Unlike Ben Folds Five and Van Halen, the Freddy Jones Band is not named after a band member, but rather a man who helped vocalists and guitarists Marty Lloyd and Wayne Healy change a flat tire on the way to their first show.”We really didn’t take it that seriously,” Lloyd said. “So naming our band didn’t really seem that important to us, because we certainly didn’t think that we’d still be doing it now.”Seven years and three albums later, with the addition of vocalist and guitarist Rob Bonaccorsi, bassist Jim Bonaccorsi and drummer Simon Horrocks, the Freddy Jones Band has started their tour in support of their new release, “Lucid”, a title that fits the record, Lloyd said.”It seems really obvious to us that we had a very clear vision of what we wanted to do, what we wanted to sound like, how we wanted to shape the record and how we wanted to go about presenting songs,” he said.The goal of “Lucid” was to discover the sound of the Freddy Jones Band and to find the band’s strengths, Lloyd said.Lloyd describes the band’s music as pop-rock soul, with reggae and jazz influences.”I think we come across as a good live band, because we have that bluesy, soulful edge,” Lloyd said. “It’s not just Cheez Whiz pop.”Freddy Jones Band shows are energetic, because the band tries to loosen up the crowd and bring them into the show, Lloyd said.”One thing we’re trying to focus on with this tour is to break down the invisible barrier between the band and the audience early on in the night,” he said.On the current tour, the band has been playing Rolling Stones covers, Lloyd said.”Our crowds are really enjoying them, so that’s kind of giving our tour a little flavor,” he said.While mixing “Lucid” in the studio, the Freddy Jones Band met the Rolling Stones, who were recording “Bridges To Babylon” across the hall.”Our ears were pressed up against the wall (of the studio) the whole time,” Lloyd said. “We must have looked pretty silly.”The Freddy Jones Band is anxious to record a follow-up to “Lucid”, Lloyd said.”I think we’re on a roll here,” he said.The Freddy Jones Band will perform at the Ohio Union Ballrooms Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets, which are $8 for students and $10 for the general public, are available through Ticketmaster outlets, the Wexner Center ticket office and the Ohio State Theatre Box Office or can be purchased Friday at the Ohio Union Newsstand.The concert follows a free music industry symposium, which begins at 2 p.m. and will be held in the Ohio Union Conference Theater. The concert and symposium are presented by the Ohio and Drake Union Activities Board, the Discover Grammy Festival On-Campus program and the Residence Halls Advisory Council.

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