If you’re looking for a historically great hotbed for rock music, you already know you need look no further than Seattle. The city that gave us Nirvana, Pearl Jam and a host of other legendary acts has a rock lineage that is unparalleled. The latest in their long line of great artists is Ayron Jones.

Jones will be releasing his new album, Audio Paint Job, on June 2, and Myspace has the exclusive premiere of the latest single from the album, an introspective, autobiographical, track titled “Take Me Away.”

Wanting to know more about “Take Me Away,” and Audio Paint Job, we caught up with Jones to ask him about both.

Start us off by telling us about the song “Take Me Away,” and what inspired it. 

When I was four years old my mother, who was a single mom, and struggling with substance abuse, left me at daycare and never came back for me.

As I became an adult, the echoes of the pain I experienced throughout my relationship with my mother, and absent father, repeatedly appeared in different forms – from my addiction to a woman's touch, to my curiosity with drugs, to struggling with inner anger issues.

“Take Me Away” is about my relationship with music, and how the guitar became my one way ticket out of the darkness.

You clearly dive deep into personal struggles on Audio Paint Job. What were some of the most cathartic songs to write?

I'd say songs like “Play Me a Song,” "Take Your Time,” and "Take Me Away" are the songs that were some of the most cathartic to write. Every one of those songs has a deeper story to tell.

It took some self-reflection and insight to help get the words right. When I did, the songs turned out beautifully.

Do you think any of these songs are going to be difficult, emotionally, to perform live night after night, or will that be part of the healing?
 
Every night is a bit emotional for me when I hit the stage, especially since the death of my mother, and the birth of my daughter. Everything has taken on a different meaning, and music has become the place that I channel those emotions, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little misty-eyed every now and again.

So far I've managed to keep it together, do my job, and put on a great show. Hopefully that trend continues, but you can never underestimate the power of people, or emotions, so we'll see.

Audio Paint Job is pure rock n roll, with elements of soul, and hip-hop, sprinkled in. Hailing from Seattle, is rock n roll in your blood? Who were some of your earliest influences growing up?

I'd say it's impossible to have grown up in Seattle in the ‘90s and not have been influenced by grunge. Bands like Mudhoney, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam defined the ‘90s music era for Seattle, so naturally those bands had a huge influence on my sound growing up, but I also loved soul music.

I'd also say growing up in Seattle's Central District had a huge influence on my sound by exposing me to traditionally black art forms like Blues, Gospel, and Jazz. So artists like Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, and Prince are examples of artists I've studied to help define my sound.

Listen to more exclusive tunes by visiting our Premiere page.