If you think there's nothing new and exciting coming out of the blues genre, you haven't heard The Mojo Roots. With performances that turn on a dime from a driving, hard-hitting shuffle to an aching, tear-dripping slow blues, the Mojo Roots brand of soul-soaked blues is captivating audiences in their home state of Missouri and beyond.

Fronting the band on harp and vocals, Jordan Thomas loses himself in every song---with incredible results. Thomas's passionate vocals and fiery harp-playing truly set The Mojo Roots apart. And when off the harp, his rhythm guitar work fills just the right niche. On the lead guitar, Trevor ''T.J.'' Judkins is quickly winning accolades as an incredibly virtuosic young guitarist, with a rich, studied tone and a patient economy of playing that is all too rare. Bassist Jim Rush, a stalwart Midwest blues performer for over three decades, sets the groove with bright, punchy bass lines. And as an accomplished front man in his own right, Rush also shares the microphone on some tunes. Paired with drummer Andy Naugle's clean and controlled backbeat, steeped in the great Chicago tradition, Rush and Naugle form an unshakeable rhythm foundation for this blues tour-de-force.

Having earned a spot at 2013 International Blues Challenge on the legendary Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, The Mojo Roots are poised to take their place on the national stage. Their new 2013 album release, What Kind of Fool, is already gaining widespread attention for its soul-soaked sound and powerful songwriting. If there was ever a doubt about the future of the genre, rest assured: The Mojo Roots are striking just the right balance between preserving and further developing the blues.

Brotherhood is something that has always affected music. Nick and Nathan Pence grew up playing sports in their generously sized yard in Kirkwood, Missouri. This quickly changed when their mom got ahold of an off brand, out of tune piano. Once this entered the house, sports fell to the way-side. Nick decided he didn't want to play piano and saved up to buy a guitar. Nathan stuck with piano for the time being, but, before settling on bass, Nathan explored trombone, saxophone, and drums. The brothers grew up in a very musical household. Their dad, Jerry Pence, woke them up on Saturdays with blues music playing through the house. While Nick was in 8th grade his dad took him to an Allman Brothers Concert and Nick was sold. Right when Derek Trucks began his solo on "Jessica," Nick knew what he was going to for the rest of his life. "If music makes me feel this good, it must make others feel like this. I want to be able to make some one feel good." Says Nick, recalling the very moment. He began taking lessons from Clint Wilson. Nick contributes everything he knows to Clint. "He showed me how to think. How to turn my curiousity into answers. As I returned with more and more questions, it became apparent that questions were the answer, when it came to music." Says Nick. It wasn't until Nick got to college that he truly appreciated all that Clint gave him. Clint taught Nick what Nick wanted to learn, and then taught him how it worked. "Everytime I play I think of Clint. What would Clint do? Clint's natural curiousity always intregued Nick and kept him wanting to learn more.

From the beginning, the Pence brothers, Nick, Nelson, and Nathan, were playing music together. Nelson and Nathan had a band together called "The Refuggee's" while Nick's first band was an acoustic duo called "Time Pieces." These bands faded and in late high school, Nick began calling the consistant group of musicians showing up to his shows, Last Minute. This came from the fact that he would book shows before even having people to play them. Then at the last minute, he would round up a group. As time went on, the group became more and more consistant. Also while in high school, Nick started going to Highway 61 Roadhouse every Tuesday night for a blues jam. It was there where he met Paul Rhodes. Paul was well known at the Roadhouse, known for his mature style at such a young age. The first time Nick went to the jam he asked Paul and his dad " how does this work?" They responded saying, "that's a good question." With that they invited him to sit with them at their table.

Paul started playing music very young. He found his mom's old, rusty, harmonica and began playing it. He said "it took more air than I had to offer to get sound out of that thing, but somehow I made it happen." Paul recalls getting his first harmonica, "I took it out of the case and I was so used to that old rusty one that I expected this one to be the same. The first time I blew air through it I thought it blew up!" Pauls ears took a liking to Eric Clapton and with that Paul began guitar. It wasn't until a year after Nick and Paul met that they actually began playing together. While in college Nick met Hannah Satterwhite. They lived across the hall from one another and began singing songs together in the hallway. Hannah grew up in Columbia, Missouri. As she was growing up, she and her parents would sing and play music together. Her mom is a vocal teacher in Columbia. She was bound to sing. Sharing a love for folk music, they developed quite the list of songs. They mainly played their acoustic stuff together until Nick decided to invite her to a band practice. The personalities all fit, and she began coming to more and more practices.

