JJ Grey & Mofro - Olustee

“Impassioned singing, riff-based Southern rock, cold blooded swamp funk and sly Memphis soul…Rich, funky blues celebrate life’s most fundamental joys. Grey is a singer-songwriter with unforced talent and deep feeling.” –The New York Times

“Olustee embodies the essence of JJ Grey & Mofro’s finest work…It’s a blend of reflection, raucousness, introspection, and exultation…Their music encapsulates the spirit of 21st-century Southern swamp boogie, a genre which JJ Grey has been instrumental in defining.” – Relix

“As authentic as the ground under your feet, because that’s where it comes from — just before it moves, simply and directly, through the body of the listener, into the human heart.” – AllMusic

“A deeply-rooted blend of southern-fried rock and swamp funk…richly evocative lyrics…plainspoken, blue-collar American music.” –NPR

“JJ Grey is a shape-shifter, a marauding swamp thing big-footin’ it through his ancestral Florida homeland, splashing muddy funk in all directions…Grey stirs up a big bog of funk, soul, rock, and blues…Olustee is a shaman’s sack of gris-gris and mojo fixin’s for serious conjuring…Grab hold and hang on for the ride.” – No Depression

“The swami of swamp rock…JJ Grey is a North Florida sage and purveyor of the funkiest swamp rock the world has ever heard…chicken-scratch guitar and bone-deep songs.” –Oxford American

Today, JJ Grey & Mofro unveil their highly anticipated new album, Olustee, on Alligator Records. The album marks their first release in nearly a decade and first-ever release produced by Grey. With Olustee, JJ Grey has once again pushed the boundaries of his own creative musical, lyrical and vocal talents, delivering an album that is destined to become a classic. Many of the songs are steeped in the mythical Southern stories of his ancestral Florida home and filled with characters from JJ’s life. The songs overflow with the sights and sounds of the region as told through the eyes of a poet and sung with pure, unvarnished soul.

JJ Grey spoke on the inspiration behind the title track saying, “My grandfather was from the area immediately to the south of Olustee. “Olustee” the song is a compilation of a couple different stories I’ve heard, plus my own experience getting caught in a wildfire.”  Watch the lyric video for “Olustee” here.

JJ Grey & Mofro have also announced a massive, months-long tour headlining iconic venues across the US, including The Ryman in Nashville, The Riviera in Chicago, The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, among many others. Concert dates are below. JJ Grey & Mofro are also set to return to The St. Augustine Amphitheatre for their annual performance at the Blackwater Sol Revue May 25 & 26. The shows will feature JJ Grey & Mofro, Lucero, American Aquarium, Satsang, Smokestack, The Allman Betts Band, G Love & Special Sauce, Anders Osborne (duo), and Kendall Street Company. Tickets to all shows are available here: www.jjgrey.com/tour. As part of the Olustee World Tour, the band will perform in the UK and the Netherlands before joining Blues Traveler for a selected number of Western U.S. dates.

Songs released early from Olustee include “Wonderland”, “The Sea“ and “Rooster.” The album’s eleven songs range from the raucous, celebratory first radio single,” Wonderland,” to an escape from an out-of-control wildfire in the title track, to the inward-looking closer, “Deeper Than Belief.” Singing of his own personal triumphs and struggles, his hopes and desires, his friends and family, Grey’s message is simple and strong — respect the natural world and always try to live in the moment. And never forget the importance of having a good time.

JJ Grey has also just launched Rolling Rooster, his own bourbon brand, in partnership with St. Augustine Distillery, that combines elements of his new album with his love for bourbon.  More info available here: https://www.jjgrey.com/rollingrooster