Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — In two separate appearances in Steamboat Springs on Friday, JJ Grey will show two musical personalities.

One is intimate, introspective and bare; the other rhythmic, emotional and powerful.

The bluesy Southern rock singer and songwriter will play an in-store appearance and sign autographs at All That Jazz before he returns to the Free Summer Concert Series stage for the second time with his band, Mofro.

All That Jazz owner Joe Kboudi said JJ Grey’s inspired lyrics and vocals would shine in an intimate setting.

“He said he really likes one-on-one and things like that,” Kboudi said. “His band shows have a lot of energy, and they’re really funky and everything. But I think he’ll do a little more acoustic style (in the store). It’ll be stripped down.”

Grey is known for soulful Southern folk rock and lyrics that reach beyond the stage. On his most recent album, “Orange Blossoms,” Grey sings in his gritty voice about hard work, love, lust, loss and self-discovery.

“He’s such a good songwriter that to see the songs done in a different context will be really unusual,” Kboudi said. “His voice is rich, and his lyrics are really unusual and different. It’ll be something people might not ever see.”

Grey’s next album, “Georgia Warhorse,” is scheduled for release Aug. 24, and All That Jazz will sell preorders of the album, along with 50 limited-edition covers of the new CD so Grey can sign them Friday.

Just a few hours later, Grey will turn up the heat and the amplifiers when he and his band, Mofro, play the Free Summer Concert Series at Howelsen Hill.

In the fourth installment of the concert series, Mofro — comprising Grey and Daryl Hance on guitar, Art Edmaiston on saxophone, Dennis Marion on trumpet, Andrew Trube on bass, Anthony Farrell on organ and Anthony Cole on drums — will play from 7 to about 9 p.m., series promoter and co-founder John Waldman said.

Waldman said he brought Grey back to the concert series because the community asked for him.

“There’s maybe a handful of acts that do memorable shows the first time in,” Waldman said. “People will ask you, ‘When are you bringing JJ Grey and Mofro back?’ It’s just fan support.”

Waldman said Grey was different in his first appearance in that he made fans out of audience members mingling in the back, socializing, who might not have heard him sing before.

He said whether they watch in an intimate club setting or an outdoor amphitheater, people will be affected in that same manner.

“It sort of grabbed them,” Waldman said. “I think he’s a great songwriter, and that is what ingratiates his fans.”

— To reach Nicole Inglis, call 871-4204 or e-mail ninglis@steamboatpilot.com.