Jon McAuliffe

(GASC Evaluation of "Tear Down Every Wall")  "You couldn’t say it any better than this. The inspirational message is impacting and gets right to the point. Great job brother! So I inform you with gusto and enthusiasm that this piece has been selected to be a finalist in the “Great American Song Contest”. Congratulations and good luck in all of your musical and song writing endeavors!

(GASC Evaluation of "On The Other Side")  This has a warmly engaging musicality. And the tasteful musical choices compliment the emotionally compelling theme. Like “Tear Down Every wall” this too is simple and profound.  Congratulations - this song has been selected to be a finalist in the Great American Song Contest. It’s always refreshing to hear such a well-crafted song and it’s been a pleasure listening to your work! Keep up the great work and continued luck with your songwriting!

"His new album, In This Present Form, has not only enlightened those who have listened to it, but has also given McAuliffe a renewed sense of purpose . . . Jon McAuliffe has created an articulate body of work that will inform listeners for years to come."

"McAuliffe crafts beautiful tales of "life up close."  His plaintiff vocals and fine acoustic guitar work aim straight for the heart song after song . . . In This Present Form (is) a meticulously crafted album filled with promise & joy.  Well done."

"Soulful country tinged folk rock - our favorite kind of folk rock!  Jon McAuliffe brings it!  If his lyrics don't touch you, get a refund for that lobotomy."

Excerpts:  Jon McAuliffe has found communality among Americana roots music, and he infuses the songs on his new CD with plenty of spiritual ebullience. In This Present Form offers plenty of thoughtful lyrics and pretty melodies. McAuliffe is a reflective, progressive minded man with serious spiritual beliefs . . . (The CD) opens with “Southern Special,” a pedal steel enforced tune in which McAuliffe reveals a smooth pleasant timbre that he easily rides over the melodies. He maintains a careful balance between singer-songwriter reflection and roots musician groove, succeeding at both . . . “Gotta Get Back to Memphis” mixes cool honky tonk piano with a gentle vintage blues guitar. Riding along at a jaunty pace, McAuliffe puts true feeling into his longing for this once great music city . . . Gentle piano ballad “Once Upon A Time” unfolds with many layers of emotion, lyrically and musically. When McAuliffe shifts dynamics or holds a vocal note, the listener is drawn deeper into his meaningful lament . . . Don’t think that because McAuliffe is a singer-songwriter that he is too serious to have some fun. “Tear Down Every Wall” is a smashing combo of blues, gospel, and social protest. Brimming with energy and vigor, McAuliffe swings into action when he calls for people on different sides of fences to get together as people, not to divide themselves into different camps based on race, gender, religion, and political party. Don Croad’s drums, Seth Connelly’s guitar and bass, and harmonies from Robin Winter, Bernadette Wiemer, and Jenny Jones turn this number into something, like a great soul song, that jumps and shouts with soulful abandon . . . “Head In The Clouds” is marked by Rebecca Cline’s beautiful piano playing and Patti McAuliffe’s lush harmonies . . . "Patti's Song," McAuliffe’s ode to his wife, has a special freshness to it, not imitating any other kind of love song . . . In This Present Form should go over well with fans of the singer-songwriter and roots genres as well as those seeking spiritual enlightenment.  (The entire review can be found at: http://www.billcopelandmusicnews.com/2011/06/jon-mcauliffe-pleases-ear-and-soul-with-in-this-present-form-cd/)

"Jon, you have hit one completely out of the friggin' park . . . not only are you a great singer, but (also) a great songwriter . . . you really know how to rock, holy crap!  And then you write these killer ballads and love songs.  Once Upon A time, gorgeous, heartbreaking; When The Lights Go Out, love it; Southern Special, one fantastic ride . . . far ranging moods, so much variation . . . every song believable and moving, beautiful writing, and man, can you sing!" 

"I get to hear tons of records made by locals on the scene, and it has been a long time since one has hit me as hard as Jon McAuliffe's new CD "In This Present Form."  The production is stellar and the band is amazing, but what stands out most is the fantastic song-writing."

"Indeed, I am dazzled by the talent employed on this record! With all due respect though, the songs are its real strength. I love those vocals too. There's a depth and a caring that comes through."

“A genius move on my part started the show with Jon McAuliffe’s “Tear Down Every Wall.”  It was a kick-ass way to start the show:  high energy and steeped in the message that the world needs to start to work in harmony.  Perfect tribute for this Daniel Pearl Humanity Through Harmony event.”

“The spotlight hovers around energetic lead singer Jon McAuliffe, who wrote most of the material on the album; but in these well-balanced and economical arrangements, each member of the group adds something indispensable.  The fine, jogging drumming pushes the music along in great bounds, and the bass and lead guitars leap frog with each other in an especially good-humored fashion.  This is no record for sitting down and not moving to.  And it’s totally useless for prolonging a bad mood.”

“ . . . McAuliffe . . . (is) not only worth seeing, he’s worth paying to see.  His songs are a sensitive outgrowth of the contemporary blues-derived music scene, and he is more than a good enough singer and guitarist to bring them off without any pretension.  Jon’s high, well-controlled tenor voice, the subject matter of his songs, and occasionally his guitar style make it a great temptation to compare him with Tim Buckley.  He is as good a singer as Buckley, certainly.  As a guitarist, he is technically better.  Buckley strums with energy, finesse, and a certain inventiveness; McAuliffe does this and plays a fine, clean blues guitar.  Jon’s songs are closer to the blues than Buckley’s; then again, some of them are harmonically reminiscent of Tim Hardin. There are some fine touches of irony in McAuliffe’s songs and now and then a particularly good insight (“She doesn’t want to have, she wants to be.”).

“You stick with that young man; you’ve got something there.”