Lew Jones has a taste for the unusual, which includes his music tours of Borders shops.

Border's Books Music & Cafe just like the one in Salem exist throughout the country and often have live music. But who would imagine doing a tour of Borders bookstores?

Portland singer Lew Jones has done it,as well as a host of other things with his music that most people don't think about doing.

Jones who performs Friday at Border's has had a rather illustrious and unusual career as a Northwest musician, spanning about 20 years. He said he's done a tour of about 30 Border's Books in California, 13 in the Los Angeles area.

He began his musical career with the likes of former Quarterflash leader Marv Ross and did a lot of shows opening for the band Providence in the '70s. And stylistically, he's spent time as an arty punk rocker, a pop rock musician and lately as a sort of experimental folk singer.

"I've always had taste 'that was a little underground," Jones says.

He then points to his 1996 album, "Apple River Diaries."

"I've always liked combining different things through the years," Jones said. "And with 'Apple River I hooked up with producer Andrew Walsh. I basically gave him carte blanche, and we both decided to take folk where it had never gone before."

The result was an album with a surreal, even disjointed and sometimes dissonant treatment of folk music, which he says has been typical of much of his approach in recent years. At times it has the dreamy yet cerebral quality of the free jazz band Oregon or a folksy, acoustic and singing version of Tangerine Dream. At other times, it takes on the freakish territory of Tom Waits or even blue eyed, eletronic edged soul. Still Jones always manages to keep the folk singer spirit alive, while combining his multifazious experimentations with heady, beautiful poetry.

"I've always tried to not do the obvious," Jones said. The 'Apple River" album even spawned a documentary film about the CD's recording ses sions, which Jones and his col laborators hope to finish soon.

But not everything is trippy in the Jones catalog. His newest album, "Bring lt On," is a much more mainstream, even poppy, direction for this folksy solo art ist although it still has many dreamy qualities. Jones freely admits this, proudly saying it's been picked for rotation on Portland radio station KINK 102.

"I got a call from the guy who financed this album," Jones said. "He said, I've heard your avant garde stuff and l'll finance this if you play it a little more straight. Well, I wasn't going to turn down the financing."

Positively EntertainmentDecember 2009by KT"Jones' Write Up

Hotshotfastand furious guitar playing, tasteful guitaristic figures, harmonics and well blended chords, Jones presents a milestone recording w/ Mad @ The Live Greek, all the tunes are eminently ear worthy, world class music."

New MusicReviews.Net Super Fan November 2009" Write Up

Lew's other worldly steel guitar, virtuoso acoustic jam fer daze. Perfect find for the slow autumn drizzle, 'Today is Forever'instrumental exploration of steel string slide guitar, furious pluckin, and one suspects, a little blood mad flat pickin from a talented solo artist on the ever lovin ItsAboutMusic Label."