Jason Webley
Encyclopedia
Jason Webley is an American musician known for his fusion of folk
, experimental
and alternative music
. He began as a busker
, playing accordion in the streets of Seattle, Washington, but has since moved in-doors and on stage, playing various venues.
when he was part of a performance of Bertolt Brecht
's play The Caucasian Chalk Circle
, and wrote a couple of songs for the play on the accordion. He later recalled, "I was just a geeky kid; accordion came later. It's since playing accordion that I've become cool. I used to be a geek with an electric guitar. I had a guitar and played in punky bands and I had a computer. I sequenced stuff. I was much geekier."
In the spring of 1998 Webley quit his day job, picked up his accordion, and hopped on a Greyhound bus with the intention of playing in the streets until his money ran out.
He used to pretend to die every Halloween
only to be born in the spring (usually around May Day
or Webley's springtime birthday). Webley first "died" on Halloween of 2000 when, after a concert, he led his fans to a park on the University of Washington campus and had a group of women take off his signature porkpie hat and black trench coat, which were burned. He then had his head shaved, was placed in a coffin and driven away in a hearse, and disappeared for six months. At the 2005 Halloween show he stated that he no longer wanted to live and die with the seasons. He did not die that year, and is expected to continue not dying on future Halloweens.
as a distributor, but now owns his own record label, Eleven Records, and sells his merchandise via website or at concerts.
Webley plays various instruments on his albums, including guitar
, accordion
, piano
, marimba
, and glockenspiel
; when he tours, however, he usually only brings his guitar, an accordion, and a vodka
bottle filled with coins from around the world. He has been known to do short tours with a backing band. Webley has performed at several festivals, including Burning Man
, Glastonbury Festival
, and the Oregon Country Fair
. His sound has been compared to Tom Waits
, Vladimir Vysotsky
, Leonard Cohen
, and Bob Dylan
.
Some of Webley's most famous songs are the apocalyptic
http://elevenrecords.com/audio/Jason%20Webley%20-%20Dance%20While%20the%20Sky%20Crashes%20Down.mp3 "Dance While the Sky Crashes Down" (which appears on his album Against the Night
) and his most common show finale, http://www.springmanrecords.com/springman/mp3/Jason_Webley-Drinking_Song.mp3 "The Drinking Song" (which appears on Counterpoint
). During "The Drinking Song" the audience is asked to sing as though in a drunken stupor:
Webley has a fascination with the number 11. He's also known for incorporating vegetables into his performances. His late 1990s model Toyota Corolla
has been converted into a giant tomato
. It is painted red, and used to have a green fiberglass stem attached to the roof of the car (until the stem was stolen). Instead of saying Toyota on the hood, it says tomato, and the Toyota logo is broken and reshaped into a circle with a stem. Webley announced in a post on his website's forum that the fiberglass
stem was stolen from atop his car on July 13, 2006, during one of his frequent concert tours. He reported at a concert that his beloved Toyota had "passed away" around January 18, 2011.
Webley has announced that he will be taking a "long break" from touring following his show on November 11, 2011 in Seattle at the Moore Theatre.
leader. It starts with a day in the park of fun, games, and antics, followed up by a performance by Webley in the evening-on into the night. The camp featured activities such as a "Tomato Pageant," "Tomato Race," and the highlight, the "Tomato Raid." Camp Tomato has continued in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
, Geoff Berner
, Amy Denio
, Mark Growden, (former Gogol Bordello
member) Stevhen Iancu, and Eric Stern
(frontman of Vagabond Opera).
, Reverend Peyton
, and Sxip Shirey
.
In September 2007, Webley collaborated with Amanda Palmer
to release Evelyn Evelyn
's debut EP Elephant Elephant
via Webley's Eleven Records.
After a December 2007 concert at Hampshire College
, Webley and Hampshire student Professor Science collaborated on a song about mittens known as "The Mitten Opera". Webley repeated this tradition the following two nights. The first being after a concert at Bard College
, where he and a group of students collaborated on a song called "Clown Car to Mulberry". The night following, at Sarah Lawrence College
, Webley and almost the entire audience performed the hardcore punk
-inspired "Bad Milk". All three songs are available on YouTube
.
