Chasing Jones

"Chasing Jones is a Canadian quartet with a propensity for pop-inflected rock songs that get inside your grille and stay there. Coming together in 2007 as a brother duo, Nick and Adam DiLullo didn't know what they were getting themselves into. Luring hometown boy Blair Brown (drums) to return home from Los Angeles, the twosome became a threesome and went on to record their first EP, The Lie. Soon thereafter Chasing Jones happened upon bassist Dwayne Ulliac and the circle was complete. Earlier this year Chasing Jones released their second EP, Stay Tonight, a collection of five irrevocably catchy rock songs destined for your ears.

Stay Tonight opens with "Anniversary", a snappy, hook-laden pop rocker that's likely to have radio program directors salivating. "Anniversary" has the sort of energy and momentum that sends people to their web browsers to find out just who Chasing Jones are; a perfect lead off to the EP. "Anniversary" also carries with a dark tale of love lost inside that happy, peppy rock arrangement, a nod to bands like The Cure that won't go unnoticed. "Say You Were Right" is a desperate plea for company that gets a bit caught up in repetition but is sonically pleasing. "Amelia" is something of a rock n roll tragedy. The song is written from the perspective of someone who is in love with someone who has all the wrong ideas about love. He yearns for her and lets her know he's there, but she's so stuck in bad patterns she can't even see him. All of this is delivered in poetic terms in a highly compact, hook-laden rock arrangement that could be a pop/rock hit in its own right.

"Twenty-Third Avenue" is a dark, disputed love song about realizing what you want once it's too late. Vocalist Nick DiLullo sings a comfortable melody while invoking the appropriate amount of hopeless hopefulness in a gentle swaying tune that gathers the momentum of inevitability before resolving to where it began. Stay Tonight closes with the turbulently pensive "Piece By Piece", which grows slowly and steadily into the sort of infectious arrangement that seems to be the trademark of Chasing Jones. Once again the catchy melody and big hooks complement lyrics of melancholy and heartbreak, an intriguing juxtaposition of musical setting and ideas that adds spark to Chasing Jones' musical milieu.

Chasing Jones creates a bit of magic on Stay Tonight, crafting five songs with solid rock radio credentials without making it obvious they're trying to do so. The melodies and arrangements on Stay Tonight have the sort of snappy feel that gets inside your skull, and Chasing Jones’ lyrics explore the sullen side of human relationships with an ardor that will peak your interest. Based on current tastes it would not be at all surprising to hear Chasing Jones all over the radio dial this summer and fall, as well as finding some of these songs on the soundtracks of some of your favorite network television shows. With the right break, Chasing Jones could be very, very big.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)" - Wildy's World

Chasing Jones release "Anniversary" single

Edmonton rock quartet Chasing Jones have recently released their new single "Anniversary" and fans of melodic power pop should rejoice.

Imagine Superchunk playing songs written by the Gin Blossoms...the results are better than you'd think.

Check out the infectious single on the band's Myspace page. - Snobmusic.net

"There’s a little bit of Telling on Trixie here in Chasing Jones latest EP “Stay Tonight,” and a little bit of perhaps, say, Vertical Horizon and even more recent Third Eye Blind (think “Blue” or “Ursa Major”). The vocals are a pop gem in hiding, one that’s as-yet-undiscovered, but that could all change soon once people finally hear Chasing Jones, or better yet, read this review, well, hopefully. Not one of these songs could classify as not enjoyable, or even anything close for that matter, and even though this EP is just a five song clip, there really isn’t a dull moment. Honestly, you should find yourself hooked after the opening track ‘Anniversary.’ The songwriting is top notch, and the bands ability to craft relatable lyrical story arch’s shines through prominently, while the concise structures won’t lose you. “Stay Tonight” is a thoroughly capable release; one that is hooky, and toe-tapping all the same. It shows promise and should be the start of a beautiful friendship between Chasing Jones and your ears."
- Brian Campbell - My Crazy Music Blog

There are plenty of reasons to start a band. The best is probably free beer, but a close second is to create the kind of band that you enjoy listening to, but that you’re having a hard time hearing. That way you’re creating music mostly for yourself, and so the impetus to keep going comes from within and not from a vague desire to fit into someone else’s idea of what’s hip and “make it.”

Chasing Jones, who has been together a little over a year, formed out of a desire to recapture the more innocent poppy sounds of the mid-’90s. Brothers Nick and Adam Di Lullo, along with bassist Paul Yastrub and drummer Blair Brown will be channeling that energy as they release their debut EP this Friday at the Starlite Room.

“Me and Adam grew up listening to the pop and rock bands in the mid ‘90s and we thought of how hearing those songs kind of brings you back to a specific time and a specific place, and we kind of thought that that’s sort of missing nowadays, especially in the indie scene,” explains Nick Di Lullo of the band’s impetus. “We’re still trying to make our own sound and be unique. It’s not a nostalgia band but it came from a feeling of nostalgia.”

That feeling of nostalgia, and a bad breakup or two, is what formed the backbone of the group’s EP, which is entitled The Lie. Ably helped along by the increasingly sought after Randor Lin at Turnkey Studios, the album documents a variety of feelings that emerge during the meltdown of a relationship. The choice to create a short EP in an age when digital recording and CD reproduction have made creating a full-length album cheaper than ever is part of the band’s overall plan to engage in a constant conversation with its fans.

