Jon Courtney
Encyclopedia
Jon Courtney, who grew up in Reading, Berkshire
, is a singer, guitarist
, and keyboard
player in the British
rock
band Pure Reason Revolution
. He was also the sole songwriter
(except "The Bright Ambassadors of Morning
" credited to Courtney/Jong) on their first two albums. Outside of Pure Reason Revolution, Courtney is involved in the DJ set All Bangers No Mash under the pseudonym "Cedo Simplex", and is one member of the duo KC Blitz.
and Jamie Willcox. In an interview, Courtney points to the precise moment, at approximately age 11, when he decided he wanted to be a musician, when he saw the band Nirvana
on the MTV Awards in about 1991. Courtney said, "[F]rom that point on it was like "wow!" – I was transfixed by the TV – "this is what I've got to do, there's no question." The next day I was just hassling my mum for a guitar. I have to play guitar and then I started a huge obsession with Nirvana and the whole grunge scene. So that's definitely a strong turning point for me." He credited the appeal of the moment to the "passion in the music and the passion of the audience's reaction to the music."
Courtney began playing in bands at his secondary school Reading Blue Coat School
. He and his brother were involved in the punk
band Gel, which was scouted and signed by Seymour Stein
, the founder of Sire Records
. Uncut
magazine reviewed their first (and only) album Sparkly Things (produced by Julian Standen of The Lemonheads
) describing it as "dulcet adolescent vocals, and a thorough grasp of commercial rock dynamics producing an appealing sound redolent of the early Undertones". The band played Reading festival 1998. Courtney enjoyed the experience of touring and recording, and teamed up with his brother, Alper and several others to form the indie pop
band The Sunset Sound, which received some airplay before the band members dissolved the band as not representing their style.
The band's music was also inspired by a university project in which Courtney was involved creating new original music for the 1960s television show The Prisoner
.
Along with his brother and Alper, Courtney came together with Greg Jong and Jim Dobson, whom Courtney met at the University of Westminster
, to form Pure Reason Revolution. The band's name was inspired by Courtney's thesis
on the nature of genius and its application to Beach Boy Brian Wilson
, for which he studied Critique of Pure Reason
by Immanuel Kant
.
, described by Disorder Magazine as a "trademark", is credited to Courtney. Courtney's songwriting draws together the inspiration of such bands as Nirvana
, which he describes as his "first obsession", the Beach Boys, the Chemical Brothers and Crosby Stills & Nash. In 2005, Gigwise.com
, who termed Courtney the "creative force" behind the band, described the "amazingly intricate" songs as "one of the most enticing things" about Pure Reason Revolution. Another reviewer both praised and criticized the song composition, noting that the band had grasped the attributes of Jimi Hendrix
and Pink Floyd
and "...rammed as much of them into their songs as is humanly possible. Besides that they add more by having around about 9 to 10 synthesisers on 1 rack (very stable), a violinist and a female singer. This is what really created the band in my opinion, but in places also let them down. Their songs were quite long-winded with very little vocals and to say they had 2 singers it led them into a bit of a slump."
Lyrically, Courtney expresses an interest in writing about "the less obvious", stating that he writes "subconsciously about snapshots of life, observations, moments, my and other people’s experiences, dreams". Dreams, and the time individuals spend asleep, are among what Alper describes as Courtney's obsessions, which, she notes, "kind of trickle down to us". Courtney acknowledges that his lyrics are often directly inspired by his dreams, which he frequently writes down.
Amor Vincit Omnia
(PRR's second LP) was released March 2009 on Superball Music
, displaying a considerably more developed electronic sound. Classic Rock Magazine gave the album 8/10 and commented, "once other-worldly, PRR now sound like some mutant offspring of The Chemical Brothers & NIN". NME
affirmed the progression with a review stating "they fuse electro with Smashing Pumpkins-style guitar-thrashing. In a world of musical conservatism, this lot walk unafraid". Courtney described the reason for the change of style in an interview:
Pure Reason Revolution's third album, Hammer and Anvil, continues some of these themes, though the thematic focus shifts from love to war. Courtney claims he was inspired by “researching my ancestry; specifically Great Granddad & his role in WW1… I’m staggered by the sheer enormity, the valour, the dead, the mass destruction.” According to Rock Sound, "the band have retained most of their heavy hooks to create a great crossover record. A track like 'Last Man Last Round' will fit into many Pendulum fans' heads, whereas their progressive elements are still prevalent in 'Open Insurrection'".
Basses
Strings
Effects/Amplification
Synthesizers
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, is a singer, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, and keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
player in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
band Pure Reason Revolution
Pure Reason Revolution
Pure Reason Revolution are a British rock group formed at the University of Westminster in 2003 and who are playing their final dates together in November 2011. Their music incorporates elements of progressive rock and electro. Their music has been variously described as 'Astral Folk' and 'New...