At a concert at The Saint
in Asbury Park, New Jersey
in January 2009, Webley was joined on stage by Calamity Menagerie to perform "Ways To Love" and "Quite Contrary" — a song he rarely plays at live shows.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
and alternative music
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
. He began as a busker
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
, playing accordion in the streets of Seattle, Washington, but has since moved in-doors and on stage, playing various venues.
Early life
In high school, Webley played in a punk band called Moral Minority. He picked up the accordion in 1996 in his last year in college at the University of WashingtonUniversity of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
when he was part of a performance of Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
's play The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle
The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a better mother than its natural parents....
, and wrote a couple of songs for the play on the accordion. He later recalled, "I was just a geeky kid; accordion came later. It's since playing accordion that I've become cool. I used to be a geek with an electric guitar. I had a guitar and played in punky bands and I had a computer. I sequenced stuff. I was much geekier."
In the spring of 1998 Webley quit his day job, picked up his accordion, and hopped on a Greyhound bus with the intention of playing in the streets until his money ran out.
He used to pretend to die every Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
only to be born in the spring (usually around May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
or Webley's springtime birthday). Webley first "died" on Halloween of 2000 when, after a concert, he led his fans to a park on the University of Washington campus and had a group of women take off his signature porkpie hat and black trench coat, which were burned. He then had his head shaved, was placed in a coffin and driven away in a hearse, and disappeared for six months. At the 2005 Halloween show he stated that he no longer wanted to live and die with the seasons. He did not die that year, and is expected to continue not dying on future Halloweens.
Career
He released four albums using Springman RecordsSpringman Records
Springman Records is an independent record label founded in 1998 by Avi Ehrlich that was run out of his parent's garage in Cupertino, California until late 2005, when Ehrlich moved the label to Sacramento...
as a distributor, but now owns his own record label, Eleven Records, and sells his merchandise via website or at concerts.
Webley plays various instruments on his albums, including guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, marimba
Marimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
, and glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
; when he tours, however, he usually only brings his guitar, an accordion, and a vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
bottle filled with coins from around the world. He has been known to do short tours with a backing band. Webley has performed at several festivals, including Burning Man
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
, Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, and the Oregon Country Fair
Oregon Country Fair
The Oregon Country Fair is an annual three-day fair held in Veneta, Oregon, United States. Located in the Willamette Valley, the site is about west of Eugene along the Long Tom River. Annual attendance is approximately 45,000, and the fair has around 350 booths each year...
. His sound has been compared to Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
, Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky was a Soviet singer, songwriter, poet, and actor whose career had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which featured social and political commentary in often humorous street...
, Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
, and Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
.
Some of Webley's most famous songs are the apocalyptic
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
http://elevenrecords.com/audio/Jason%20Webley%20-%20Dance%20While%20the%20Sky%20Crashes%20Down.mp3 "Dance While the Sky Crashes Down" (which appears on his album Against the Night
Against the Night
Against the Night is the second album, released originally in 1999, by Jason Webley. It was re-released by Springman Records in 2003. He has been known to regard it as his depressing album, "the soundtrack to a subtle apocalypse." It is his most popular album to date, and Webley regards it as the...
) and his most common show finale, http://www.springmanrecords.com/springman/mp3/Jason_Webley-Drinking_Song.mp3 "The Drinking Song" (which appears on Counterpoint
Counterpoint (album)
Counterpoint is the third album by Jason Webley, released in 2002.-Track listing:#"Southern Cross" - 6:16#"Broken Cup" - 6:12#"Quite Contrary" - 3:08#"Then" - 4:44#"It's Not Time to Go Yet" - 5:59#"The Graveyard" - 6:38#"Northern Lights" - 5:17...
). During "The Drinking Song" the audience is asked to sing as though in a drunken stupor:
Webley has a fascination with the number 11. He's also known for incorporating vegetables into his performances. His late 1990s model Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
has been converted into a giant tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
. It is painted red, and used to have a green fiberglass stem attached to the roof of the car (until the stem was stolen). Instead of saying Toyota on the hood, it says tomato, and the Toyota logo is broken and reshaped into a circle with a stem. Webley announced in a post on his website's forum that the fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
stem was stolen from atop his car on July 13, 2006, during one of his frequent concert tours. He reported at a concert that his beloved Toyota had "passed away" around January 18, 2011.
Webley has announced that he will be taking a "long break" from touring following his show on November 11, 2011 in Seattle at the Moore Theatre.
