Jonathan Still profile picture

Jonathan Still

About Me

I grew up in a musical family. My mother had taught piano and at age 7, I was thrust into the life of competitive piano that would last for over a decade. As college approached, so did the intrigue of another instrument. This one being the guitar, an instrument also played by my sister previously.

I began to learn and teach myself the classical guitar. I ended up studying classical guitar at the University of North Texas, graduating in 1997. There, I also began a rock band where I began honing my 'chops' while composing all the instrumentation, including the drums which had also become a passion. Eventually, this feeling grew so strongly that I decided to switch to playing the drums in the band. The band played the club scene, off and on, for a few years and recorded a couple of projects over that time in Dallas.

In the meantime, upon college graduation, I had found interest in composing music for picture and I found my way to the door of Juniper Music in Dallas. A company which had only a few years earlier began its commercial path in the music and sound design field, it could be argued that Juniper dominates locally and nationally today. They allowed me to really build my compositional and production abilities in a relationship that's so far lasted nearly 12 years. During this time, I have composed and produced music for television and radio advertisements, music libraries, and independent movies and documentaries. I have also composed many works for Listening Chair , another highly respected advertising music house in Dallas.

In 2001, after much encouragement from my future wife, I set out to compose my first 'instrumental' album called 'In Awe of It All.' It would be a collection of tracks that featured the instruments naturally familiar to me, along with a few tracks that would show a symbiotic relationship between the ethereal and the slow groove. It was a fun experience which pushed me to record a second album which would eventually be known to the world as 'Under the Bodhi Tree' . The album picked up where the previous had left off, and began to incorporate subtle vocals, thematic passages, intricate percussion, and signature complex meters in the music. The album was picked up by the UK's New World Music label in 2005 and released world wide in 2006. Since then, 'Under the Bodhi Tree' has won the Independent Music Award for Best New Age Album and the New Age Album of the Year from the Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) .

Kindah Mardam Bey of A&E Vibe says of Under the Bodhi Tree "Still's songs have a universal quality with hints of specific international influences layered in. He seems a seasoned musician far beyond his years, which is probably one of the reasons why this collection won an Independent Music Award." Debbie Bebbington of Melliflua says "Under the Bodhi Tree is one of the best new age albums I've heard recently... it often seamlessly blends spirituality into damn good tunes." And Peter Manzi of New Age Retailer says "(Jonathan) ...is on par with the best musical veterans and presents ideal music for self-discovery and reflection."

In 2007, 'The Awakening' was released worldwide, again by New World Music. Retail giants Barnes and Noble and Borders each did in-store promotions of the album in early 2008 for which I am very thankful. I am now about to release a third album through the same record label titled Euphoria. I hope that I am a part of the movement within my genre that is leaving behind the stigma of the old school 'new age' artists and embarking upon the path that will lead to a larger mainstream existence within the industry.

My long term goals include feature film scoring. But for now, you can find my cds at all online stores including iTunes, Amazon , etc, and in many Barnes and Noble and Borders stores. Thank you!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 5/6/2008
Band Website: http://www.jonathanstillmusic.com
Band Members: Me.....oh, and some talent that I'll hire for vocals.
Influences: Tool to Thomas Newman - you'll see many influences on my friends list. What this means is nothing to the music, ...or everything.
Sounds Like: Goulash recipe could be described as: Ottmar Liebert meets Ulrich Schnauss with a hint of Tool, and a dash of Thomas Newman and a pinch of Hans Zimmer? Now that's a bit presumptuous on the talent side, but you asked!
Record Label: New World Music, Ltd.
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Euphoria now on sale!

Euphoria is now on sale at the New World site.  Click on the picture and it'll take you there.  It could be a month or two before the typical sites such as Amazon, Borders, or iTunes has it...
Posted by on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:16:00 GMT

Consider this.....

I figure, on the anniversary of this date, you all should enjoy an expose on hypocrisy!    Thank you , Jon!  
Posted by on Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:21:00 GMT

Bulletin madness

I try to keep up with the bulletin postings (my friend's, not my own since I make 2 a year it seems).  But there are a select few out there who seem to make bulletins every 5 minutes.  And m...
Posted by on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:41:00 GMT

Fan comments

Just a little note to all of you who publicly or privately comment to me.  I really appreciate all your kind words and inspiring stories.  I probably couldn't do this without them.  Sin...
Posted by on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:29:00 GMT

If you have kids...

...that enjoy the Harry Potter books and fantasy literature like that, go buy this book.
Posted by on Sun, 25 May 2008 23:20:00 GMT

Horse Racing

    I've never been to a horse race.  I've never bet on a horse.  I've occassionally watched the Kentucky Derby and maybe a few other races if a particular horse is going for ...
Posted by on Thu, 22 May 2008 22:35:00 GMT

The ’right mix’

So I'm about to complete my 4th album (3rd to be released) and I've basically reached the mixing stage.  And some of you reading might think this to be fairly trivial, but it is really the most t...
Posted by on Thu, 22 May 2008 11:52:00 GMT

Question of the Day

So most grocery stores have anywhere between 8 and 30 checkout lanes - Have you ever been there when more than 3 are open?  EVER???  Only at places like Central Market have I seen a huge amo...
Posted by on Sat, 17 May 2008 10:27:00 GMT

Gym Pet Peeves

1) Walk into the gym, get on the bike....realize you left the iPod in the car.  UGH!2) Walking over to a weight machine that looks completely deserted, and some dude walks up and says 'um, I was ...
Posted by on Wed, 14 May 2008 10:42:00 GMT

The Future Move

So me and the misses plan on moving from Dallas to the west coast in a couple of years; most likely somewhere between SanFrancisco and Seattle.  And I find it so funny (or peculiar) that most peo...
Posted by on Tue, 13 May 2008 09:10:00 GMT