I was lucky enough to see the Jon Stickley Trio up close and personal last year in a tent at Winter Wondergrass at Stratton Mountain in Vermont. I found it near impossible to hang onto my camera in one hand and a hazy IPA in the other as they set the stage on fire in front of my eyes. I mean, seeing virtuosity of this level a mere few feet away and around the same level as the ground…its kind of unheard of. Jaws were wagging on the floor as the trio unleashed the fury of their special blend of genre defying music that is equal parts hushed chamber music and dance your ass off bluegrassing get down.
The band just released a new video for a fresh single “Animate Object” and the jaws are again hitting the floor. The vibe and sway of the music is intoxicating. Latin flavor intertwines with traditional flatpicking speed and prowess. Impossible to stay still while listening, but craving a quiet moment to be able to take it all in.
Here’s to hoping this single means some more in the future for the group…and we get to see their singular style up here in the Green Mountain State and greater Northeast again soon. There are very few, if any artists, out there today sharing their flair and electricity in performance.
The video, filmed and edited by Michael Mallicote, was captured in three different locations — The World Famous Station Inn, Spirit of the Suwannee, and The Caverns and Bluegrass Underground — each having a deep significance to the band’s roots and current path.
“‘Animate Object’ is the trio’s current theme song. At heart, it’s a little flatpicking tune to have fun with, but we’ve rhythmically turned it on its head like we like to do,” says Jon Stickley. “This track is the next step in a never-ending evolutionary journey that is the Jon Stickley Trio