Camp Tomato
On April 30, 2005, Webley ran an event called Camp Tomato, where he created an organization called the Tomato Scouts, a light-hearted reply to claims that he is a dangerous cultCult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
leader. It starts with a day in the park of fun, games, and antics, followed up by a performance by Webley in the evening-on into the night. The camp featured activities such as a "Tomato Pageant," "Tomato Race," and the highlight, the "Tomato Raid." Camp Tomato has continued in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
Monsters of Accordion
Webley is the brains behind the Monsters of Accordion tour, an all-accordion extravaganza that takes place on the West Coast. The tour came together when Webley was invited to play at an accordion shop in Oakland, and met two Bay Area accordionists, Daniel Ari and Aaron Seeman. They decided to do an accordion-only tour, which was the first Monsters of Accordion. The tour has since featured such accordionists as Corn MoCorn Mo
Corn Mo is the stage name of Jon Cunningham, a Brooklyn-based musician. Corn Mo sings, plays the accordion, keyboards, and sometimes performs as a one man band. His music style is a mixture of circus music, glam rock, and humorous novelty songs. He is currently recording his third solo album, and...
, Geoff Berner
Geoff Berner
Geoff Berner is a Canadian singer-songwriter and accordion player from Vancouver, British Columbia.Due to his insightful humor, politically inflammatory compositions and showmanship, Berner has gained a cult following over the years, especially in Canada and Norway, where he recorded his first...
, Amy Denio
Amy Denio
Amy Denio is a Seattle -based multi-instrumental composer of soundtracks for modern dance, film and theater, as well as a songwriter and music improviser. Often called an unclassifiable avant-garde jazz musician, she is also deeply inspired by world music. She is probably best known as a...
, Mark Growden, (former Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello is a Gypsy punk band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring.Much of the band's sound is inspired by Gypsy music...
member) Stevhen Iancu, and Eric Stern
Eric Stern
Eric Stern is the Director of Operations for the Career Development Office at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law . Before re-locating to California, Stern worked at The George Washington School of Law. He is the former Executive Director of the National Stonewall Democrats. Eric...
(frontman of Vagabond Opera).
Collaborations
Webley has announced that there will be a series of 11 collaborative projects between him and his songwriter friends, and each recording will be limited to 1,111 numbered copies. He has thus far collaborated with Jay Thompson, Andru BemisAndru Bemis
Andru Bemis is an American musician from New Mexico, currently living in South Haven, Michigan. He performs on the banjo, violin, guitar and banjo-ukulele...
, Reverend Peyton
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is a three-piece American country blues band from Brown County, Indiana. They play more than 250 dates per year at venues ranging from bars to festivals. To date, they have released seven albums, the most recent is Peyton on Patton a tribute to blues pioneer...
, and Sxip Shirey
Sxip Shirey
Gene "Sxip" Shirey is an American composer, performer, and story-teller. He grew up in Athens, Ohio and currently resides in New York City. Sxip started experimenting with found sound composition and extended instrument techniques when asked to compose music for Ohio University’s modern dance...
.
In September 2007, Webley collaborated with Amanda Palmer
Amanda Palmer
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
to release Evelyn Evelyn
Evelyn Evelyn
Evelyn Evelyn are a musical duo formed by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley. According to the fictional backstory described by Palmer and Webley, the duo consists of conjoined twin sisters , Evelyn and Evelyn Neville, who were discovered in 2007 by Palmer and Webley...
's debut EP Elephant Elephant
Elephant Elephant
The Elephant Elephant EP is the debut release by Evelyn Evelyn. It was first sold to the public on September 13, 2007 and consists of a 3-song 7" single and a 6-track "bonus" CD ....
via Webley's Eleven Records.
After a December 2007 concert at Hampshire College
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
, Webley and Hampshire student Professor Science collaborated on a song about mittens known as "The Mitten Opera". Webley repeated this tradition the following two nights. The first being after a concert at Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
, where he and a group of students collaborated on a song called "Clown Car to Mulberry". The night following, at Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
, Webley and almost the entire audience performed the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
-inspired "Bad Milk". All three songs are available on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
At a concert at The Saint
The Saint (music venue)
The Saint is a music venue located in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It is reminiscent of places like The Cellar Door in Washington, DC, CB's 313 Gallery , and The Living Room in New York City and features live, original music. The Saint opened on November 18, 1994...
in Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
in January 2009, Webley was joined on stage by Calamity Menagerie to perform "Ways To Love" and "Quite Contrary" — a song he rarely plays at live shows.
