Jupiter Coyote

Jupiter Coyote is an American Rock music band from Macon, Georgia formed in 1990. The original members were Matthew Mayes (guitar/"guijo"/lead vocals), John Felty (guitar/vocals), Ned Grubb (bass guitar), and Matt Trevitt (drums).
Since 1990, Jupiter Coyote has played over 4,400 shows. Their sound has been labeled "mountain rock"https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/chattanooganow/music/story/2018/feb/07/jupiter-coyote-bings-mountarock-songbirds/463055/, which is the combination of southern boogie and Bluegrass music-infused funk-rock.
Members of Jupiter Coyote founded the independent record label Autonomous Recordshttps://www.discogs.com/label/499583-Autonomous-Records early in their career. In doing so, they were able to successfully and independently distribute their own material and assist in the development of other acts such as Strangefolk and Sister Hazel.Reece, D. (1998). "Popular Uprisings: Billboard's Weekly Coverage of Hot Prospects for the Heatseekers Chart". Billboard. p. 18.
The band has shared the stage with The Allman Brothers Band, Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, String Cheese Incident, The Radiators (American band) and Kansas (band), among others. They have played large festivals from coast to coast, including High Sierra Music Festival in California, Charlotte's Center City Fest, Atlanta's Music Midtown, Birmingham's City Stages, Asheville's Bele Chere and The Magnolia Fest in Live Oak, Florida.
The band's current lineup consists of Matthew Mayes (guitar/"guijo"/lead vocals), John Meyer (guitar/backing vocals), Gene Bass (drums), Sanders Brightwell (bass guitar), Noel Felty (drums/backing vocals), Steve Trismen (fiddle/backing vocals), Kevin "Ponchito" Scheyer (percussion).
==History==
===1990–1995: Early Years... Cemeteries & Junkyards, Wade, Lucky Day===
Matthew Mayes and John Felty grew up playing music with one another in Brevard, North Carolina. Together, they formed a band and called themselves "The Rockafellas". The Rockafellas was essentially a cover band that developed a strong following early on through playing small bars and fraternity parties. When they discovered there was another band that shared the same name, they knew their name would have to be changed. The band wanted to choose a new name with no meaning, allowing their original compositions to define the band's name. John Meyer, one of their sound engineers at the time, had written a song called "Jupiter Coyote", so the choice was made.
Between 1990 and 1995, the band recorded three studio albums under the guidance of producer Johnny Sandlin. Cemeteries and Junkyards, Lucky Day, and Wadehttp://www.louisvillemusicnews.net/webmanager/index.php?WEB_CAT_ID=50&storyid=12556&headline=Jupiter_Coyote_-_Wade&issueid=59 provided the band with plenty of original material to tour with as they continued to hone their original sound.
During this time, the band also welcomed new members Gene Bass (drums), Sanders Brightwell (bass), and David Stevens Jr. (percussion).
=== 1996–2000: Ghost Dance, Here Be Dragons, JC Live ===
Among their extensive touring schedule, the band found the time to record and release two more studio albums in 1997 and 1998. Ghost Dance and Here Be Dragons was recorded in Macon, Georgia at Phoenix Sound, which was the old Capricorn Records Studios.
In 2000, Coyote released JC Live, a compilation of live recordings from The Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia, The Music Farm (music venue)|Music Farm in Charleston, South Carolina, and Wofford College's homecoming concert in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
It was around this time that the band welcomed the addition of Steve Trismen (fiddle/backing vocals) and Noel Felty (drums/backing vocals).
=== 2001–2010: Waxing Moon, The Hillary Step ===
In the early 2000s, the band released two more studio albums, Waxing Moon in 2001 and The Hillary Step in 2004. A European tour was also scheduled for 2002, but the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks made traveling overseas to tour impossible, and the tour was cancelled. 
=== 2011–present: Sage With Toad, The Raptor Trail, Life Got in the Way ===
The band released the studio album Sage With Toad in 2011. 
When John Felty left the band to pursue other interests, Matthew Mayes and John Meyer began a side project called The Raptor Trail. It had been decided that when Jupiter Coyote returned to the stage, John Meyer would be the new lead guitar player and assist on vocals. In 2018, Jupiter Coyote recorded and released Life Got in the Way. In 2020 the band released a greatest hits vinyl record called The Interplanetary Yard Dog. The band was poised to play a large number of shows in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of those shows. To adapt and survive, the band has moved to online live streaming. The band has streamed three times from empty theaters with Hometown Hodges Productions and over 30 “quarantine session" streams from their home studios.
Jupiter Coyote has begun releasing singles on a semi-monthly basis. To date these include "Driving the Wedge", "Confusionville", "Soldier On", "Hungry Ghost", "Joker 1.5" (January 2021), "Hotbox the Car" (March 2021), "What if I Were a Star?" (March 2021), "Pack Mule" (April 2021), "Pry" (July 2021), and "Seasons" (October 2021).
== Selective discography ==
=== Albums ===
Year	Title 	Producer
1991	Cemeteries & Junkyards 	Johnny Sandlin
1993	Wade 	Johnny Sandlin
1995	Lucky Day 	Johnny Sandlin
1997	Ghost Dance 	Jupiter Coyote
1998	Here Be Dragons 	Jupiter Coyote
2000	JC Live 	Jupiter Coyote
2001	Waxing Moon 	Jupiter Coyote
2004	The Hillary Step 	Jupiter Coyote
2011	Sage With Toad 	Jupiter Coyote
2018	Life Got in the Way 	Jupiter Coyote
2020	The Interplanetary Yard Dog	(Vinyl release only)
Category:American rock music groups
Category:Musicians from Macon, Georgia
Category:Musical groups established in 1990