Jason Gonzalez EPK

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• QUICK BIO: Jason Gonzalez has been in the music industry for over 15 years as a successful, touring performer, songwriter, instrumentalist, session player/studio musician, arranger, and organizer.

Printed: 11/24/2009 11:07:35 PM

Jason Gonzalez Boston MA - United States • Americana [Country/Pop] • INFLUENCES: Keith Urban, The Outfield, Journey, Steve Perry, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel • MEMBER(S): Jason Gonzalez-Vocals, Guitar, Bass Pedal, Drum Loops • CONTACT INFO: Jason Gonzalez is available for booking at your venue beginning in January 2010. If you are interested, please contact Bus Music (973) 551-0006 [email protected] 973-551-0006 http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=name&id=1447020097

• BIO: Artist Bio: Jason Gonzalez has been in the music industry for over 15 years as a successful, ongoing touring performer, singer-songwriter, multi instrumentalist, session player/studio musician, arranger, and event organizer. His performances of both his original music and artist covers display his passions and emotions across a wide variety of genres and styles. A self taught musician, his discovery of music began at age 17, with piano lesions (he quit after 1 month after his teacher said there was nothing more she could teach him when he brought in Elton John’s “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” as his first performance piece and replicated it by ear to the note. While a student at, and immediately following Ithaca College, he picked up the acoustic and electric guitar, ganjo (a 6 string version of a banjo), dobro, bass, synth, drums, and various percussion instruments while working in and with a number of original and cover band projects. “We would either need someone to fill in, as it’s always tough keeping players together and people would quit on us and I would pick up the instrument and do it until we found someone we were looking for and then I would go back to being a front man. The combination of the number of people coming in and out the door, and the length of time in between players, I got pretty good at most of them, at least enough to write with. Or we would have a need for some obscure instrument that someone felt the song would not be complete without it, and I would be the first one to get that instrument or borrow it and see if I could figure out how to play it.” It was as a vocalist however, that his real gifts emerged. “I was a late bloomer as far as performers and singers go. Really late. It was my college roommate in my sophomore year who heard me singing along to a Steve Perry tune “On Sherrie” and his jaw dropped. I thought he was going to say I sucked, but he said he couldn’t believe how similar I sounded.”

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That voice…the voice. It is unmistakable, unique, powerful, piercing, full of presence and emotion. And after 15 years finally his own, layered with many influences from a wide variety of other artists, genres, and life experiences. He’s a tenor, no mistaking that, but his range still spans just over 3 octaves after all this time. His singing style has had at times lots of “vocal gymnastics”, inflections, movements. At one time, this and his range were the only tools he utilized. Now, he has added dynamics, emotion, conveyance, and timing to his repertoire. The result is a presence that is just not there with many other singers. As one former band member remarked, “The guy can sing anything. Anything. From choir music, to barbershop quartet, acapuelo, blues, rock, pop, jazz, twang, old country, new country, hard rock, even metal, and some rap. And pull it off. Many of those style influences can be subtly heard on the tracks of his newest two albums. He can even sound female. “You wouldn’t believe how many people on the phone have mistaken me for a woman.” That voice soars above the backing instrument tracks, as opposed to just “sitting in the mix”. Jason went on after college to make a go at trying to make a living as a performer and a front man solo artist. His first 2 commercially released albums “Through My Eyes” (1998) and “On The Edge Of The Edge” (2001) were moderately successful in both the US and Europe, in terms of CD sales and college and tier 2 radio stations airplay rotation, but not quite enough to garner major label attention or interest. He attributes much of this to timing with his style of music and voice. “It was just the wrong time to have a high voice, a melodic vocal style, and songwriting. I was basically ‘born out of synch’. The labels wanted me, but wouldn’t touch me, because they felt it was too risky…too against the grain of the trends going on [so much for the music industry promoting innovation and individuality]. Frustrated with the lack of success for his efforts, the struggles of keeping a show polished with an always revolving roster of backing musicians, and the strain on the marriage (which ultimately ended in a painful divorce), Jason put his dreams and talents on the shelf in 2003, while finishing the writing for a new planned release “Springboard To Oblivion”. He spent the next four years trying to rebuild his life, start over, grieve through his divorce, and re-discover who he was, as a man, and as a person. During that time, music became his demon, always triggering guilt and painful memories of its significant impact to his divorce (he has remained single), selling most of his gear, and even trying to ruin his voice. He was unsuccessful on both counts. In 2007, after becoming influenced by new country music from an ex girlfriend he dated, he decided to go back into the studio and see if there was anything left in both his music skills and the creative well. He contacted a former session player Jeff Brumley, who helped him record some demo tracks for booking shows, and reconciled a broken relationship. Working with Brumley, Jason completed not one but two albums. “Springboard To Oblivion”, begun in 2002, is slated for release in 2010, and is (instrumentally and production style) a natural progression from his first two albums. With Brumley, Jason secured the studio and production/engineering resources of Marc Miller, a well known session player, touring musician, and songwriter. The three of them put together Jason’s 2nd 2010 slated release, the Americana/New Country influenced “Movin’ On”. “The irony is that ‘Movin’ On’ was written nearly 4 years after Springboard, but the songs describe a period of time in my life which actually pre date the time period of the Springboard tunes. ‘Movin’ On’ became my catharsis for helping me grieve through my divorce. What’s amazing to me, is that the very thing which at one time served as the catalyst to ruin my marriage and relationships ultimately ended up becoming the best way for me to heal myself and re-discover who I am.” Besides his voice, there is always, in one form or fashion, something else prevalent in his tracks, whether cover tunes or his own material…his signature acoustic guitar style. It is as unmistakable and instantly recognizable as his voice. “I always liked keyboards, but didn’t like the linearity of the ability for expressiveness. You can do a lot with keyboards but only within a well defined harmonic motive spectrum. I also didn’t want to have to haul around keyboards when my set or tunes didn’t revolve around keyboard driven songs. So I experimented on the acoustic guitar in combination with effects (and without, with a requirement of not having to re-tune the guitar every time a song required a particular voicing, and not having to have to haul around and switch between multiple guitars) to see if I could get the same moods, feels, and chordal voicings I would have played on the keyboard, on the guitar instead. And still be able to retain the rhythm and percussive aspects inherent in the guitar as an instrument itself, and which serve as the foundations of both a good groove and memorable riff. The results of these experiments are what you hear in my acoustic guitar tracks in my covers and original material. Jason has been able to make his acoustic guitar sound like a banjo, an electric guitar, a keyboard, an electric piano, string and brass quartets, world percussion and even drums, sometimes all at once. The decision to get back into the live performance scene was a slightly different matter. ‘My hand was forced. I swore I wouldn’t go back to it, given all that had happened as a result of all the hours spent rehearsing, and playing, and preparing.” Following the one two punch of the loss of his job in sales at a telecommunications staffing company, and slow sales with his “fall back” businesses, he needed money coming in to pay his bills, and this was the only viable option remaining. “It was as if some invisible hand was steering me along this path all along, and nothing I did was gonna change it. Things just started falling into place naturally, and the amount of output for the effort I had to put in was completely the opposite of every other avenue in my life. So I decided to give it another go, but try to do something different, both for me personally, and as far as the live performance went.” So he’s decided to go back on the road, at least locally and regionally. Jason Gonzalez will be performing locally and regionally in support of both new album releases and playing a large number of artist cover tunes. “Personally, maybe it’s me, but I would get bored listening to a concert or a show of 2-4 hours of ANY artist, INCLUDING myself! I need variety, so I offer it. Look for him on the web to download and listen to



