Well-Traveled Western Folk Songwriter Jonivan Jones Releases New Single ‘Roadside Attendant’

Ever since he first hit the big red button on an old tape recorder back in 1994, Jonivan Jones has fully embodied the twangy, Wild West sound of his Little Rock roots.

Debuting his status as a live performer in 2006, Jones finds himself influenced by the cowboy songs and folk music he grew up listening to in Arkansas. He also draws from his later home of Corpus Christi, Texas, having become a seasoned storyteller and songwriter from his extensive travel experiences.

In August of this year, Jones released his second EP of 2021, a two-single release of “Same old Rush” and “Roadside Attendant.” These sounds of American folk and country blues, similar to Colter Wall or Shovels and Rope, are infused throughout this EP as well as prior releases of Jones’.

Driven by Jones on vocals, harmonica, and both guitars, “Same old Rush” is a token southwestern cowboy anthem. With the sounds of Jones’s bold baritone voice and the music video’s rustic imagery of his travels, the song is all about the blurred lines between past and present.

“Roadside Attendant”, however, is much more forlorn and melancholy, the kind of tune you may expect to hear as the credits to an old Western film roll. It’s all about being “a ghost of the road again, as an old soul again.”

Originally performing under the moniker “animalsound”, the singer, traveler, and artist released his debut single, “Buffalo,” in 2014. He has since released a steady stream of singles and now three EPs. It’s unclear whether the future holds any upcoming gigs or full-length releases (fingers crossed that it’s both), but regardless of what he does, Jones is the rock-steady voice of the Arkansas spirit.