. He was also the sole songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
(except "The Bright Ambassadors of Morning
The Bright Ambassadors of Morning
"The Bright Ambassadors of Morning" is a song and single by the British new prog band Pure Reason Revolution from the mini-album Cautionary Tales for the Brave....
" credited to Courtney/Jong) on their first two albums. Outside of Pure Reason Revolution, Courtney is involved in the DJ set All Bangers No Mash under the pseudonym "Cedo Simplex", and is one member of the duo KC Blitz.
Background
Courtney and his brother and former bandmate Andrew Courtney grew up in Reading, as did fellow Pure Reason Revolution members Chloe AlperChloe Alper
Chloe Alper is a British/French musician and artist, best known as a singer and bassist in the British New prog rock group Pure Reason Revolution. Her career began with girl punk band Period Pains, and she later appeared as a guest vocalist on the Hope of the States song The Good Fight...
and Jamie Willcox. In an interview, Courtney points to the precise moment, at approximately age 11, when he decided he wanted to be a musician, when he saw the band Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
on the MTV Awards in about 1991. Courtney said, "[F]rom that point on it was like "wow!" – I was transfixed by the TV – "this is what I've got to do, there's no question." The next day I was just hassling my mum for a guitar. I have to play guitar and then I started a huge obsession with Nirvana and the whole grunge scene. So that's definitely a strong turning point for me." He credited the appeal of the moment to the "passion in the music and the passion of the audience's reaction to the music."
Courtney began playing in bands at his secondary school Reading Blue Coat School
Reading Blue Coat School
Reading Blue Coat School is a boys' independent school in Holme Park in the village of Sonning, in the English county of Berkshire, to the east of the town of Reading...
. He and his brother were involved in the punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Gel, which was scouted and signed by Seymour Stein
Seymour Stein
Seymour Stein is an entrepreneur in the music industry who has been a part of the business since getting his first job as a clerk for Billboard magazine in 1958. Stein is a vice president of Warner Bros...
, the founder of Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
. Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
magazine reviewed their first (and only) album Sparkly Things (produced by Julian Standen of The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
) describing it as "dulcet adolescent vocals, and a thorough grasp of commercial rock dynamics producing an appealing sound redolent of the early Undertones". The band played Reading festival 1998. Courtney enjoyed the experience of touring and recording, and teamed up with his brother, Alper and several others to form the indie pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band The Sunset Sound, which received some airplay before the band members dissolved the band as not representing their style.
The band's music was also inspired by a university project in which Courtney was involved creating new original music for the 1960s television show The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
.
Along with his brother and Alper, Courtney came together with Greg Jong and Jim Dobson, whom Courtney met at the University of Westminster
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
, to form Pure Reason Revolution. The band's name was inspired by Courtney's thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
on the nature of genius and its application to Beach Boy Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
, for which he studied Critique of Pure Reason
Critique of Pure Reason
The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant, first published in 1781, second edition 1787, is considered one of the most influential works in the history of philosophy. Also referred to as Kant's "first critique," it was followed by the Critique of Practical Reason and the Critique of Judgement...
by Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
.
Songwriting
According to Alper, the music of Pure Reason Revolution "grew organically from Jon's songs and influences". The band's prevalent use of harmonyHarmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
, described by Disorder Magazine as a "trademark", is credited to Courtney. Courtney's songwriting draws together the inspiration of such bands as Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, which he describes as his "first obsession", the Beach Boys, the Chemical Brothers and Crosby Stills & Nash. In 2005, Gigwise.com
Gigwise.com
Gigwise.com is an online music magazine that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets, and a community forum. Founded in 2001, the magazine is based in the United Kingdom....
, who termed Courtney the "creative force" behind the band, described the "amazingly intricate" songs as "one of the most enticing things" about Pure Reason Revolution. Another reviewer both praised and criticized the song composition, noting that the band had grasped the attributes of Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and "...rammed as much of them into their songs as is humanly possible. Besides that they add more by having around about 9 to 10 synthesisers on 1 rack (very stable), a violinist and a female singer. This is what really created the band in my opinion, but in places also let them down. Their songs were quite long-winded with very little vocals and to say they had 2 singers it led them into a bit of a slump."
Lyrically, Courtney expresses an interest in writing about "the less obvious", stating that he writes "subconsciously about snapshots of life, observations, moments, my and other people’s experiences, dreams". Dreams, and the time individuals spend asleep, are among what Alper describes as Courtney's obsessions, which, she notes, "kind of trickle down to us". Courtney acknowledges that his lyrics are often directly inspired by his dreams, which he frequently writes down.
Amor Vincit Omnia
Amor Vincit Omnia (album)
Amor Vincit Omnia is the second full-length album by British progressive rock band Pure Reason Revolution.The title of the album is Latin for Love Conquers All. It is also a reference to the painting Amor Vincit Omnia by the Italian baroque painter Caravaggio, completed circa 1601. The track title...
