Favorites...

...with Hezekiah Jones. Philadelphia based singer-songwriter Raphael Cutrufello, who goes under the moniker Hezekiah Jones, was able to give me some of his time and a piece of his mind. If you're not familiar with Hezekiah's work, take a few minutes to do that now.

	Hezekiah Jones - Cupcakes for the Army
	Found at skreemr.com

	Hezekiah Jones with Clare Callaghan - Put On Your Light
	Found at skreemr.com

Hezekiah's approach to songwriting is quite romantic, still using a typewriter to hash out his wonderful lyricism, a la one of his heroes William S. Borroughs. Being a lefty, he plays a righty's guitar, obviously flipping it upside down. That's how he gets his signature sound. And his influences are so wide and varied, as were his previous projects, that Raph can play with anyone, anywhere, anytime; whether it be guitar, piano (an accomplished virtuoso in his own right) or the accordian.

Anyway, Hezekiah Jones (or Raph, but I use the two interchangeably...) was down to trade some responses back and forth over e-mails, letting us all know what makes him tick. Here's his Favorites:
What were your favorite albums of 2007?
Chris Bathgate - A Cork Tale Wake, Frontier Ruckus - I Am The Water You Are Pumping EP, (both of those are Michigan bands) and Johnny Miles - Sign of Times (although I guess it's an '08, but I got it in '07. Does that count?)

How about your favorite albums of all-time?
Jethro Tull - Aqualung, Palace - Days in the Wake, Chris Bathgate - Throat/Sleep, and Pink Floyd - The Wall (of course!)

Your favorite new bands?
Kilo (Philly), Cheers Elephant (Philly), Frontier Ruckus (Lansing, Michigan), and Sisters 3 (Philly).

And favorite songs of all-time?
Luka - Suzanne Vega, Vera - Pink Floyd, Slipstream - Jethro Tull, Wondering Aloud - Jethro Tull, Bridges For Free - The Spinning Leaves, and Last Parade on Ann Street - Chris Bathgate.

What about some of your favorite shows you've played recently?
Northern Liberties Winter Music Festival w/ These United States, Matt Jones, The Extraordinaires, Sisters 3, The Bee Team, and Birdie Busch.

Which musicians or artists do you really enjoy playing or sharing bills with?
Chris Bathgate (not to be superfluous), The Spinning Leaves, Birdie Busch, O'Death and Sisters 3.

Moving away from music for a second, what was the last great movie you saw?
Panic in Needle Park.

Back to music. What's your favorite instrument that you own?
I guess my accordian, or my (a) guitar which Maureen just fixed up for me for Christmas!

So, where you buying records at these days?
I haven't had the money to do that in a long time. I've been living hand to mouth too long. Help me!

What about your favorite music venue? To both see shows or perform at?
Johnny Brenda's and Jimmy's Mom's House.*

Lastly, being that radio is a dying art, what's your favorite radio station? 90.9 NPR (I'm a dork).

Thanks, Raphy, for being a willing participant in our first installment of Favorites. I hope to be doing something like this a few times a month from now on. This was fun for me, I hope it was fun for you. Here's a look at upcoming Hezekiah Jones shows:

February

27th - Philadelphia, PA @ The Fire w/ The Spinning Leaves, The Lowdowners, Monadnoc, Macgregor Burns Band, & Nu Cultures

29th - Newtown Square, PA @ Burlap & Bean w/ Erik Peterson(of Mischief Brew!), The Spinning Leaves, & Matt Landis!!!

March

22nd - Spring City, PA @ Chaplin's w/ Tin Bird Choir, & Mike Pfeiffer and the Associates!!

25th - Philadelphia, PA w/ The Gunshy, and Joe Anderl (might not be doing this show, but will be amazing. the Gunshy is a must see!!!!!)

April

9th - Cleveland, OH @ The Barking Spider w/ The Spinning Leaves

10th - Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig w/ The Spinning Leaves, Chris Bathgate, The Mighty Narwhale

11th - Albion, MI @ Albion College Coffee House w/ Chris Bathgate, The Spinning Leaves

12th - Lansing, MI @ (Scene) Metrospace w/ Chris Bathgate, The Spinning Leaves

16th - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live w/ Chris Bathgate, and The Spinning Leaves

19th - Newtown Square, PA @ Burlap and Bean w/ Wissahickon Chicken Shack!!!

May

1st - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground w/ The Cush, and The Vitals!!!!!!!!!!!

2nd - Rutland, VT @ Sidelines w/ The Cush

3rd - Manchester, VT @ Manchester Bar and Grille w/ The Cush

Also, check out Hezekiah Jones' website.

* - for that comment about gigging at my mom's house, here's a pic of Raph in those Harry Potter glasses!