press kit

Bio

The sound of Wolf Jett will make you dance, sing… and possibly even howl!

Their all-original songs are an upbeat celebration, infusing folk, soul and Americana into what they call "Cosmic Mountain Music.” Co-founded by two life-long friends and musical partners, Wolf Jett combines the southern-fried vocals of Tennessee-born frontman Chris Jones with Jon Payne’s endlessly groovy drums. They currently perform with Duncan Shipton on bass, female vocalist Allyson Makuch, electric guitarist Rory Cloud, and Alex Benjamin on keys/percussion.

Chris and Jon have been performing together since they were 12, and conceived Wolf Jett in late 2019 as a tribute to Chris’s maternal grandparents. Prior to the release of their debut album the world was brought to a halt by pandemic and all their shows were cancelled, so they constructed an analog studio at Jon’s residence called “House on a Hill" in Boulder Creek, CA. Tragically, CZU Lightning fires ripped through Big Basin State Park in August 2020, consuming the house and studio along with it. Their story was featured in SF Chronicle, Oakland Tribune, San Jose Mercury, and Santa Cruz Sentinel. Seeing an opportunity to help their community heal, they recorded a breathtaking emotional live video among the ashes and rubble of where their home once stood with the help of friends, The T Sisters. Their song "Garden of Pain" has since become a local favorite.

They have performed with California Honeydrops, Allen Stone, Cedric Burnside, Fruition, The Brothers Comatose, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Shiny Ribs, and Mother Hips. Their albums feature Jason Crosby (Jackson Browne), Stelth Ulvang (Lumineers), James Deprato (Chuck Prophet), and Eric Yates (Hot Buttered Rum). Currently in Radio rotation on local CA stations KPIG, KZSC, KRML, KBCZ, KSQD, as well as WNCW in North Carolina and WDVX in Tennessee.

New Album “Letting Go”

(for release April ‘26)

‘Letting Go’ is the fully-realized vision of the band’s four year collaboration with producer Jonathan Kirchner, along with special guests Jason Crosby, Ben Andrews, and Alex Jordan. The journey begins with an awakening (‘In a Good Place Again’) and a return to the road (‘Straight Back Home to You’), with words of wisdom (Nothin’ But Trouble’) and a reckoning of the past (‘Face the Music’), culminating into the mesmerizing title track (‘Letting Go’).

Side two returns with renewed power and energy in certified banger, ‘Don’t Give Up on Me Now’. ‘Don’t You Worry’ is a hopeful message to the youth, followed by a meditative moment of peace (‘Be Still’) and a homecoming celebration in ‘Back to Carolina’. The final outpouring of soul is ‘Love in My Heart’. Artwork by Santa Cruz artist Lili Arnold fully encompasses the rich and varied energy of the album in visual form.