Jason Leonard

         It’s obvious when spending time with Jason Leonard that music is his life. He’s adopted “Music Is Life Is Music” (catch phrase for the 53rd Grammy Awards) as his own personal motto. His studio, where he spends most of his time writing, is a converted bedroom where he lives. Lining the walls are shelves of CD’s, while boxes of cassette tapes and stacks of vinyl are strewn everywhere. It has the feel of walking into a radio station. Despite everything, the road hasn’t been an easy one by any stretch of the imagination.   
        His current project, an LP titled Long Road to Ruin, tells the story of a seven-year dysfunctional relationship and the struggle with personal demons. It is the culmination of writing sessions with local poet and playwright Leon Lombardi. “We have a good partnership because we are on the same page, yet each of us still brings his own story to the table,” notes Leon. LRTR is a complete record much like those of the ‘70s. To
appreciate that, you have to listen to the entire album -- there are no singles, a departure from current trends in the music industry. “There’s an honesty to this record, I’m opening myself up for the world to see,” Jason says. Some have referred to it as taking a ride down “disaster avenue.” Whatever it is, you will certainly find a mix of musical influences here. “Dirty Love,” a funky-pop groove, explores the darker side of relationships. “Bang Bang Boom Boom” throbs with a bluesy infectious rhythm that contemplates life: “When you’ve got nothing left to lose, you’ve got to choose.” Then, in an attempt at dealing with
ongoing troubles, the folk-pop ballad “Pour Me Something Stronger” observes, “A little bit of quicker wine, a little bit of dirty shine.”
           Jason Leonard grew up in “The Valley” of Connecticut. In elementary school he started out on the recorder, tried clarinet and eventually fell in love with the saxophone. Jason played
with the jazz, concert and marching bands all through high school and performed at Lincoln Center for playwright Arthur Miller’s 80th birthday celebration. As a teenager, he heard a friend’s recording of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times” and immediately picked up a guitar. He started listening to artists such as Prince, Queen, and Pink Floyd. Each of these artists explored the boundaries of music by writing in different genres while staying true to themselves as artists. This had a major influence on Jason’s writing. After honing his chops on guitar Jason co-founded the group Prezens and performed regularly at clubs and
colleges throughout the tri-state area including gigs at the legendary CBGB’s. The band released one album, Relative Humility, during his tenure.
           After he relocated to Delaware, Jason’s life and career would veer off in new directions. He began teaching private music lessons and signed up for a music business class at indie label Realize Records. On completing the course he was hired by the label. The next few years of his life would be the craziest. Though his personal life was falling apart, his career was showing some promise. Jason persevered, learning as much as he could about the business and seemed a natural. In doing so, he recognized a gap between the creative and business sides of the industry. As Realize Records CEO Michel Grey states “Jason had this natural understanding of the business that made him easy to work with;
it was much easier talking with him about the direction of the label and its artists than with anyone else“. As artists such as Paul Lewis and John McManus would discover, Jason had similar instincts on the creative side as well. He helped John hash out songs in what would eventually become his debut album on the label, 613. And, he selected the single
“In A Day” from Paul Lewis’ Bag of Rain that charted on the Billboard 200, receiving an album credit (A&R Rep) for his work on the album. 
        Jason is a passionate artist and has performed nearly 1,000 shows. He is a member of The Recording Academy (NARAS) and is currently available for music business consultations for artists of all levels. He is also now accepting new students on guitar, bass guitar, saxophone, music theory and songwriting throughout Connecticut, specializing in
rock, blues, pop, folk and metal. Long Road to Ruin will be Jason’s first recording of exclusively his own material. And, he also has a book of poetry, In Shadows, and another set for release in 2016. This is the first hint of the many things to come, so join us for the journey. You won’t want to miss what’s coming next.