(Southern rock, Country) Jupiter Coyote - Lucky Day - 1995, MP3, 320 kbps

In the course of their 18-year history, Jupiter Coyote has played over three thousand shows, traveled everywhere and done just about everything a touring band can do. The innovative group has independently sold over 275,000 CDs, tens of thousands of downloads, and who knows how many bootlegs. JC is still trucking along, despite today’s ever-changing, increasingly unpredictable music scene.

JC plays it the way they feel it -- with little regard as to where they fall between the cracks of what is considered trendy and fashionable. A band prolific in its writing, skilled in its musicianship and congenial in its nature, they remain the prototype of the truly independent band.

Coyote has shared the stage with The Allman Brothers Band, Dave Matthews, Widespread Panic, String Cheese, The Radiators and Kansas just to name a few. They have played large festivals from coast to coast, including: High Sierra Music Fest in California, Charlotte’s Center City Fest, Atlanta’s Mid-Town, Birmingham’s City Stages, Asheville’s Bele Chere and The Magnolia Fest in Live Oak, Fla.

The group traces its roots to Brevard, N.C., where childhood friends Matthew Mayes (guitar, guijo, vocals) and John Felty (vocals, guitars) decided in 1990 to pursue a career in music. The duo headed to Athens, Ga., where they joined forces with bassist Sanders Brightwell. Steve Trismen (vocals, fiddle) joined the fold in 1999. A native of Boulder, Colo., Trismen’s playing melded neatly into the band’s sound and gave Coyote a new on-stage dynamic.

Tasteful and intense, the group’s jams extend higher and the melodies -- combined with Mayes’ guijo (banjo neck, Stratocaster body) and Felty’s slide guitar -- create a revolutionary sound truly all their own. Lot’s of vocal harmony and clever song writing set these guys apart from the rest of the banal, jam band pack. There is no band that sounds like Jupiter Coyote.

Drummer Noel Felty is the newest member of the band. The nephew of guitarist John, Noel is a world-class talent and has linked with Brightwell to provide a rock-solid foundation, while helping push JC to new heights.

In essence, Jupiter Coyote is a musical stew with members adding their own individual flavor to the mix. The band is the new twist in southern rock and they deliver it with a relaxed, worldly view. Their sound has been labeled “Mountain Rock” -- a mixture of Southern Appalachian boogie, bluegrass-infused, funk-rock.

Jupiter Coyote’s catalogue of critically acclaimed CDs provides colorful snapshots of the bands’ on-going growth and evolvement. Their eighth and latest effort, “The Hillary Step” finds the band redefining themselves without making a radical departure from their intricate sound. The two-disc set features a new studio album and a full concert DVD shot at The Windjammer in Charleston, S.C., last spring.

An impressive selection of new material showcases the Mayes-Felty songwriting partnership and the band’s layered harmonies. A remake of their cult hit “Crazy Women” -- with its strong backbeat -- should garner significant radio attention.

The DVD is mixed in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound and was shot with six cameras that captured the hard-working band doing what it does best, playing on stage. The band’s material gets a more energized delivery in a concert setting and Coyote often links several songs together before coming up for air. Unlike many touring bands, JC rarely repeats a set from show to show.

True to their self-determined “independent band” status, Jupiter Coyote handles all operations themselves. The band plays select tour dates only.

For more information about the band and touring schedule check out: www.jupitercoyote.com. or www.myspace.com/jupitercoyote

PERSONNEL:
John Felty,- guitar, vocals;
Matthew B. Mayes,- guitar, guijo, banjo, vocals;
Sanders Brightwell,- bass;
Steve Trismen, - fiddle, vocals;
Noel Felty, - drums, vocals.

DISCOGRAPHY:
Cemeteries and Junkyards (1991)
Wade (1993)
Lucky Day (1995)
Ghost Dance (1997)
Here Be Dragons (1998)
Jupiter Coyote Live (2000)
Live From The Ga. Theatre (VHS, 2001)
Waxing Moon (2001)
The Hillary Step (2004)