“Generally you’re going to be giving your songs away and I think having an EP allows you to release music more often, and also keep things fresh. I think it’s important for people to always be expecting something new to come out and releasing a full-length album every two years is too long. So we wanted to release an EP and make it short and concise and not have any filler,” says Di Lullo. “For independent bands, being able to get their stuff out right away is way more important than gouging every single person to buy a CD. Your songs will reach way more people than they would otherwise.” - Edmonton Vue Weekly

It’s obvious to see why Chasing Jones decided to release ‘Anniversary’ as their first single -- the song is crazily catchy. As I write this, I’m thinking of the people who I want to play it for because I think they will really like the sound. ‘Say You Were Right’ gives the impression that it was recorded live due to the clapping at the end of the track. I actually had to go back and listen because -- if this is true and not just a trick in the studio -- the quality of that recording is top-notch. By the time you get to ‘Amelia’ (the third track on the album) it becomes more and more obvious that, really, Chasing Jones could have picked one of a number of songs to be their lead single. All in all, you should definitely keep an eye (and ear) out for these guys - Outsider Vocals

Wow. I am so loving this song! The lyrics are so simple yet so meaningful, and the melody is easy to sing along to. I’ll probably be humming “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me” later today. The style of music is relevant and I could totally hear it playing on a radio station. Their sound reminds me a bit of Third Eye Blind. All in all – very awesome.

-Hailey Morgan - Raised On Indie

Chasing Jones-Anniversary

"This is another act that has the modern edge, but embraces melody and harmony and some solid hooks to take this into ‘yay’ territory. If I could, I’d program this into Warner Brother’s ‘Smallville’ the next time Clark and Chloe have a falling out."

Bob Segarini - FYImusic.ca

So many bands come and go with few of them leaving a real stamp on a genre or the music industry. With that being said it would be a real shame if a band like Chasing Jones and their new single “Anniversary” get overlooked. Although the rock world isn’t necessarily a single driven world so much as one where they rely on solid albums and touring, this is a great introduction for newcomers to get what this band is all about. For all intensive purposes the Edmonton based band plays “indie rock,” but that is such a bland description of a band really. This song depicts much more than that tag holds as they use great rhythm in the guitars to suck you into the song from the get go before giving away to the opening verse. Once there, you are met with very solid vocals that lead you through the verse and into a pre-chorus that is full of choppy guitars that get you bouncing and into the chorus you find very crisp harmonies that keep you listening. By this point you will be hooked and want to hear more and they continue to deliver more of the same. Too many new acts coming out don’t use the vocals the right way, but Chasing Jones does. They don’t need to scream their way through the song to make a point, but rather use crisp and clean vocals and great guitar work and rhythms to hold you throughout the song the same way that bands like Third Eye Blind or the Ataris do. So while you can certainly define this song as “indie rock” on some levels, I am going to just classify it is a solid, well crafted, must listen for any fan of modern rock with degrees of pop fused in. (JK) - Guestlist Magazine

Chasing Jones-Anniversary

"This is another act that has the modern edge, but embraces melody and harmony and some solid hooks to take this into ‘yay’ territory. If I could, I’d program this into Warner Brother’s ‘Smallville’ the next time Clark and Chloe have a falling out."

Bob Segarini - FYImusic.ca

You know what I enjoy getting in my inbox, in addition to good music? A nice accompanying email. Sometimes all it takes to make my day is to get a nice and casual, unassuming email from a band instead of from their publicity company. Seeing a simple hand-typed email was refreshing, even if it was only two sentences long. Edmonton's Chasing Jones has already made a good first impression on me.

They've released this nifty track, Anniversary, as their new single. It's a clean-cut, pop-rock, head-bopping tune about young love and heartbreak in the most optimistic way. Kudos to the band for reminding us that independent music does not equate to using or faking crap recording and production value just for the sake of sounding "indie". I'm glad that Chasing Jones gets that, because it seems a lot of us are forgetting these days. Anniversary is very nicely polished and it'll easily sit well with TV and radio stations for mass airplay. Remember, music fans: that's not a bad thing! Take it. Play it. Enjoy it. Look forward to more. We'll definitely be hearing a lot more from these guys in the near future. They've got a release scheduled for February and a showcase already set up for them at Canadian Music Week in March. - Impressionable Youth

You know what I enjoy getting in my inbox, in addition to good music? A nice accompanying email. Sometimes all it takes to make my day is to get a nice and casual, unassuming email from a band instead of from their publicity company. Seeing a simple hand-typed email was refreshing, even if it was only two sentences long. Edmonton's Chasing Jones has already made a good first impression on me.

They've released this nifty track, Anniversary, as their new single. It's a clean-cut, pop-rock, head-bopping tune about young love and heartbreak in the most optimistic way. Kudos to the band for reminding us that independent music does not equate to using or faking crap recording and production value just for the sake of sounding "indie". I'm glad that Chasing Jones gets that, because it seems a lot of us are forgetting these days. Anniversary is very nicely polished and it'll easily sit well with TV and radio stations for mass airplay. Remember, music fans: that's not a bad thing! Take it. Play it. Enjoy it. Look forward to more. We'll definitely be hearing a lot more from these guys in the near future. They've got a release scheduled for February and a showcase already set up for them at Canadian Music Week in March. - Impressionable Youth