ON SALE NOW: My book, Murder Ballads Old & New: A Dark & Bloody Record, focuses on the tragic ballad as "an act of remembering and a soul-reckoning with the ineffable." The book features 26 essays on a wide range of subjects and songs. The former include--in addition to homicide--illness, war, crime sprees, and disasters. The latter include Child ballads and Appalachian folksongs, plus contemporary variants from blues, country, punk, and post-punk. Artists discussed include the Smiths, the Handsome Family, Hüsker Dü, Howlin' Wolf, the Mekons, Eddie Noack, Sonic Youth, and Johnny Cash. My artwork and multiple photos illustrate the book.

Published by Feral House. Available through fine booksellers and online retailers.

When country music cleaned up its act and moved to the suburbs in the 1980s, the three main casualties were drinking, killing, and cheating songs. A good murder ballad tended to embrace all three legs of that unholy hillbilly trinity, and Steven Jones has been digging up the bones. —Jon Langford

True songs land. And they can land on anyone—anyone embedded in life. Players distracted by ambition or safety won't hear them, but real life feeds real music. —Kristin Hersh

My book Murder Ballads Old & New made the LA Weekly Holiday Gift Guide for 2023.

Book and Film Globe review of my book by music critic and "Reverend of Rock & Roll" Keith A. Gordon: "an illuminating study of a sorely overlooked, enduring, and influential sub-genre of folk music."

Author/critic Marc Masters interviewed me for his Music Book Podcast:

"[A] fascinating and in-depth look at songs throughout history that have dealt with death and tragedy, including folk songs that have been passed down through and transformed by generations, as well as more recent works that are just as affecting and impactful as tunes that are hundreds of years older."

DJ Eric Senich interviewed me for his cool podcast, Booked on Rock. Among other things, we discussed songs inspired by the JFK assassination the week of its 60th anniversary.

Andy Moore of WORT FM interviewed me for his morning show, 8 O'Clock Buzz. Among other subjects, we talked about Jon Langford's biting anti-war song, "Drone Operator."

Review from the Club Mekon blog: "The interesting thing about the book is that it has several levels, and in the best parts, you experience how these levels are interwoven and dependent on one another."

Chicago Tribune profile by Rick Kogan

Interview with VoyageChicago magazine