Local Spins Live on WJRW: Desmond Jones bracing for a big year

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The Feb. 15 edition of Local Spins Live featured the popular Grand Rapids jam band lighting it up acoustically. Plus, check out photos from their Thursday show at Founders Brewing.

On Stage Again: Desmond Jones fired up Founders Brewing Co. on Thursday night. (Photo/Anna Sink)

Desmond Jones has never been shy about strutting its jam-band stuff on stage — as often as possible.

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Touring and Recording: Chris Bota and Isaac Berkowitz of Desmond Jones performing during Local Spins Live. (Photo/Local Spins)

The band recently wrapped up a year-long, Monday night residency at Grand Rapids’ Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill where it hosted weekly, collaborative, audience-pleasing marathon sessions that helped hone its sound, building its devoted audience and solidify its musical approach.

And so far this month, the band has played Columbus, Ohio, Saginaw, Detroit, East Lansing, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis and Kalamazoo, with a Feb. 24 Ann Arbor date at The Blind Pig still to come and a full-blown East Coast tour this spring.

(Browse a full photo gallery from the band’s Thursday show at Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids below.)

“Our main goal has always been to just play as much as we can in and as many places as we can because that’s what we love to do,” says guitarist Isaac Berkowitz.

The five-piece, Grand Rapids-based rock, funk and jazz band — Berkowitz, guitarist Chris Bota, drummer John Nowak, bassist John Loria and saxophonist George Falk — also is working on its first full-length album set to be released later this year.

PODCAST: Local Spins Live with Desmond Jones (Feb. 15, 2017)

Berkowitz, Bota and Loria visited the studios of News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW) on Feb. 15 for Local Spins Live to talk about their upcoming shows and perform acoustic renditions of Desmond Jones songs. Listen to the full podcast here with photos from their Founders’ show below.