Carlos Jones has been sharing his musical inspiration with Cleveland and the surrounding area for over 40 years, earning him the unofficial designation of  “The Iron-man of Cleveland Reggae”. Born in Virginia, his earliest musical influence was the gospel music he heard in the church where his grandfather preached. In the mid-60s his family moved to Frankfurt, Germany, where he became fascinated by the Beatles and other popular music of the time. A few years later, after moving back to the states, his main musical interests were Soul, Jazz, Blues and Rock music, until he discovered Reggae in the mid 70s, which led him to seeing Bob Marley perform and then joining one of Cleveland's first local Reggae bands. He started out in 1978 as a side-man (percussion/vocals) with I-tal, one of Cleveland’s first homegrown Reggae groups, and then in 1984, split off from I-tal along with several other members to form the group, First Light.

Carlos developed as the front man/lead vocalist for First Light and honed his songwriting skills during its 14 year run as one of the top drawing bands in the area, playing shows at clubs, colleges and festivals all over the eastern half of the United States and in Canada. During that time, First Light released several recordings on vinyl, cassette and CD on the independent label, Thin Ice Records.

By 1994, a few years before First Light disbanded, Carlos’ next project was already underway. The Peace Love Unity Syndicate, which would later become known as Carlos Jones & The PLUS Band, was already playing shows in the area, and people were starting to take notice. His goal was to get back to the more spiritual and positive messages in Reggae music that had captured his heart from the start, back when Reggae was first gaining worldwide attention through artists like Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Peter Tosh, Toots & The Maytals, Culture, Third World and Burning Spear, all of whom he's had the pleasure of sharing the stage with over the years. 

Now with 27 years under his belt with the current group, Carlos continues to keep the Reggae fire burning with his steadfast allegiance to the positive vibration, lifting hearts and stirring souls every time he and his band take the stage. The PLUS Band has three full length releases to date: Roots With Culture (2004), Leave A Trail (2009) and their first live recording called "Live From Cleveland", which came out in 2016. A 4-song EP, Positive Vibrations, was released in 2011, and they have sporadically released several singles over the past few years. All are on Little Fish Records, an independent Cleveland label run by his manager, Larry Koval, who has been with Jones since 1998. The band is currently working on a new album to be titled "A New Day", which they hope to release this summer.

Now, at the age of 62, when asked about his plans for the future, he'll tell you, "I'm just grateful to see every new day, and to be given the opportunity to make each one the best I can. I'll just keep moving forward, and follow the path where it leads, you know? Promoting positivity , peace, love and understanding betweeen people is my life's purpose and I'm blessed to be able to do what I love. What more could I ask out of life?"

His official website is www.carlosjones.com

Zeventh is a Young Astronauts Club-related project.

Young Astronauts Club is a stadium rock group featuring singer / songwriter / guitarist / multi-instrumentalist / producer Mic (Michael James Macintosh), singer / songwriter / keyboardist / multi-instrumentalist / producer Krs (Crystal Dawn Macintosh) and a continuously active, rotating cast of musicians, vocalists, producers, sonic / visual artists and remixers. As primogenitures of post rock, their collective mission is to continue to bring music forward, into the 21st century and beyond.

Wink and the Signal started out officially as a “last stop of the night”. Lydia had been practicing for her Masters jury at Duquesne Conservatory, while Barrett had been working on a movie in upstate Pennsylvania; a movie about the viability of a small college town when the students leave after the semester is over. Clearly, both of them were in need of a cocktail.

They proceeded, from literally different parts of the state, to end up in the City of Pittsburgh, at the same bar, the THUNDERBIRD, known for its Underground Railroad roots, hipster mustaches, and women who still knew the pertinence of the leather mini-skirt.

It was Barrett who, of course, was at the bar ordering a drink when he looked to his right. There was Lydia, sitting demurely, fielding questions from three rather overzealous bluegrass musicians with very limited understanding of the words “personal space”, with a look on her face that literally translated to : WE need to talk. The discussion? Music. The beer? Railbender ale. The mood? Boredom from the constant trappings of the mediocre bar gig, the lassez-faire jazz club, the constant “oosh-oosh-oosh” of the techo-transient mood muzak that people pay top dollar for.

Lydia and Barrett wanted to explore more with music; to travel the world studying, interacting, and performing a genre that they would create, known ONLY as AFRO-COUNTRY.  

Trance End, Okay Alright, Yardsailin, Last Black Gunslinger, Hootenanny for your Children, and Fall Back, were recorded at theliveroom.org 
Drums: Chris Gavrelis Slide guitar: Kraig Kenning

Followers of Neon Todd