JJ Grey & Mofro

If you’ve ever been to Lochloosa, you’d wonder why JJ Grey is always singing about it. It’s up in Florida lake country, past nothing and halfway to Hawthorne. There might be a Hardee’s there. But there’s something in Grey’s voice when he sings that song about his hometown. There’s something that feels like true homesickness.

At the beginning, his band was just Mofro, but now it’s JJ Grey & Mofro, and that name change is evident in the band’s stage presence. No doubt Grey’s voice has always been the soulful center of Mofro. He sounds like a Southern rock guitarist bred with a Motown vocalist. Combine it with that dime store electric piano he plays, and there’s no doubt Grey has a sound that means he can choose who backs him.