tracks off all his albums, some cover tunes, see his set lists, photos, videos, and a schedule of play dates and gigs in and around your area at: Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Sonic Bids, CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes, Pandora Radio, Rhapsody, and Artist Media Player. A dual CD release party is slated for later in 2010. The Live Show: So you’re a club, pub, coffee shop, bistro, café, restaurant owner, and you’re thinking about adding some live entertainment to help get you some more business through the door., or keep your regulars coming back. Or maybe you’re looking for something different from your other line ups who are already playing. Maybe you don’t have a lot of money to spend, or maybe you’re tired of having to deal with acts who cancel due to an ever revolving door of players leaving, looking for that elusive shot at a record deal, or to front their own project. Or maybe the band is late, or not professional, takes forever to set up and tear down, takes up too much space, or so self absorbed they become just white noise to the rest of the people there. You want a professional, engaging performance with songs people know, can sing along to and with, can make out the words to. An act that will show up on time, can and will set up and tear down and be playing quickly, and that won’t drain your alcohol dry during the course of the night on themselves. An act that will bring people back and more people the next time they play. And, most importantly, since we’re in a tough economy, you want all of this cheap. What if you could have all the advantages of a live band, the audience engagement, the vocals (assuming your current acts can sing well), guitar, harmonies, flexibility on tunes, without the cost of all the players, the headaches about the band not showing up because a player quit, and leave your drinks for your customers? Playing familiar songs from a wide variety of artists, genres and eras? That truly loves to perform and believes that the show is 50% the audience and 50% the band? Of course you would. This then is your answer: Jason Gonzalez. Jason Gonzalez is a one man band, complete with acoustic guitar, bass, drums, world percussion, sound effects loops, and full 3 part harmony. With no backing karaoke tracks. In less space than ½ the area of a pool table. That can set up, tear down, and be playing in 10 minutes. Jason Gonzalez offers 3-4 hours of cover tunes from many of your favorite artists and bands, covering rock, pop, R&B, soul, Motown, adult contemporary/light rock. A complete set list is available for download at his website and is included in the CD for reading or copying to your computer or playing on your DVD player at home. How does he manage to pull off such a full sound by himself? Jason has his drums and percussion programmed and combined with an array of sound effects that would require a 10 piece rhythm section to reproduce live. He uses a special pedal to output a live bass sample to the notes and rhythms of his guitar playing, and another pedal which uses his guitar and voice as references to produce unison, two and three part harmonies to his singing. But don’t just read about him. Have a listen for yourself. Listening is believing, and you won’t believe it, but what you are hearing is what you will hear when you have him entertaining your customers in your venue. Jason Gonzalez is available for booking at your venue beginning in January 2010. Live Show Venue Setup House System Requirements: Coming Soon Set List: Coming Soon



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