Jason Willett
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, known largely for his work with experimental rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
groups including Half Japanese
Half Japanese
Half Japanese is a punk rock band formed by brothers Jad and David Fair in their Coldwater, Michigan bedroom around 1975. Their original instrumentation included a small drum set, which they took turns playing; vocals; and an out of tune guitar...
, Can Openers, Pleasant Livers, X-Ray Eyes, The Dramatics, The Jaunties, The Attitude Robots, Leprechaun Catering, and many more. His record label, Megaphone, initially set out to issue work by punkish Rock in Opposition
Rock in Opposition
Rock in Opposition or RIO was a movement representing a collective of progressive bands in the late 1970s united in their opposition to the music industry that refused to recognise their music...
-derived performers like The Work
The Work (band)
The Work were an English post-punk rock group, founded in 1980 by multi-instrumentalist/composer Tim Hodgkinson and guitarist/composer Bill Gilonis, with bass guitarist Mick Hobbs and drummer Rick Wilson. The band toured Europe in 1981 and 1982, and recorded their first album, Slow Crimes in 1982...
, Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
, the Molecules
The Molecules
The Molecules or Molecules is a band.Ron Anderson formed the Molecules with Chris Millner and Tom Scandura in 1990, a “hyper-brid” style of music, that combined free improvised noise and notes with tightly arranged angular songs...
, Matmos
Matmos
Matmos is an experimental electronic music duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore signed to the Matador Records label. M. C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel are the core members, but they frequently include other artists on their records and in their performances, including...
, Tim Hodgkinson
Tim Hodgkinson
Tim Hodgkinson is an English experimental music composer and performer, principally on reeds and keyboards. He is best known as one of the core members of the British avant-rock group Henry Cow, which he formed with Fred Frith in 1968...
and Jac Berrocal
Jac Berrocal
Jacques "Jac" Berrocal is a French trumpeter, singer and composer. He has been active since the 1970s in the independent and avant-garde music scene, and has released many albums. He also founded and performed in the group Catalogue, and has collaborated with Ron Anderson...
but became largely a venue for Willett's own collaborative music. He has also made records with Ruins
Ruins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
, Jac Berrocal
Jac Berrocal
Jacques "Jac" Berrocal is a French trumpeter, singer and composer. He has been active since the 1970s in the independent and avant-garde music scene, and has released many albums. He also founded and performed in the group Catalogue, and has collaborated with Ron Anderson...
, James Chance
James Chance
James Chance, also known as James White , is an American saxophonist, songwriter and singer....
, Jon Rose
Jon Rose
Jon Rose is an Australian violinist born in the UK in 1951. Rose began playing violin at age 7 after winning a music scholarship to King's School in Rochester. For over 35 years, Rose has been at the sharp end of new, improvised, and experimental music and media...
, Michael Evans, Ron Anderson
Ron Anderson (musician)
Ron Anderson is a New York City based internationally known musician and composer. He is known for collaborations with many famous musicians, and has a large catalog of releases and compositions.-Molecules:...
, Benb Gallaher, Mick Hobbs, Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of a number of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and Gong/Mothergong...
, Little Howlin Wolf, Yamatsuka Eye & his various pet ducks.
The son of songwriter Fangette Willett (whose work includes Tammy St. John's "Dark Shadows and Empty Hallways" and Walter Jackson
Walter Jackson
Walter "Red" Jackson was a professional ice hockey player who played 84 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Boston Bruins and New York Americans. He was born in Instock, England, but moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba as a boy.- References :...
's "It's an Uphill Climb to the Bottom"), Jason Willett was raised in a musical household in Maryland. After being drafted as bassist for Half Japanese in 1990, he has retained a collaborative relationship with Jad Fair
Jad Fair
Jad Fair is an American singer, guitarist and graphic artist, most famous for being a founding member of lo-fi alternative rock group Half Japanese.-Biography:In 1974, with his brother David, Jad Fair founded the lo-fi group Half Japanese...
, with whom he has produced 14 collaborative duo releases (at least 2000 songs still unreleased).
