernstein, Sharon Bigger, David Blum, Louis Cato, Children's Theatre of Charlotte, Kachina Davine, Adrian Deal, Doug Elliott, Evergreen Community Charter School, Fargo-Erker Family, Ashley Farmer & family, Andrew Findley, Cathy Fink, Barbara Fisher, Louisa Ford, Sue Ford, Lucy Hazelhurst, David Holladay, Juan Holladay, Ruletta Hughes, Ira B. Jones Elementary School, Isaac Dickson Elementary School, Adam Johnson, Jonas family, Nathalie Jorge & family, Katuah Sudbury School, Heather Star Krause, Geri Littlejohn, Loyd Artists (Peggy Baldwin, John Loyd, Susan Lounsbury), Laura Mahr, Marcy Minxer, Bill Melanson, Alan Muskat, Shifra Nerenberg, Oasis Disc Manufacturing, Jenny Park, Joshua Pearl & family, Nance Pettit, Don & Lila Porterfield, Maggie Jo Saylor & family, Ben Scales, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Sheila Shearer, Steph Silver & family, JaneAnne Tager & family, Fred Tannenbaum & family, The Orange Peel, Ramie Thorstad & family, Charlie Van Buskirk and G.A.S.M. (Group of Asheville Song Makers), Weir family, Wilcox-Pettit family, Sarah Kim Wilde.  Billy Jonas is endorsed by Saluda Cymbals & Taylor Guitars.

Everybody's In The Band - DVD/VHS (for family/young audiences)

Everybody's In The Band" (2004, Parent's Choice Award winner!) is Billy's latest family/young audience DVD/VHS video release. It features hundreds of enthusiastic kids, as well as a special guest, Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss. "Everybody's In The Band" continues in the tradition of Billy's first video, "Bangin' & Sangin'" (2000, Parent Choice Award winner!) with the idea that music can happen ANYWHERE and ANYTIME, with ANYONE and ANYTHING! This video is available in both DVD and VHS formats.

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What Kind Of Cat Are You?! (for family/young audiences)

The main instrument is YOU when you sing and bang along with Billy Jonas' cd "What Kind of Cat Are You?!" Billy Jonas' fans will make music in all new ways as they enjoy this award-winning (2002 Parent's Choice Gold Star) collection of 13 interactive songs. Like a virtual song leader at a lively campfire, "What Kind of Cat Are You?!" encourages everyone to use their own voices and any handy item to "sing, dance, snap, tap, clap their hands and join the band!" As with all of Billy's music, the main instrument for "What Kind of Cat Are You?!" is the audience: call-and-response lyrics, open-ended questions, and quiet instructions that inspire movement and imaginative thought. Nearly every song on "What Kind of Cat Are You?!" was inspired by and developed in performances with live audiences. "What Kind of Cat Are You?!" features an amazing amalgam of musical styles, sure to pique the interest of everyone in the family. Each piece employs a mix of traditional instruments and lively "Industrial Re-percussion" (homemade instruments fashioned from found and recyclable objects). Children's voices provide just the right backdrop for singing along. "What Kind of Cat Are You?!" engages listeners on many levels - physically, musically and intellectually. The songs simultaneously invite the listener to dance, do hand motions (learned in concert, or from Billy's video "Bangin' & Sangin'!" or made up by you!), sing the lyrics, answer musical riddles, or bang on a drum or box top. The combination of music, rhythm, and participatory lyrics creates an irresistible oscillation in the mind and body. Billy's unusual outlook on life comes to the forefront on each song, where listeners can get involved in the increasingly hilarious self-exploratory answers to the question "What Kind of Cat Are You?!" "Aliens in My Lungs" makes a convincing case for the extraterrestrial experience of anyone invaded by a bad cold. The slurpy deliciousness of "Watermelon" is completely conveyed by Billy's juicy sound effects. When "Old St. Helen" explodes, people find "pieces of the mountain" in their noses, and feel the "rumble" as they become one with the mountain. A new rendition of the happy classic hit "Lean on Me" will be the perfect sing-along to share among friends, as they "stomp, clap, stomp stomp clap" along with hundreds of people making the catchy beat. Most of the songs are energetic, but the imaginative story-song "Nine-Foot Dragon" encourages quiet listening. At the end of the recording, Billy invites everyone to make a joyful noise with friends and family - using whatever instruments are handy - whether it be "a bucket or a garbage can." "These are powerful tools for encouraging creativity and creating connectedness among people," as Billy says.

Bangin' & Sangin' - DVD/VHS (for family/young audiences)

Bangin' and Sangin' is Billy Jonas' first family/young audience video and is guaranteed to inspire audience participation! Filmed in 1999 at Blue Star Camps in Hendersonville, NC and TCI studios in Asheville, NC, it immediately received a Parents' Choice Gold Star rating and earned a place on The New York Times "Best" listing. You'll be on your feet before the third drumbeat!In Bangin & Sangin', Billy performs his original songs and a few family favorites with voice, guitar, and "industrial re-percussion" - a collection of instruments made from found and recycled objects. His unique brand of "forged folk music" has delighted thousands at clubs, schools, festivals, coffee houses, and theaters. Kids of all ages can't resist bangin' and sangin' along with Billy!

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