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PHOTOGRAPHY: NORA CANFIELD
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May they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.
Judges 5:31
"Where words fail, music speaks."
- Hans Christian Andersen
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world if he loses his own soul?
Matthew 16:26
"In life it’s living as though right now counts forever. Because it does."
- David Foster
“When I stand before God at the end of my life,
I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say:
'I used everything you gave me.'â€
– Erma Bombeck
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Jason was born in North Platte, Nebraska and enjoyed small town life growing up in the farming community of Gothenburg. He received his Bachelor's degree in Broadcasting / Mass Communications from the University of Nebraska.
While pursuing his degree, he worked in the University of Nebraska Athletic Department Media Relations Office where he won several national awards for writing, editing and graphic design as Sports Information Director for Nebraska's nationally prominent swimming & diving and wrestling programs. He provided publicity for South African Olympic Gold Medalist, World Record holder and then-Husker swimmer Penny Heyns and worked closely with Nebraska's tradition-rich football program during three National Championship seasons (including back-to-back championships).
Jason's on-air broadcasting talents have been utilized by ESPN Radio & The Pinnacle Sports Network, and he has worked in production capacities for ABC Sports, CBS Sports, ESPN and Fox Sports Net, among others.
An extraordinary passion for music -- fueled initially by frequent listens to stacks of his parents' Elvis Presley records as a very young kid -- would lead Jason to Nashville years later. A play-by-ear guitarist & pianist, vocalist and songwriter, he has been influenced by a wide variety of artists and musical styles. His sound encompasses many elements deeply rooted in rock, soul and country music.
While simultaneously pursuing his creation of music in Nashvlle, making a living in the music business has proved to be full of many exhilirating and rewarding experiences.
Following an internship with Capitol Records Nashville, Jason became director of the Nashville branch of Insight Management, a successful music marketing company founded by music industry veteran, Maria Brunner. During his tenure at Insight, he provided national radio marketing for Eric Clapton's first Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas, TX (which included performances by such blues/rock guitar greats as Clapton, B.B. King, Jonny Lang, John Mayer, Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan, Doyle Bramhall II, Buddy Guy, Joe Walsh, Santana and many others) and tour marketing / promotion for Grammy-Award winning artists Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, The Moody Blues, Pat Metheny, Vince Gill, Bryan Adams, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Dwight Yoakam, Lee Ann Womack and Clint Black, as well as George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, Gary Allan, Sugarland, Travis Tritt, Julie Roberts and others. He also assisted music industry mogul Miles Copeland (former manager of The Police and Sting and I.R.S. Records founder) in promoting his world renowned Bellydance Superstars and provided marketing for the Experience Music Project rock museum in Seattle, created by Microsoft entrepreneur Paul Allen.
Jason has helped promote a long list of concerts by a variety of artists, including Maroon 5, Keith Urban, Kelly Clarkson, Daughtry, Bill Cosby, Chicago, 311, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers, Christian McBride, The Temptations, Lisa Marie Presley, Brad Paisley, Alabama, TobyMac, The Steve Miller Band, ZZ Top, The Allman Brothers Band, The Doobie Brothers, Peter Frampton, Chick Corea, Newsboys and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Jason served as manager of standout Nashville-based funk, rock and hip-hop band del giovanni clique (www.myspace.com/delgiovanniclique) for two years and was named Community Service Co-Chairman for the music business organization SOLID (Society of Professional Leaders In Development), of which he is an alumni member. He enjoyed volunteering for the Luis Palau Nashville CityFest (May 2007), assists in fundraising efforts for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and cherishes time spent with family, friends and positive people.
Hit songwriter, producer and record label owner Rory Lee Feek ("Some Beach" - Blake Shelton, "The Chain Of Love" - Clay Walker, "How Do You Get That Lonely" - Blaine Larsen) invited Jason to join the Giantslayer Records & Publishing family in 2006, where he accepted a post as Director of New Media & Marketing for independent label Giantslayer Records (Blaine Larsen), a contributing songwriter to the Giantslayer Publishing song catalog (www.myspace.com/giantslayerpublishing) and co-founder of the interactive website, Story Behind The Song (www.myspace.com/storybehindthesong || www.storybehindthesong.net).
In 2006, Jason founded HotHouse Freelance, a writing and marketing company. HotHouse specializes in the writing of press releases, web copy & EPK literature as well as tour marketing and promotion. Clients include All About Music TV & Film, Insight Management (Pat Metheny | Brad Mehldau | Bela Fleck | Eric Clapton | The Moody Blues | Gipsy Kings | Josh Turner | Chris Young | Country Thunder USA | Western Washington Fair), Chick Corea, Steven Seagal, I Run For The Party, Skyline Music Publishing & Star Tours, Inc.