He currently operates The True Vine record shop in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
's Hampden neighborhood with Stewart Mostofsky.
Discography
- Jason Willett {7" EP} (Unpunk) 1992
- Jason Willett, Jad Fair & Gilles Reider {CD} (Megaphone) 1993
- The Jaunties {Triple 7" Box Set} (Stomach Ache) 1994
- The Dramatics {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1994
- The Can Openers {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1995
- The Jaunties: Asthma {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1995
- The Pleasant Livers: From The Land Of Pleasant Living {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1995
- The Dentures: 40,000 Warriors {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1995
- The Attitude Robots {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1995
- The Jaunties: Myoclonic Twitch In The Key Of H {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1995
- X-Ray Eyes {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1995
- The Dramatics: This Is International Telecom {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1995
- The Dramatics: This Is International Telecom {LP} (Lissy's) 1995
- Jason Willett & Ruins {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1995
- Half Japanese: Hot {CD} (Safehouse 1995)
- Half Japanese: Hot {LP} (Safe House 1995)
- The Can Openers: Sherbet {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1996
- Jad Fair & Jason Willett: Honeybee {LP} (Dr. Jim's 1996)
- Jad Fair & Jason Willett - The Corpse Is Missing {7" Inside Book} (Slab-O-Concrete 1996)
- Jad Fair & Jason Willett: Punk Rock 1996 {7" EP} (Chlorophyl 2006)
- The Attitude Robots: Iron On T-Shirt {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1996
- The Dentures: 10" Voice {CD} (Megaphone Limited) 1996
- The Dramatics: Hypnotist Geese CD (Megaphone Limited) 1996
- The Dramatics: Garbage For Your Gut {Triple 7" Box Set}
- Jason Willett & Jad Fair: It's All Good CD (Megaphone Limited) 1996
- Jac Berrocal: Non Connexion {7" EP} (Megaphone 2007)
- Vince Taylor: Rock N' Roll Station {7"} (Megaphone 2007)
- X-Ray Eyes: Bonemeal CD (Megaphone Limited) 1997
- Jad Fair & Jason Willett: The Mighty Superheros {CD} (Marginal 1997)
- Jad Fair & Jason Willett: Wonderful World {Triple Cassette Box} (Shrimper 1997)
- Jason Willett & Jad Fair: Twister {LP} (Dark Beloved Cluod 1997)
- The Jaunties: Yes Lord! CD (Megaphone Limited) 1997
- The Attitude Robots: Kings CD (Megaphone Limited) 1998
- Jad Fair & Jason Willett: Wild CD (Megaphone Limited) 1998
- Jad Fair & Jason Willett: Enjoyable Songs {CD} (Alternative Tentacles 1998)
- Jad Fair & Jason Willett: Enjoyable Songs {LP} (Alternative Tentacles 1998)
- Jason Willett & Jad Fair: We're Going To The Moon CD (Megaphone Limited) 1998
- Jad Fair & Jason Willett: The Mighty Hypnotic Eye {CD} (Dr. Jim's 1999)
- Half Japanese: Hello {CD} (Alternative Tentacles 2001)
- Half Japanese: Hello {LP} (Alternative Tentacles 2001)
- Jad Fair & Jason Willett: The Attack Of Everything {CD Inside Book} (Slab-O-Concrete 2002)
- Jason Willett & Ron Anderson: Be The First On The Block To Eat The Snake {CD} (Ra Sounds 2003)
- Jad Fair & Jason Willett: Superfine {CD} (Public Eyesore 2004)
- Leprechaun Catering: Kumquats, Lychees {LP} (Ehse 2004)
- Leprechaun Catering: Male Plumage {LP} (White Denim 2006)
- The Pleasant Livers: From The Land Of Pleasant Living {CD} (Megaphone Limited 2007)
- Jason Willett: The Sounds Of Megaphone Limited (CD) (Mt6 2008)
- The Can Openers: Is The One (CD) (Megaphone Limited 2008)
- Jason Willett: Late Night Moisturizer (7" split w/ Jason Urick) (Wildfire Wildfire 2010)
- Instant Coffee!: s/t (LP) (Planam 2010)