Discography
- ViajeViajeViaje is the debut album by Jason Webley. It was recorded in Webley's kitchen and self-released in 1998. It was re-released by Springman Records in 2003.-Track listing:#"Prelude" – 2:02#"Without" - 5:01#"Halloween" - 3:10#"La Mesilla" - 1:53...
(1998) - Against the NightAgainst the NightAgainst the Night is the second album, released originally in 1999, by Jason Webley. It was re-released by Springman Records in 2003. He has been known to regard it as his depressing album, "the soundtrack to a subtle apocalypse." It is his most popular album to date, and Webley regards it as the...
(1999) - CounterpointCounterpoint (album)Counterpoint is the third album by Jason Webley, released in 2002.-Track listing:#"Southern Cross" - 6:16#"Broken Cup" - 6:12#"Quite Contrary" - 3:08#"Then" - 4:44#"It's Not Time to Go Yet" - 5:59#"The Graveyard" - 6:38#"Northern Lights" - 5:17...
(2002) - Only Just BeginningOnly Just Beginning-Track listing:#"February Relaxing Her Fingers After a Brief Winter's Grip" – 4:18#"Music That Puts Everything Together" – 4:54#"Balloon Feather Boat Tomato" – 5:11#"Icarus" – 3:55#"Mine" – 3:38#"Map" – 4:38#"Viaje" – 4:01#"May Day" – 3:20#"With" – 7:50...
(2004) - The Cost of Living (2007)
Collaborations
- Eleven Saints (EP with Jay Thompson) (2006)
- How Big Is Tacoma (EP with Andru BemisAndru BemisAndru Bemis is an American musician from New Mexico, currently living in South Haven, Michigan. He performs on the banjo, violin, guitar and banjo-ukulele...
) (2006) - 2 Bottles of Wine (EP with Reverend PeytonThe Reverend Peyton's Big Damn BandThe Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is a three-piece American country blues band from Brown County, Indiana. They play more than 250 dates per year at venues ranging from bars to festivals. To date, they have released seven albums, the most recent is Peyton on Patton a tribute to blues pioneer...
) (2007) - Elephant ElephantElephant ElephantThe Elephant Elephant EP is the debut release by Evelyn Evelyn. It was first sold to the public on September 13, 2007 and consists of a 3-song 7" single and a 6-track "bonus" CD ....
(EP with Amanda PalmerAmanda PalmerAmanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
, under the name Evelyn EvelynEvelyn EvelynEvelyn Evelyn are a musical duo formed by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley. According to the fictional backstory described by Palmer and Webley, the duo consists of conjoined twin sisters , Evelyn and Evelyn Neville, who were discovered in 2007 by Palmer and Webley...
) (2007) - Days With You (EP with Sxip ShireySxip ShireyGene "Sxip" Shirey is an American composer, performer, and story-teller. He grew up in Athens, Ohio and currently resides in New York City. Sxip started experimenting with found sound composition and extended instrument techniques when asked to compose music for Ohio University’s modern dance...
) (2009) - Evelyn EvelynEvelyn Evelyn (album)-CD:#"Evelyn Evelyn" - 4:36#"A Campaign of Shock and Awe" - 2:39#"The Tragic Events of September Part I" - 4:33#"Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn?" - 2:13#"Chicken Man" - 3:08#"Tragic Events Part II" - 11:11#"Sandy Fishnets" - 7:04#"Elephant Elephant" - 2:26...
(Album by Evelyn EvelynEvelyn EvelynEvelyn Evelyn are a musical duo formed by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley. According to the fictional backstory described by Palmer and Webley, the duo consists of conjoined twin sisters , Evelyn and Evelyn Neville, who were discovered in 2007 by Palmer and Webley...
, produced by Webley and Amanda PalmerAmanda PalmerAmanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
) (2010) - Hockey Star (EP with Oliver Orion and Caitlin Rippey, under the name Big Little Dipper Dipper) (2010)
External links
- Official website of Jason Webley
- Monsters of Accordion website