Elijah Jones is an award winning, rock-western-style, murder ballad set in Utah in the late 1800s. It highlights the strong women from the past fighting back against circumstances and abuse. The scene takes place near Bluff, Utah, in 1889, centered around Elijah Jones, a fictional self-righteous outlaw who stayed behind while many other settlers moved on. It fully embraces the wild west, filled with gritty desert sand, harsh conditions, polygamy, and guns.
The video won the award for “Best Music Video” at Kanab Film Festival. It was also selected and featured at Utah Film Market, Highland Square Film Festival, and Yucca Valley Film Festival in 2023
ELIJAH JONES IN THE MEDIA
Salt Lake Tribune
PRESS RELEASE
Was it murder or self-defense? Mothers of Mayhem, an all-mom rock band from Utah, breaks boundaries with a new original music video highlighting strong women from the past fighting back against abuse just in time for Women’s History Month.
Mothers of Mayhem, an Ogden-based heavy-hitting rock band composed of four mothers, is busy cranking out new original music capturing the attention of music industry execs. The band has mainly been a rock/metal cover band and a fan favorite at almost every music festival around Utah over the last five years. They are now venturing into recording and releasing original content to expand their musical reach to new markets.
Their latest foray is a new music video called Elijah Jones, filmed in the southwestern Utah town of Kanab (known as “little Hollywood”). Taking liberties with their traditional 1950s look, they tell a story of historical fiction through song and a music video released in conjunction with Women’s History Month, starting on March 1.
This rock-western style “murder ballad” was set in Utah in the late 1800s. The scene is set around Bluff, Utah, in 1889, centered around Elijah Jones, a fictional self-righteous outlaw who stayed behind while many other settlers moved on. It fully embraces the wild west, filled with gritty desert sand, harsh conditions, polygamy, and guns.
The National Women’s History Alliance, which spearheaded the movement for March being declared National Women’s History Month, has announced the women’s history theme for 2023, “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” Lead guitarist Jami Taylor said, “we feel like the theme for Women’s History Month is a perfect opportunity for us, a band made up of four mothers with 19 kids among us, to release a song that tells a story only we can tell.”
Lead singer Jessica Groom said, “As the song’s writing developed, we felt like it was an opportunity to focus on the strength of women and what they are capable of.” Bassist Victoria Green added, “Ironically, the process of writing and creating this song and video was delightfully fun. I have never laughed so hard. Not all serious topics have to feel heavy all the time.” Drummer Nikki Ashton added, “One of the coolest things about art is that it allows for hard topics to be presented in a more approachable way and in ways that are easier to cope with the heaviness of the situation.” Lead guitarist Jami Taylor adds, “writing a western murder ballad with the likes of Johnny Cash and adding a rock vibe to it was really a fun project to create.”
Mothers of Mayhem puts a fresh spin on history, weaving threads from the past with the excitement of the future by giving the audience something new every time they take the stage. Paying homage to those who came before in how they dress, the songs they cover, and the stories they tell, they honor women throughout history while celebrating the strong women of today.
You can check out the video on March 1st as it hits social media channels and film festivals nationwide. It’s called Elijah Jones by Mothers of Mayhem, and be prepared to watch four women create a little mayhem.