Carolina Blues Mel Jones & His Bag of Bones Make Area Debut Friday By Jeff Eason Acoustic blues and bluegrass make up much of the bedrock of our state’s musical heritage. There are a lot of bands who do one or the other of these genres some justice—but there are very few that are well versed in both. Mel Jones & His Bag of Bones is one band that knows how to blend the best elements of bluegrass and blues. They even through some humor and swing into the mix to make the party complete. Mel Jones & His Bag of Bones will make their High Country debut at Canyons of the Blue Ridge in Blowing Rock on Friday, May 14. The show starts at 10 p.m. and admission is free. “We’re from Mocksville and we’ve had the opportunity to play all around what they now call the Wine Valley,” said Jones. “There’s some amazing entertainment and great festivals and venues in that area right now.” This summer the band will attempt to take over parts of the state away from the Mocksville area. The band’s schedule will take it all over the mountains and the coast. “Folks in the mountains probably know all about our guitarist Don Story from his band Donnie Story and the Fried Pies that used to play up there,” said Jones. All of the band members in Bag of Bones have extensive musical resumes. Bassist Dan Campbell is a veteran bluegrass bass player and three-time grand champion bassist at fiddler’s conventions. Mandolin player Kip Snow can play in any style imaginable and provides what Jones likes to refer to as the “rhythm and grass” element to the band’s sound. “He can play anything from Ray Charles to Bill Monroe,” said Jones. Jones was born and raised in Chapel Hill and toured for years as a drummer and singer with various rock and rhythm and blues bands. Eventually he discovered a true love for the older sounds of Carolina blues and bluegrass. He started playing harmonica and developed his own unique style of blowing the harp that makes it the perfect instrument for his band’s repertoire of swing, blues and jazz. The band’s latest album, Bones to Pick, features a wide array of acoustic blues and rock & roll tunes. Some of the songs were written by Jones and the covers feature a wide range of classics including Willie Dixon’s “My Babe,” Hank Williams’ “Hey Good Lookin’,” “Jimmy Coxe’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Working.” For more information on Friday’s free show, call Canyons at (828) 295-7661.