Roxie’s will be rocking to the beat of a different drum Friday night as local band Young Agent Jones stops by for a performance. Young Agent Jones, known for their eclectic rock styling, will perform in Starkville for the first time in about two months in preparation for their third album due out this spring.
Young Agent Jones, named for the surnames of the original members, has been through quite a few member changes in the past few years since they have been together, but it seems the band has settled on what will undoubtedly be the permanent band.
According to Young Agent Jones’s Web site, the members are Jason Alan Jones, the only original member of the group, from Memphis, Tenn. on lead vocals and guitar; Benjamin Keith Hodge from Murfreesboro, Tenn., on bass guitar; and Michael Wayne Yeager from Dillon, S.C., on backing vocals and drums. The band has a new member that will soon join, but is unable to play the show Friday night.
Fans have held steady through the band’s long rise to popularity. Young Agent Jones has amassed quite a following for a local band. With the release of their self-made cassette Young Agent Jones in December 1996, the band got their name out on the street, and then after the release of their debut CD Discretion Is Our Profession, the band received praise from college radio and the Mississippi Music industry. Young Agent Jones won a “battle of the bands” contest and proceeded on to play at Jubilee Jam in Jackson in May 2001 with the likes of Willie Nelson, R.L. Burnside and Smashmouth.
In December 2001, Young Agent Jones signed a recording contract with Sonic Temple Productions in Jackson and began work on their second full-length album released in October 2002 called Women Who Love Men Who Kill.
Since then, the band has become widely popular on the local and college circuits, and with the release of their awaited third album, they are set for even more acclaim.
Young Agent Jones is no stranger to Starkville but has not played together in Starkville or at Roxie’s for quite some time. Wrapping up on their third album, Young Agent Jones is ready to play live again.
“It’s been about two months or so since we played in Starkville, so we’re looking forward to playing here again,” Jones said.
Even one of Young Agent Jones’ members’ fellow employees touts Young Agent Jones as an all-around good band, with great music and great musicianship.
“I think, if I’m not mistaken, that this is their first time to play at Roxie’s as Young Agent Jones,” Roxie’s employee Kevin Elmore said. “They’ve all played here before but they’ve played with other guys. I have heard them playing for years, and I think they’re a pretty good band. They play lots of great music that’s just good ole’ rock and roll music; they play some pretty good covers, too.”
As for what Young Agent Jones will perform Friday night, there may be a few surprises for the fans of the band.
“We’ll play lots of old songs off the past two albums and some random covers,” Hodge said. “But there’ll be a couple of new songs that we’ve never played in Starkville before, so it’ll be exciting to see the reactions we get.”
Elmore encouraged everyone to come out and experience the new material that Young Agent Jones has been working on and see the band doing what they do best: playing live to their faithful fans.
“They’re a great band, and I think everybody will enjoy their music,” Elmore said.
For those unable to see Young Agent Jones at Roxie’s, they will also be performing at Lucky’s Lounge on March 5 and at Dave’s Darkhorse Tavern on March 25. For contact information, call Benjamin Hodge at 324-7757.