Jason Dinetz

Born to be an entertainer

By RAFAEL BRUSILOW
for Metro Vancouver

Some artists have to work
hard to develop that special
“something” all great entertainers
know, but Jason
Dinetz already has it.
The 23-year-old singer,
dancer and self-proclaimed
“quintuple threat” may be
young but already has five
years of industry experience
under his belt and a fulllength
album finished and in
the pipeline. Dinetz is putting
together a new nine song
album, featuring eight original
tracks. The album, produced
by Simon Bader @
Massive Sound Studios, is entitled
Inspiration and set to
release later this year.
In fact, Dinetz has been
performing for most of his
life, ever since discovering his
ability to make people smile
when he was just five-yearsold.
“I just discovered I have
something that entertains. I
just knew I wanted to perform,”
Dinetz said.
Dinetz describes his music
as a mixture of electronic pop
in the vein of Madonna and
Justin Timberlake done in
the style of modern musical
theatre like Wicked or Rent.
“It is sexual, it is energetic,
it’s fun and it’s uplifting. I
find that when you do something
a little out of the border
limits, it gets you noticed,”
Dinetz said.
Dinetz admits
that being an independent
artist
in Canada isn’t
easy, however.
“It has been
very challenging
because you are
your own best
friend, your own
PR agent and
sometimes you are your own
producer,” Dinetz said.
Money matters are a major
issue, Dinetz says, with most
artists having to find creative
ways to earn money and exposure.
Some, like Dinetz,
create their own gigs to bring
in fans and get the word out.
“There’s a saying that goes
– ‘If you can’t find work, create
it.’ As an artist I’m trying
to promote myself — financially,
it’s a big challenge,” he
said.
And yet, the tallest hurdled
Dinetz says he has faced as
an artist hasn’t been money
or any other outside force,
but rather his own selfdoubt.
“Probably the biggest challenge
has been self-belief.
Just getting past that fear,
that self-doubt, is the biggest
step,” he
said.
Dinetz
praises the
c a m a -
raderie of
o t h e r
artists he
has met
a n d
w o r k e d
with, saying
they show great generosity
to each other, from
e-mailing each other about
audition opportunities to taking
pains to include each
other in their respective performances.
That team spirit
is what keeps Dinetz connected
and involved with
other artists.
“I am a solo artist, but I
don’t do everything by myself.
“When I find people who
are reliable and talented that
I want to work with, I reach
out to work with them. We
are all independent artists
trying to earn a living, so
we’re always trying to help
each other out,” he said.
For more about Jason
Dinetz, visit www.
jasondinetz.com - Metro News

Jason Dinetz on the way up

Boys in the band
Two young gay guys. Both singers. Two different styles. Both with their own independently produced CDs. What are their chances?

I can’t help but get involved in the fates of both Jason Dinetz and Kelly Johnson, because they did the same thing I once did. They recorded CDs of their own music with their own money. Actually, lots of people have done that. And lots of us have boxes of undistributed product sitting in the back of a closet at home.

It is notoriously difficult to be an independent artist, but Jason Dinetz has stars in his eyes. On Fri. Nov. 7 he is throwing a CD launch party at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Called Inspiration (with a 12 page colour booklet), the songs range from straight ahead dance tracks like “Sexy It Up” to empowerment anthems like “Fantasy” which is a duet with Stephanie Ivory Conover. Conover was in the news recently when, as Miss Canada Plus 2007, she was disqualified as a judge for the 2008 Miss Toronto Tourism pageant because she is a Wiccan. The two met at the Randolph Academy and she will be hosting his CD release party.

Dinetz, born in Toronto, would recite dialogue from The Wizard of Oz as a child. His musical mentors are Madonna and Justin Timberlake, so of course he loved Hard Candy. He was a baseball player for 17 years on the Canadian Jewish Olympic team, and as a result got to tour the world. “My mom wanted to take me to running lessons when I was a kid because I’m fast, but I run like Twinkle Toes,” he tells me. “I run like a girl, but I do not pitch like a girl.”

Inspiration, with terrific production by Simon Bader of Massive Sound Studios, represents two years of hard work for Dinetz. He’s definitely on the way up. Kelly Johnson by contrast is on the way back. Five years ago the artist released a collection of excellent tunes called Cupid’s Arrow. One track in particular, called “Inner Beauty,” is one of the loveliest songs I’ve ever heard. Amply assisted by keyboardist Chris Hopkins, Johnson’s best tracks could be described as tortured lullabies. Although he got good reviews, the CD sold very little. It didn’t help that he was sidelined by personal issues.

“I developed a lot of alcohol problems,” he tells me. “I was banned from three bars. I had my heart broken, got dumped. It was devastating and then my dad died from cancer, so I was dealing with grief and abandonment issues. I was the Visine queen.” Since going into recovery he’s started writing songs again and has two new tracks, “Summer Lovin’” and “Jealous,” all ready to go. “The music’s come back,” he says with relief.

Johnson shopped his demo to major labels and there was some interest but “they said, ‘We don’t know what to do with you’ and it made me think, ‘where do I, an openly gay man, fit in?’” Worse, he’s been turned down by Pride three times because the entertainment committee said his music was “too youthful and poppy.” Boy, the poor kid has to put up with a lot of bullshit. It doesn’t help that a recent track like “Bubba” is about prison rape. Despite the prettiness of the songs, Johnson does not take the easy road.

I think that both Dinetz and Johnson have the same goal, to write music that reflects their emotions and experiences as gay men, although their likeliest audience is probably straight girls. “I want to appeal to the kids,” says Johnson, “because I want them to realize that gay people fall in love and that it’s not that big of a deal.”

A beautiful sentiment, Kelly. Now put it into song.



- Paul Bellini - Fab Magazine

Triple threat plus

It takes a brave man to share the stage with a former Miss Canada Plus. Fearless Jason Dinetz’ two-years-in-the-making first album, Inspiration, is about to be released and he has invited Stephanie “Ivory” Conover to host what will be a slickly choreographed debut of songs like “Shut Up,” “Fantasy” and the funky “Sexy It Up.” The album’s creation began while Dinetz was beginning to come out and he claims that “the darker feel” of the first tracks resolve into the “fun and light” end numbers that were written as he embraced his inner gay self. The show is also a benefit for the Make-A-Wish Foundation which is apt as Dinetz seems very capable of making his own dreams come true. — Drew Rowsome

Jason Dinetz releases Inspiration at the Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. on Fri. Jan. 9. Info: www.jasondinetz.com



- Fab Magazine

QUEER IDOL 2009
$12,000 IN PRIZES
www.queeridol.ca
PRESENTED BY: SCREWW

HOSTED BY: Ryan G. Hinds and
Mandy Goodhandy

JUDGING PANEL: Brandon Brophy, Stephanie Conover and
Damon de Szegheo
Group A Semi-finalists:
Jason Dinetz Jamieson Eakin Elissa Thornton Maya Beauchamp

Round two - FEBRUARY 20
Group B Auditions: 10pm to 11pm
Group A Semifinals: 11:30pm to 1am
In order to vote, you must be in the house by 11:30pm

HELD AT GOODHANDY’S, 120 Church St. (at Richmond)

Congratulations to our Group A Semifinalists - About Magazine