Nighttime Friends - Grant Jones | Caitlin Cromwell

The wait is almost over for Grant Jones' debut album, “Nighttime Friends.” The album includes tunes Grant wrote in the past seven years and has played around Billings for nearly as long.

In anticipation of the release of “Nighttime Friends,” Grant launched a Kickstarter to raise funds for the album. The campaign has surpassed Grant's goal, raising more than $4,300.

“It feels so real,” Grant said. “And I’m extremely happy with the way it sounds. The people that worked on the album made it better than I ever thought it could be.” That includes collaborators and musicians from both within the CMYK community and without. CMYK’s own Parker Brown played pedal steel and lap slide on the album, while Matt Blakeslee recorded and produced every song. The work also features Phillip Griffin on backup vocals and bass, Keller Paulson on drums and percussion and Erik Olson on keys. Jordan Steingraber mixed and mastered the album.

Grant’s sound defies easy definition. At Moav recently, we took a quick straw poll of everyone in the immediate vicinity. “Indie-alternative?” wondered Brian Murnion. Ryan Kabeary paused. “There’s definitely folk, and definitely rock. But maybe some indie, too? Indie-folk-rock?”

Whatever genre Grant’s music is, “the key is his lyricism,” Ryan said. Grant’s songs are spaces for him to unpack, describe, express and interpret his experiences, the experiences of others, and big, hard-to-contain feelings. “The imagery that his lyrics provide, that’s the real draw for me,” Ryan said.

Want to help bring “Nighttime Friends” into being? Grant’s Kickstarter runs through Sept. 22, and his next show is Sept. 15 at OxxFest. Join him at the location of local bag manufacturer Red Oxx (312 N. 13th St.) at 4 p.m. for a fun set and a great local event.

Photography credit to Mary Kate Teske