Mandy Bishop is 19 years old and lives in Oceanside, CA. Trained under Shawn Cole, she actively sang at weddings, churches, and banquets for 11 years, in her home town of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Expanding her musical experience, Mandy toured through Nicaragua to perform at benefit concerts. Realizing that her aspirations were much larger than her home-town could accommodate, she packed up everything she owned and drove across the United States to San Diego. She didn't know it yet, but fate had already put her on a collision-course with a certain cigar-smoking guitarist/songwriter ! !

In addition to his accomplishments as a cigar-smoker, Paul Jones has a thriving career as a private music instructor. Paul's love for the guitar began 14 years ago in a high school talent show band, and since then he has developed a strong, diverse musical background, performing extensively with Danica, Altered State, and Crime Scene. He became an instructor with The Association of California Music Studios, and soon had a packed teaching schedule. Soon thereafter, Paul opened his own private instruction facility, and now he teaches, performs, and records music with his 60+ students.

Mandy wanted to take music lessons . . . Paul was a music teacher . . . they met . . . and before long ( a matter of days, in fact ) Bishop Jones was born.         

Music is its own reward, and often it's enough to simply sing along and feel good, without ever wondering why. Some Bishop Jones songs are simple, feel-good tunes, but some convey - and evoke - powerful emotions . . . most definitely to be filed under "life-changing". High-falutin' words, but tell me you can listen to Mandy's soothing-haunting-compelling voice without wondering where all the passion came from . . . and just how does she know so well how YOU sometimes feel ??

A common response to Inside My Head  ( from their release That Pure Euphoric Feeling )  is a mixture of alarm and comfort . . . it's alarming that this 19-year-old could so effectively recreate the loneliest, most despairing season in life, but it's comforting to know that someone really does appreciate the "painful wisdom" that the season offers.  Of course, not all Bishop Jones songs are quite so melodramatic!

The Bishop Jones sound, loosely labeled as contemporary rock, has been described as Jewelesque-Natalie-Merchant-meets-a-more-progressive-Tom-Petty. The less-hyphenated reality is that this songwriting team reveals an extensive range of influences, seamlessly blended into a very original sound.

Those Days , released in April of '99, was recorded entirely in Paul's spare bedroom. The mastering, photography, and layout/design were all accomplished on a home computer!  Entirely an acoustic recording, the CD chronicles the band's first songs. The idea was to give the band's first audiences something to remember the show by, and that home CD burner was certainly "burnin' oil" . . . Those Days  sold by the bucketful ! !

Kafana's (Carlsbad), Hill Street Coffee House (Oceanside), Naked Bean (Vista), and the Metaphor (Escondido) were ideal venues to develop a fan base. Over a few months of shows, the band sold hundreds of copies of Those Days , and generated a mailing list of more than 400 names.

Although Those Days was a true reflection of the band's beginnings, the Bishop Jones sound was evolving faster than anyone could have anticipated. Before long, it was time to start recording the band's second CD.

That Pure Euphoric Feeling, released in November of '99, was produced by Josquin des Pres (Lisa Sanders, Mary Dolan). Recruiting accomplished studio players like Scott Gorham (Richard Marx) and Jon Mattox (The Young Dubliners) for the project, the band has produced a CD which is "polished, rich-sounding" proof of just how far Bishop Jones has come.