Bodhi Jones
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Bodhi Jones spent his early years with his mother and sister on Saltspring Island, located between mainland British Columbia and Vancouver Island.
The Island has had a colorful past and boasts a population of talented artisans. He affectionately refers to it as a “hippie paradise” and said spending his early years there was a magical experience.
When Bodhi was ten his mother moved the family from Saltspring to Vancouver in search of greater opportunities. Though the move provided these expanded options, Bodhi initially felt extremely isolated and was often home sick during his first few years of city life.
In May of 1999 he joined his first band, Empty Box, Which was comprised of 4 of his closest friends. His passion for music was ignited and so began his long musical journey. Empty Box eventually broke up due to 3 of the 5 members wanting to pursue more stable careers. Bodhi’s next musical endeavour would come together in 2002 with a group called The Living – It was around this time that he remembers getting “serious about music”. The Living recorded one full length album titled “How To Hold A Candle” which is still one of Bodhi’s proudest musical achievements. The band played a countless number of shows locally and throughout British Columbia for over two years but were unable to stay together due to personality conflicts.
The next venture, Rider Jones, was a partnership with long time friend Phillip Rider. Rider Jones recorded 4 EP’s and one full length album entitled “Strange Days”, selling over 10 000 copieswhile performing on the streets of downtown Vancouver. 
They received favorable reviews and airtime on both local radio (CBC, The Fox, and CITR) and print (Georgia Straight, The Province, and Youthink). After enduring numerous ups and downs, Jones and Rider eventually parted ways in 2007 due to Philips long battle with substance abuse. (He has been clean and sober for over a year now).
In January of 2007, Bodhi was at a crossroads in his life. It was now or never and never wasn’t an option…he didn’t want to go down the singing in a band route anymore, he wanted to go it alone but there was one catch, he didn’t know how to play guitar, So he made his way to the closest book store and purchased “Guitar for Dummies”. Over the next six months Bodhi devoted every spare moment to learning guitar and writing his first solo effort. In July of that year he assembled a backup band and played numerous sold out shows in Vancouver. His first solo EP, “From January to June,” sold 500 copies and gave him the affirmation that he was heading in the right direction with both his life and his music.
He recently wrote, recorded and produced his self-titled full length album in February 2009 and took his talents to the streets of downtown Vancouver. Of this time he says that “it was tough to physically go out on the streets day after day knowing I needed to make enough money for rent, bills, and food, but it was definitely not all bad”. “It re affirmed my belief in the goodness of people, we’re all in it together and I’m so grateful for the love and support I’ve received from both the people of this city and it’s visitors”. One of these visitors, was Sharon Robinson, a writer/producer/and vocalist with Leonard Cohen. Sharon discovered Bodhi performing on a street corner while on a tour stop in Vancouver, she liked what she heard and he soon found himself whisked off to LA to meet with the Head of A&R at Universal. Unfortunately, although the meeting was favorable no deal was reached.
Bodhi returned home with a fire in his bones and began entering various local music contests, 
leading to a selection by Virgin Radio as the BC Artist of the week in July of 2009. He was also selected as one of the top 20 out of more than 400 artists to be a part of the Peak Performance Project and is hoping to go home with $150 000!
He says of his music, “I wanna provide companionship through my music; to let people know that I’m feeling what they’re feeling. I want them to know that I’m going through it with them – through it all and it’s gonna be alright cause surviving is what we do, I want the listener to know I get it.”
Bodhi is currently working on some collaborative projects with other local artists and is finishing up a new album, set to be released in April or May of 2010.
Check out his website here.
