When we arrived at Adams Morgan bar Felix last Tuesday to catch a Justin Jones show, we found Jones himself standing in the doorway as Felix’s de facto bouncer. “Can I see some I.D.?” asked the stubbled 27-year-old. Then, with a wry grin and a “Nah, I’m just messing with you,” Jones waved us inside.

Offstage, it’s tough to tell when Jones is just messing with you. Which is ironic, because as soon as he picks up a guitar, he’s as genuine as they come. The layers of sarcasm melt away to reveal an individual who doesn’t gloss over his heartache and personal failures. Which might amount to belly-aching if it weren’t for Jones’ staggering talent. The Rawley Springs, VA native picked up the guitar shortly after potty-training, and began writing songs at the age of 14. More recently, Jones has moved to D.C., gotten a job bartending at the 9:30 Club, and put out two “hillbilly soul” albums, 2004’s solo Blue Dreams and last year’s Love Verses Heroin with his backing band, The Driving Rain.

Last week at Felix, Justin started off with a few solo numbers, then seamlessly incorporated members of the Driving Rain, building momentum song by song. First Andrew Nelson joined Jones on stage and picked up the acoustic bass. Later, Nelson switched to the electric bass, Tim Lyons joined in on guitar and Adam Dawson on drums. The group weaves together elements of bluegrass, folk and soul to create a sound evocative of Tom Waits or Woody Guthrie. What this sound lacks in uniqueness, it makes up for in warmth and intensity, particularly on the heartbreakingly matter-of-fact song, “Such a nice guy.”

Do yourself a favor and go see a Justin Jones show. Even if you’re not into country music, per se. Even if you think D.C. has a glut of guys-with-guitars. Maybe it’s his husky voice, his unvarnished woundedness, or the swells of drum and bass from The Driving Rain, but somehow a Jones performance overpowers even the most twang-averse listener.