Jason Collett

Raised in Toronto, singer/songwriter Jason Collett performed extensively around the Toronto area, but it was his association with Andrew Cash that first garnered him praise and critical acclaim. After performing in the Andrew Cash Band in the late '80s and early '90s, Collett joined up with Ursula, an alternative rock spinoff of Cash's previous group. The band toured Canada and opened up for acts such as the Odds, but after several years in the music business, Collett decided to give the profession up for several years.

By the mid-'90s, however, the music bug was still in his system, and Collett teamed up with Andrew Cash and Hawksley Workman for the alternative country outfit Bird. The group's album, Chrome Reflection, was rich in pop, rock, and country. Collett also began hosting a series of singer/songwriter performances that featured members of Blue Rodeo, 54-40, and Skydiggers, among others.

In 2001, he released his debut album, Bitter Beauty, and continued hosting the Flood Family songwriters' forum. He also joined the Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene, which saw him playing alongside a number of his Toronto peers. Collett took a break from the band in 2005 to focus on his solo career; he issued his sophomore effort, Idols of Exile, soon after. Buoyed by the album's critical acclaim, Collett (now a father of three) found time to work on a third release, whittling down the catalog of 40-plus tunes he had amassed over the previous years. Here's to Being Here was recorded in two quick sessions during the winter of 2007, and the Toronto-based Arts & Crafts label issued the disc in early 2008.