Lawn Jockey

The acoustic duo Lawn Jockey is comprised of Oak Park, IL singer/songwriter/composer Tom Henry, and Henryetta, OK songwriter/composer Scott Stokes. The duo split in 2000 shortly after the release of "Jethro's Revenge" which received critical acclaim. Both Tom and Scott are veterans of the stage and studio and have performed locally, regionally, and nationally.

On Tuesday, March 25, 2008, Tom and Scott agreed to put forth a new release in much the same vein as "Jethro's Revenge". The new release will contain elements of Folk, Psycho-Bluegrass, and Celtic flavored originals, and will be aptly titled "Out By The Cement Pond".

Recording of the new release will occur in August 2008, and an internet release is slated for early 2009.

For more information on Lawn Jockey, and their 1999 release "Jethro's Revenge", click the album below to be taken to their MySpace page.

Jethro's Revenge has ten tunes, eight of which are instrumentals. The tunes range from beautiful instrumentals to love songs. From quietly contemplative to upbeat. The guitar playing is excellent. "Edinburgh Waltz" and "You are the One" have a Celtic influence. "Edinburgh Waltz" is a pretty song about long lasting love. You may find yourself humming it as you go through your day. "Wasatch Sunset (The Porch Dream)" sets a great mood of relaxing on the back porch to watch the sunset after a long day. "If You Go" is another favorite that seems to be influenced by classical Spanish guitar and has a change of tempo. All the tunes are written by Lawn Jockey. Jethro's Revenge is a folk-like recording, not strictly Celtic, but if you like excellent guitar playing this is a CD worth buying. Ann Hazen, Celtic Beat Magazine, Boston, Massachusetts

This is an act new to me. Of the 10 tracks on the CD, each song has its own unique character. Usually when you get two acoustic guitarists on their first album, you get a monotonish sound where all the songs will tend to sound alike. You also get lots of repeated chords, the 2 and 3 chord rock or strumming that immediately tells you that the players are rank amateurs. NOT so in this case! Here there is picking, strumming, chords, and finergwork that is at times clearly not easy. The result is nice sounding music. The recording quality and level is excellent, the music clean and intimate. Their production is solid as well. "You are the One" 3:49 opens the album. The feel somehow is Irish, the vocals decent, and the pickin' good. On "Flowers for Mel" we get a short work that presents some very nice sounds. "Hot Dog Water" 2:12 is a tiny tune but the playing is fast and tight. A track that has some very nice moments is "Riverstones". The playing is nuanced, the tones very clear, and the feel is up close. Then comes "If You Go" a song that has an exotic feel, maybe Spanish in places with very interesting notes being played. The feel is also somewhat mystical. One of my favorite cuts was "Wasatch Sunset" which clearly painted pictures in my mind. I was reminded of water going over and around rocks in a bubbly brook. An excellent song. Then there is "Edinburgh Waltz" 3:46, a selection that has vocals and has a sort of sad melancholy sense to it. "I Lost Myself" 3:42 is another number that presents the nice interaction between these two artists. Another of my favorite cuts, as they create some very fresh sounds from their guitars. I've heard hundreds of guitarists and after a while they seem to sound alike, especially when you have 1 or 2 with acoustics. Not here. This was a nice effort. On "Homecoming" they sound alright. "Jethro's Revenge" ends with a song titled "The Running of the Jackalope". Here they play lots of rhythmic sounds and end the project on a nice note. This is a nice relaxing acoustic album, no fluff, no tricks, no effects. It offers good guitar work from a solid duo. Check it out. Armando Canales, Editor, The Critical Review, El Paso, Texas

Lawn Jockey is an acoustic project featuring veteran musicians/guitarists Tom Henry and Scott Stokes. If you are a fan of acoustic guitars, tasteful playing, and thoughtful and melodic Folk/Easy Listening sounds, you'll find plenty to cheer about here. "Jethro's Revenge", .. a nice display of melody, acoustic guitar finesse and artistry well worth checking out. Rating 9.3/10.0 Jim Price, The Pennsylvania Musician - The Final Cut - WBXQ 94.3FM, Altoona, PA.