Biography
Bandleader. Songwriter. Producer. Studio Musician. Vocal Coach.
Guitar Teacher. Each a role of vital importance both to developing
musicians, as well as the greater music industry, however, none of them
mutually exclusive. Perhaps that's why the inexhaustible young talent
that is Jason Liebman can be all of them at once, maintaining an
impressive and growing resume while doing so.
Armed with the new full-length album, Sweet Sacrifice, Jason plays the
role of executive producer, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist for a
14-song musical color wheel of an album, rich with astounding stylistic
diversity and instrumental range. It's a rare thing in the homogenized,
genre-driven 2010 musical mainstream when a young artist and new voice
chooses to deny conventional wisdom and strives to bridge the gap between
the pop songwriter, inspired by infectious "na-na-na" choruses and
candy-like acoustic innocence, and the heart of a musical explorer, bored
by the status quo, wishing to challenge himself by putting together an
album that pays tribute to different musical styles and inspirations
without falling into any one category.
From the guitar-heavy, driving up-tempo opener, “Aggravated,” to the
orchestrated strings and experimental guitars of “God Bless The Aliens,”
to the tender, male and female vocal interplay of “The Stars Above,”
co-written with one of Jason’s 15 year-old guitar students, each song
furthers the collective overall journey of the album with a new piece of
an inspired narrative.
Jason has come a long way from his earliest performance memories growing
up in Long Island, NY, standing in his parents’ living room, his father’s
tennis racket in-hand, electric guitar-style, pretending to jam along to
his “Eddie and The Cruisers” and "Michael Jackson" cassettes.
Since the release of his 2002 debut album, The Driest Of All Seasons,
Jason has steadily and earnestly built a name and reputation for himself
as a recording, touring and performing singer/songwriter and bandleader of
merit, as well as sideman and session musician for some of music’s
brightest up and coming artists, bands, writers and producers.
The Driest Of All Seasons, praised at the time by Larry Flick of Billboard
Magazine as “much deserving of major label attention,” as well as the 2004
follow-up, Escape From The Heart Of Darkness, with then-band, The
Uprising, Liebman established himself as a college and public radio
staple, with songs from both albums added to the rotation of over 400
stations. Strong word-of-mouth support and a two-show-per-day performance
schedule that featured coffeehouse and in-store performances in the
afternoons followed by bar and venue shows at night, helped Jason evolve
into a well-known touring commodity in numerous cities and college towns
across the country and overseas.
In addition to writing and recording his own music, Jason has built a
strong reputation in the New York area and northeastern United States as a
session musician and guitarist/vocalist for hire, having partnered and/or
worked with numerous, high-profile, up and coming young artists such RCA
Records’ Rachael Yamagata, critically-acclaimed actor and songwriter, Val
Emmich and one of New York City’s current most popular buzz-heavy young
bands, The Orion Experience.
In addition to a strong presence on the national and international touring
scene, as well as a national radio campaign aiming to push the new album,
Sweet Sacrifice, onto as many station playlists as possible, Jason
continues to explore all possible avenues through which to share his
music. Over the course of last two years prior to the release of this new
album, Jason’s songs have found licensing opportunities and placement in a
variety of well-known television shows including the fan-favorite,
“Wasted,” finding its way onto the pilot episode of Nickelodeon’s
“iCarly.” His song “Jenny, I Don’t Mind” made its way onto MTV’s “Next”
and two of the songs from the debut album were revisited and licensed for
the final episode of the Nickelodeon smash hit, “Zoey 101.” More TV and
film placement opportunities are in the works.
“It sounds like a cliché, but the more I travel and perform and the more
musicians I have an opportunity to work with, the more I understand that
it’s not about where your career starts or where it ends. It’s not about
any one gig or any two bands or your ten favorite road stories. It’s about
the journey. It’s about the work you put in, the relationships you develop
and the reputation you’re able to create and maintain. You do the work and
you do it right and you hope that it continues to bring positive energy
and good opportunities your way. I’m excited about where I’ve been and
even more excited about where I’m headed.”
Instrumentation
Jason Liebman - guitar, vocals
* Andrew Bain - drums, percussion, vocals
* Matt Kanelos - piano, organ, vocals
* Malcolm Edmondstone - piano, organ
* Dan Carlisle - bass, guitar, vocals
* Jon Irabagon - saxophone
* Kenny Owens - drums/percussion
* John Pioli - pedal steel, guitar
* Jason Loughlin - guitar
* = rotating cast of musicians depending on availability and size of gig
Discography
Sweet Sacrifice (For The Artist Records) - Coming February 2010
Escape From The Heart Of Darkness (For The Artist Records) - 2004
The Driest Of All Seasons (For The Artist Records) - 2002
Links
| http://www.jasonLmusic.com |
| Find Jason on Myspace |
| Find Jason on Facebook |
| Find Jason on Twitter |
| Find Jason on YouTube |