With the core of the band established, the musical interests began to expand. Nathan took a real liking to jazz, and Nick and Paul fell in love with old-time folk tunes. The blues band added a whole side to their shows and began booking under different genres. Folk for the coffee shops and blues for the bars. Now in the process of combining the two sets, they strive to keep true to their roots while craving growth and new sounds. "People make up a band, not musicians. This is a group of good-hearted people who want to receive and give nothing but the truth." Says Nick.

Brick Fields the dynamic duo from Eureka Springs, AR are the husband and wife songwriting team Larry Brick and Rachel Fields. Rachel and Larry began making music together in 2007 and have since then formed four distinct projects from roots music steaming from the Brick Fields Duo. The Brick Fields Blues Band won first place in the Ozark Blues Society Challenge in 2010, Brick Fields Folk music placed in the Ozark Folk Songwriters contest in 2011, Brick Fields Gospel Group continues to draw a regular Sunday crowd in downtown Eureka Springs every Sunday morning and the Brick Fields Duo has traveled to the coast of CA and back sharing music along the way twice suth far. The acoustic duo contains two vocals, two guitars and Rachel on flute. Larry has been said to be an accomplished songwriter and passionate guitar player complimentary to the booming, flout-like, and angelic voice of wife Rachel Fields. Brick Fields music is true passion and has recently been called and "unleashed cleansing for the soul" by Nashville Blues Society. Although Brick Fields are no stranger to travel they call Eureka Springs, AR their home and say they are grateful to live in such a beautiful tourist community where the visitors make it possible for them to share their music all over the world while rarely leaving home.

From 2004 to 2007, Brock and Aaron performed together in the KC area blues trio “Cold Shot”. After graduating with his English Degree, Brock left Cold Shot and ventured to Tempe Arizona to attend The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. Working on music back and forth, they released their first studio album “Nightlight Fantasy” in 2008. After completing the program at the Conservatory, Brock was accepted to intern at the prestigious Los Angeles Recording Studio “Westlake Studios” which has been the home recording site for countless artists, TV Studios, and movies. Michael Jackson to The Rolling Stones, to Stevie Wonder… the list goes on and on. Earning a name for himself as an engineer, the call to be a performer was a constant haunt. Playing in the few blues venues that exist in LA, Brock heard the calling of his guitar. After a few conversations with Aaron whom was working full time at Explorers Percussion in Kansas City, MO, Brock made the decision to move back to KC with the intent of playing. Aside from working at Explorers, Aaron is a contracted composer for drop6 media, the director of percussion at Center High and Rockhurst High Schools. Brock packed everything he could in his car including his girlfriend and drove from LA to Kansas City.

Brock returned in Mid-November of 2011. Aaron and Brock hit every Jam they could. 4 to 5 nights a week until they started booking in February of 2012. After a long process of searching for that illusive third member, one of the guys working with Aaron at Explorers; Pat Adams, thought learning bass was a challenge he could undertake. Pat barrowed a bass from my buddy, took the song list and disappeared into thin air. Pat cut back his work hours at the shop, devoted a limitless amount of practice time to his bass and two weeks later they rehearsed without a glitch. Pat had learned everything. His unique drive as a musician has led Pat to be the Runner-Up in the Roland V-Drum National Competition. Pat also is the drummer for the Michael Beers Band, and is the touring drummers of the performance art ensemble “Quixotic” performs in venues all over the United States.

Living in Kansas City during their adult lives, The Old N° 5′s have an “Old Soul” sound to their blues. It is best described as “Missouri River Blues”. Though cliche, The Big Muddy Mo is wide, dirty, deep, and powerful. At its lowest levels it can smell a little funky and twist its path to places you never thought it’d go. But when the water peaks its banks and levies, it strike up emotions of terrible awe to those standing next to its rippling current. That ever flowing water in The Mo is a great metaphor for how we see our passion for music.

For the last couple of months Brock, Pat and Aaron have been writing new original material and have started work on a second album in April of 2012. Playing between 15 and 20 shows a month, they host several weekly house gigs. Their Fridays and Saturdays are filled with as many shows as they can get. With the help of the amazing friends they have met in this still brief journey, playing music professionally is the dream they are chasing.