Eli Jones & The Bare Bones boast a funky sound, undeniable soul, and solid blues roots. The quartet crafts infectious and melodic originals that relate tales of heartache and redemption. Versatile enough to play both mellow acoustic sets and upbeat electric shows, Eli brings a new sound to the Chicago scene. The music of Eli Jones incorporates the soulful grooves emanating from Chicago’s infamous blues bars with a singer/songwriter approach to melody and lyrical content. The story of Eli Jones’ formation follows a twisted path laced with humor, chance, and sweet irony. Despite meeting years ago while studying at a liberal arts college in rural Minnesota, Max and Brendan never composed music together until the Fall of 2005. Initial tensions arose when Max tooled on Brendan in a game of pickup basketball back in 2002. “He was sticking 25 foot Js without breaking a sweat. I swear he was on 'roids," Brendan claims, clearly still bitter from such a horrific defeat. Years later, the two finally jammed after a chance meeting through a mutual friend. “Once I heard those sweet funky rhythms, I decided Max was A-Ok,” Brendan recalls. Luck struck the band yet again when Mike Amandes responded to an ad in the Chicago Reader. Mike and Brendan knew each other growing up but had lost touch. Mike’s knack for arranging–influenced by years spent studying music at the University of Iowa– has already influenced Eli's sound. The newest addition to the band is Jeremy Schmidt. Holding down the low end comes easily to this young bass player. Jeremy’s influences range from Latin to Jazz, although he finds groove music to be his calling. Released in May 2006, Temporarily Out of Print is the debut release from Eli Jones. The seven tracks–recorded live during 2006–display the laid back grooves, soulful vocals, and ripping guitar solos that have made Eli Jones & The Bare Bones a crowd favorite in their hometown of Chicago. Buy a copy and check it out for yourself!