Continuing to pursue his entrepreneurial, creative and musical tendencies, Jason currently serves as Sr. Vice President of TuneTeesâ„¢. A co-creator and founder, he launched the apparel company in 2007 with long-time friend, co-writer and business partner, Reed Trontell. Fittingly based in Music City, TuneTeesâ„¢ is the first-ever multi-brand music/technology apparel line to draw inspiration solely from the most popular music of our time to create cool, cutting edge t-shirts and accessories, coupling them with digital downloads and a music store featuring over 3 million songs. TuneTeesâ„¢ is currently in negotiations with a major distribution company interested in marketing the apparel line to big box retailers, which would make the line available for the first time on a massive level, in the summer of 2008. TuneTeesâ„¢ apparel has recently been seen on CMT Insider, in Nashville Lifestyles magazine, All The Rage, Skinnysongs.com, and will be featured in upcoming issues of Country Weekly and Music Row magazine. The line is also a favorite of 9-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow.
In early 2008, Jason and other partners founded Big Sky Music Publishing, where he currently serves as Vice President - Creative and songwriter. Big Sky Music Publishing is in the process of signing additional writers, recording songs, and pitching the company’s catalog to mainstream artists in the country and pop music markets.
Jason continues to be very active in music circles, continually writing new music on his own, with frequent collaborator, Jessica June Rose, and others; and frequently generating new riffs and song ideas. He is currently writing and recording songs for a forthcoming CD release.
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FAVE CDs: Boston - "Boston" | Elvis Presley - "Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Performances" | Led Zeppelin - "I" & "II" | Phil Wickham - "Cannons" & "Phil Wickham" | Lenny Kravitz - "Mama Said" | Chris Isaak - "Forever Blue" | Bryan Adams - "On A Day Like Today" | Jonny Lang - "Wander This World" | Audioslave - "Audioslave" & "Revelations" | Alison Krauss - "Forget About It" | Maroon 5 - "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" | Keith Urban - "Golden Road" | Seal - "IV" | Dan Dyer - "...Of What Lies Beneath" | Big Head Todd & The Monsters - "Sister Sweetly" | Amos Lee - "Amos Lee For The Homeboys" | The Fray - "How To Save A Life" | Ben Harper - "The Will To Live" | Gavin DeGraw - "Chariot (Stripped)" | Paul Carrack - "Satisfy My Soul" | Del Amitri - "Some Other Sucker's Parade" | Herbie Hancock - "Possibilities" | Vince Gill - "These Days" (Disc 2) | Metallica - "Black Album."
(SOME) FAVE TUNEAGE: "How Great Thou Art" - Elvis Presley | "Room At The Top" - Tom Petty | "Ramble On" - Led Zeppelin | "The Boys Of Summer" - Don Henley | "River God," "Every Season," "Why" - Nichole Nordeman | "Peace" - Michael McDonald | "With Or Without You" - U2 | "Red House" - Jimi Hendrix | "You Mean The World To Me" - Josiah Bell | "Trying To Love You" - Trisha Yearwood | "Best Of You" - Foo Fighters | "Rainy Night In Georgia" - Brook Benton | "When You Love Someone" - Bryan Adams | "I've Heard It All Before" - Amos Lee | "Every Breath You Take" - The Police | "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green | "I Can't Make You Love Me" - Bonnie Raitt | "Half Of Me" - Jeremy Lister | "I Know How To Love You Well," "Please Remember Me" - Tim McGraw | "I'm On Fire" - Bruce Springsteen | "Sail On" - Lionel Richie | "Anytime" - Brian McKnight | "Adore," "A Case Of You" - Prince | "Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground" - Willie Nelson | "Right Where I Need To Be" - Gary Allan | "Rainin' You" - Brad Paisley | "Far Away" - Reed Trontell | "Remember When" - Alan Jackson | "Reveal Yourself" - Lionel Cartwright | "I'll Never See You Again" - Tim Johnson | "The Only One" - Paul Carrack | "Half Of Me" - Jeremy Lister | "Capacity For Change" - Kristi Neumann | "You Remain" - Leslie Satcher | "Fall Away" - The Fray | "Go Rest High On That Mountain" - Vince Gill | "Everytime You Go Away" - Paul Young | "Right Here With Me" - Kelli Trontell | "The Boys Are Back In Town" - Thin Lizzy | "I Used To Know This Song By Heart" - Brooks & Dunn | "Ghost In This House" - Alison Krauss | "No Easy Way" - Seal | "Start With Me" - Del Amitri | "Don't Explain" - Herbie Hancock feat. Damien Rice & Lisa Hannigan | "Disarray" - Lifehouse | "On Fire" - Switchfoot | "Don't Give Up On Me" - Solomon Burke | "I Could Let Go" - Jessica June Rose | "This Memory Of You" - Vince Gill & Trisha Yearwood | "True Companion" - Marc Cohn | "Goodbye Letter" - Jonny Lang
FAVE MUSIC DVDs: Elvis - "'68 Comeback Special (Special Edition)" | Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival | Led Zeppelin - "Led Zeppelin DVD" | Fleetwood Mac - "Live In Boston" | Elvis - "That's The Way It Is"
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