(PRR's second LP) was released March 2009 on Superball Music
Superball music
Superball Music is a German independent record label, launched on 1 October 2007. Superball Myspace page claims that "The label’s focus will be on keen, young rock acts with a stylistic range that is centred on independent and alternative music, as well as acts that transcend genres and include a...
, displaying a considerably more developed electronic sound. Classic Rock Magazine gave the album 8/10 and commented, "once other-worldly, PRR now sound like some mutant offspring of The Chemical Brothers & NIN". NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
affirmed the progression with a review stating "they fuse electro with Smashing Pumpkins-style guitar-thrashing. In a world of musical conservatism, this lot walk unafraid". Courtney described the reason for the change of style in an interview:
Pure Reason Revolution's third album, Hammer and Anvil, continues some of these themes, though the thematic focus shifts from love to war. Courtney claims he was inspired by “researching my ancestry; specifically Great Granddad & his role in WW1… I’m staggered by the sheer enormity, the valour, the dead, the mass destruction.” According to Rock Sound, "the band have retained most of their heavy hooks to create a great crossover record. A track like 'Last Man Last Round' will fit into many Pendulum fans' heads, whereas their progressive elements are still prevalent in 'Open Insurrection'".
DJ
- Cedo Simplex: Courtney has made a name as a DJ independent of Pure Reason Revolution. He plays regular club nights as part of the DJ set All Bangers, No Mash, using the pseudonym Cedo Simplex which he also used to release a remix of the Pure Reason Revolution single Victorious Cupid.
- KC Blitz: Along with Jamie Kossoff (K), Courtney (C) has made remixes (as of July 2010) for five different bands under this moniker, including The Word AliveThe Word AliveThe Word Alive is an American metalcore band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 2008, the band is currently signed to Fearless Records. Their 2009 label debut, Empire reached position 15 on the Top Heatseekers, meeting a great amount of positive acclaim upon its release in 2009...
, Boxer RebellionBoxer RebellionThe Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
, Norma JeanNorma JeanNorma Jean may refer to:*Norma Jeane Mortenson, the given name of actress Marilyn Monroe*Norma Jean , a metalcore band from Douglasville, GA*Norma Jean , country music singer, nicknamed "Pretty Miss Norma Jean"...
, and Bring Me The HorizonBring Me the HorizonBring Me the Horizon are a British metalcore band from Sheffield, Yorkshire, who formed in 2004. Bring Me the Horizon constits of Oliver Sykes as the lead vocalist, lead guitarist Lee Malia, rhythm guitarist Jona Weinhofen, bassist Matt Kean and drummer Matt Nicholls...
. The remixes were released on these bands' respective albums, including on Bring Me The Horizon's all-remix album Suicide Season: Cut Up!.
Equipment
Guitars- Sunburst Fender JazzmasterFender JazzmasterThe Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as an upmarket sibling to the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show, it was initially marketed at jazz guitarists, but found favor among surf rock guitarists in the early 1960s...
- Candy Apple Red Fender JaguarFender JaguarThe Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar introduced in 1962. A descendant of the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar quickly caught on in the emerging Surf music scene...
- Blue Fender JaguarFender JaguarThe Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar introduced in 1962. A descendant of the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar quickly caught on in the emerging Surf music scene...
- Blue Fender TelecasterFender TelecasterThe Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
– Rarely used. Often used by PRR guitarist Jamie Willcox.
Basses
- Salmon Pink Fender Bronco Bass – only used live for "Asleep Under Eiderdown".
Strings
- Ernie BallErnie BallErnie Ball was an American entrepreneur, musician, and innovator, widely acclaimed as a revolutionary in the development of guitar-related products. He began as a club and local television musician and small business entrepreneur, building an international business in guitars and accessories that...
Regular Slinky's (tuned to either Drop DDrop D tuningDrop D tuning, also known as DADGBE, is an alternate, or scordatura, form of guitar tuning — specifically, a dropped tuning — in which the lowest string is tuned down from the usual E of standard tuning by one whole step to D.- Uses of drop D tuning :In drop D the three bass strings...
or C) - Ernie Ball Skinny Top, Heavy Bottom for "Deus Ex Machina" and "In Aurelia" (tuned to Drop B)
Effects/Amplification
- BinsonBinsonBinson was an early manufacturer of echo machines. Unlike most other analog echo machines, they used an analog magnetic drum recorder instead of a tape loop. Their most famous product was the Binson Echorec....
Echo Unit - Boss Effects
- Line 6 Effects
- Marshall AmplificationMarshall AmplificationMarshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
Synthesizers
- TeiscoTeiscoTeisco was a Japanese manufacturer of affordable musical instruments from 1948 until 1969, and now its brand is owned by Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co. Ltd. . The company produced guitars as well as keyboard instruments, microphones, amplifiers and even drums...
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