Jason Grant

YUP!! Secret streaming release on Labor Day. Check it out.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1FNxo9fbYG5yTGNKPoRlLW?si=DlYo1MQBTqG6BwsuxACMNA

https://youtu.be/L26M5DqOeb4             March was another really good month. On top of my regular second home (Zin Valle) monthly show,  I also had another show at The Silo Bar, played at a Farmers Market for the first time, which turned into a reoccurring Spring/Summer gig, jammed on some original tunes at The Pizza Joint,  an issue release party gig for The City Magazine, then finished the month off filling in a few songs for my boy Ken Furr. 

             I have to admit, In all my years playing music,  I haven't played a whole lot of private events. This month I had two.  While playing the City magazine's issue release party, a lovely woman stopped me and asked me if I would play a few songs for her 90th birthday party. I was so moved by this that I accepted the invite and immediately decided to write this woman a song as a gift. Clearly, we had just met so all I had to go on was her name, the year she was born, and the brief conversation we had shared. I took that info, gathered my melodic ingredients, and cooked up a catchy little tune within about 5 minutes. 

            When the day of her birthday party came, I was nervous to play it. Honestly,  I had almost decided not to. After I set up my little nest, she grabbed my microphone, gathered everyone's attention, and sang an acapella number for her admirers. When she finished she introduced me and it dawned on me, THIS was the perfect opportunity to sing her present to her. By the end of the song, some of the attendees were singing the hook with me and I had the birthday girl's undivided attention.  It was a “hit” enough that the song was requested one more time before I left. This time, more people were singing along and I even saw some tears. I promised to record this for her and walked away wondering what I could have come up with had the song had more time to bake.  

           The following week I played at Ardovinos Farmer's Market. Again, a beautiful couple with their young daughter requested that I play for their daughter's communion. This time I decided that it would be a disservice to their family if I just threw together a song since I am not a religious man, myself.  However, I did learn “Yes, Jesus loves me” for a cute little sing-along during the party. When I got to their lovely home, we were trying to decide where I should set up. I saw one of those Toddler Kitchen setups in a perfect spot. I found it poetic. I often refer to my songwriting as “The Kitchen”  and I had this overwhelming feeling that I was where I was supposed to be, even if I wasn't “cooking” per se . I had a lovely time and I was inspired by the connection everyone had there. The kitchen was warm and welcoming and they were all so appreciative of what was being served. 

 YES, The recording process is done and my new seven-song, self-titled album, is in post-production.  The original idea was to release it on vinyl but I might wait until I hear your response. Please hit me up if you have any questions. I will be posting Track lyrics on the site as well. 

TRACK LISTING-

1. Enjoy The Ride
2. You Already Know
3. That's Enough
4. You'll Erase Me
5. This Could Be Me (ILO)
6. Roots
7. My Hero

     For the sake of transparency, and against the advice of most of the people close to me, I'm going to expose some chinks in my armor. First, though, let me explain that I do believe that my strength is my songwriting. I learned to play multiple instruments, not by taking lessons but, by sitting down with an instrument (mostly a guitar) and getting melodies out of my head. These days I'm playing more covers than originals and it seems to be exposing limitations that were previously buried under original compositions. 

    At nearly every show I have played lately there is at least one person who makes a request. As a reminder, before El Paso, I only knew a small handful of cover songs, and most of the time I made them my own. Now, however,  I have been doing a decent job at building a repertoire of various genres and when someone makes a request I'm usually confident that I can give them a taste of that song off the top of my head. 

      Well, I was TOO confident last Saturday when a  woman at the bar requested ‘Better Man’ by Pearl Jam. In my defense,  just  A couple of weeks before,  someone requested ‘Black’ at the same bar, and I was able to shovel out some chords and vocals that gave the individual who requested it the impression that I actually knew how to play the song. This has happened before with a number of other songs so, in my mind, Better Man seemed on par technically.  It was a little more complicated. What came out was embarrassing, to say the least. To make matters worse, I was really trying to establish myself at the Venue I was playing so I would be invited back as a possible regular performer. It was very bad and the next few songs suffered because my confidence had taken a couple of shots to the ribs. Then, as if the musical Gods were taking the opportunity to keep me humble, my amp was puking out the familiar sound of a fried cable. That was not the end of the musical God's lesson.

         I had been practicing using a loop pedal inspired by the seamless well oiled machine that is Julio Ortiz. (Shout out to this local genius… )  In my ever-frazzled state, I was not in a rhythm, timing-wise, or vibe-wise, and what came out was a cacophony of hideous sounds that were reminiscent of a teenager noodling in his basement, not a professional performer.  I heard the stirrings of the critics so I regrouped, took an early break, changed my cables, and sacrificed a baby cow to appease the music Gods. Luckily, the second set was better, the third set was solid, and the wonderful venue is looking into booking me further. The takeaway from this experience was that it's ok to tell a listener that I am unable to play their request currently. However, there is nothing wrong with promising them you will learn that song for the next show and encouraging them to follow you so they can hear you nail that sucker later on down the road. These little lessons only hurt until they heal and, like building muscle, you come back stronger and more capable.  So, thank you to the woman who requested Pearl Jam. You taught me a hard but, valuable lesson.  I'm a BETTER MAN for it.

2022 was a good year! When we moved to El Paso I approached the music scene fairly cautiously. Dana, on the other hand, was determined to get my CD and name into every venue that played live music, and even some that hadn't thought about providing live music yet. The first venue to give me an opportunity was Zin Valle Vineyards. Ryan, the owner, is a music enthusiast and happened to listen to the 'Something Familia" EP we gave him. I told him I had 3 hours' worth of covers when in reality, since I had really only played originals my whole musical venture, I only knew about 5. He took a chance and before I knew it I had a monthly spot and a brand new friendship that continues to grow. I was also able the famous Rosa's Cantina which was a prerequisite when the idea of moving to El Paso was being kicked around. I was also able to play the Berkley Lounge, Borderland Steakhouse, and a couple of private gigs. I am extremely grateful to the El Paso music scene.  It has been an incredibly smooth transition after moving from an ever-bustling scene in Portland. Yes, 2022 was a good year but, 2023 is going to kick ass.