PG-43: Press

"Mike Jones wins songwriting contest in honor of Monroe"
Mike Jones, an Elizabethtown singer songwriter, was announced as a winner in the "Come Home to Bluegrass" Songwriting Contest in honor of the upcoming celebration of Bill Monroe's 100th birthday.
Monroe is widely known as the "Father of Bluegrass Music" and was born in Rosine, KY. Jones has been invited to sing his winning song, "The Ghost of Mr. Bill," in Rosine on Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 2PM CST, 3 PM EST. He will be performing with Blue River band, of which, Billy Edlin, an Elizabethtown banjo player, is a member. Blue River holds the title of 2008 SPBGMA International Band Champion.
A clip of the song can be heard by going to http://m.www.pg-43.com/music-9.html and clicking "MP3" under the title.
"The Ghost of Mr. Bill" is #9 on the "I'd Write a Song Album" available for purchase online at PG-43.com.

"Jones performs at State Theater"
Mike Jones performed at the Historic State Theater on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
A local CPA, who has performed several times at the world famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tenn., Jones brought his PG-43 show to E-town, bringing up six of Nashville's finest musicians.
So why the name PG-43? Because Jones writes music that portrays the experiences and interests of those who have attained age 43 and beyond. The suggestion is that it takes roughly 43 years of living to get a real handle on life. If you haven't lived that long, you'll need parental guidance to fully appreciate how his songs match experience with soul-touching music.
A representative of the State Theater said she thought the audience was the largest they've had for a performance in the main State Theater since it reopened.

ELIZABETHTOWN — Singer, songwriter and CPA Mike Jones of Elizabethtown will perform with PG-43 at the Historic State Theater at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Jones, who has played several times at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe, writes easy-listening, mostly-acoustic music.
His band, consisting of six Nashville session musicians who have performed with many of country music's biggest stars, plays music portraying the experiences and interests of the age 43-plus crowd, believing "if you haven't lived that long, you need parental guidance to fully appreciate how these songs match experience with soul-touching music."

The News Enterprise - John Friedlein 
Somebody recognized Mike Jones from an earlier performance as he and his fellow band members breakfasted Monday at Pancake Pantry in Nashville, Tenn.
Playing live is the old-fashioned way musicians get stopped by strangers. Another approach — if it were to go viral — could make his fan base much larger.
With the production help of a nephew-in-law, a local doctor, Jones made a YouTube video for the song, “Bail Me Out.” Younger relatives at a Thanksgiving gathering suggested the Internet approach.
Because the video for “Bail Me Out” is hosted on the popular video sharing site, Jones has a link to be sent to family and friends — and they can then forward it to others. Plus, it will pop up if certain search terms are entered.
The issue of government bailouts is on everybody’s mind, Jones said. He wrote “Bail Me Out” early last month while vacationing in the Czech Republic.
The video, which has a country twang, starts with a picture of a man struggling with his bills. “My 401k fell to 104,” Jones sings.
It’s told from a down-on-his-luck working man’s perspective. “I wasn’t part of that Wall Street hanky panky,” it goes.
There also is a scene of Jones playing in front of the Towne Mall with an open guitar case for donations and a “Bail Me Out” sign.
Being an accountant influenced the way he wrote the song. For instance, he used technical terms, such as “credit default swap.”
He tosses in some political commentary, mentioning Sarah Palin’s clothes and Obama’s thoughts on redistributing wealth.
Jones — whose group is called PG-43 — said his best hope from being on YouTube is getting exposure. He has recorded three albums.
“If it goes somewhere, so be it,” he said. “All three of us have day jobs.”
PG-43 performed the song Sunday night during the Bluebird Café’s Sunday night songwriters’ program in Nashville.
His son, Chad Jones, played guitar.
“It was pretty cool,” the younger Jones said of the venue. “The atmosphere is different.”
The café was so crowded that friends had to stand outside and look in.
Jackie Hamilton — wife of the video producer, David Hamilton — sang backup.
Both she and Chad Jones are in the video.
Hamilton said she was a little nervous singing at the Bluebird, but it was a cozy venue. And the audience is interested in hearing new music.
“It was fun,” she said.

The feature story on the 5 and 6 PM WHAS11 TV news was "Bail Me Out." See Mike's interview at
http://www.whas11.com/video/whas11video-index.html?nvid=317723