Glenn Jones is perhaps known primarily as the guitarist and leader of Cul de Sac, a seminal 90’s Boston band that explored the spacey nether regions of rock, incorporating jazz, kraut and industrial elements, plumbing a dynamic sound that defies easy classification (if you don’t know them, best EDUCATE yourself). However, before Jones ever picked up his steel guitar ‘Contraption,’ he first came to music with the acoustic guitar, inspired by the American Primitivism of John Fahey. Jones has since returned to his roots, with five excellent records of finger-picking goodness. His latest record, ‘My Garden State’ (Thrill Jockey), is a deeply personal record that rolls smoothly through sunny serene hills and melancholic valleys. At times exuberant, at others sparse and quiet (often in the same song), Jones demonstrates not only his own dexterity with guitar and banjo, but also, on a more profound level, how life, embodied in the varied pacing of a single melody, can ebb and flow through countless emotional variations, and yet contain an inner strength that propels it ever forward. Like a soft country breeze, Jones’ songs enliven and inspire, transporting the listener through rolling ridges and verdant fields, content to wander and wonder in nature’s multifaceted beauty. Watch Jone’s perform live below, then sample the rest of his album here.