jason & the Diatonics

Acoustic pop band Jason and the Diatonics, which describes themselves as a “group of displaced Albertans,” will be playing two shows at the Mad Platter Bistro in Spruce Grove on Aug, 12.

The group is made up of five members who are all originally from Alberta and met in Vancouver three and a half years ago and began playing together for fun.

“It’s kind of just grown from jamming to a serious real band, which is awesome,” said lead vocalist and songwriter Jason Poulsen.

Poulsen describes the group’s music as acoustic pop full of three-part harmonies, clapping and fun choruses — but with a twist.

“It’s pop tunes that hopefully are hooky and fun to listen to played on acoustic instruments but with kind of a Motown and a funk influence,” he explained.

Each member has different musical influences — for Poulsen and Jim McLaren (bass and vocals), it’s Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye; for Joel Mohr (drums), it’s country; Stephanie Olson (vocals, ukelele) loves folk and Erik Olson (keyboards) is into classical — but Poulsen says the group uses the diversity to their advantage.

“I’ll write a song, but it will just be me on guitar, and then you’ve got to throw a band in there and that’s when all the arranging will change, depending on what people want to play,” he explained.

The band’s debut album, million miles of trouble, was released in July 2011, shortly after they began playing together.

Their second album, Grain of Sand, will be officially released on Aug. 24, but their Spruce Grove audience will be able to snag their own copy ahead of time at the Mad Platter.

The album features 10 tracks and, according to Poulsen, some are similar to those on million miles of trouble but some are very different.

“I kind of feel like we’ve taken the spectrum of what we did last time, which went from blue to purple, to this one, which is like a full rainbow,” he explained.

“We have much heavier, faster, upbeat, intense songs and we also go all the way down to just me on the guitar in a very simple singer/songwriter song with almost no production on it.”

Poulsen explained that many of his ideas for songs are born from events or moments that were very meaningful to him, which is true in the case in the first track on Grains of Sand called Hope.

Last Christmas, Poulsen travelled to his hometown of Lethbridge to watch the local high school’s dance troupe rehearse a show, which had been choreographed to Jason and the Diatonics music. Poulsen was moved by what he saw.

“To come into the school and see these kids who are supposed to be these young, goofy teenagers who don’t give a (care) about anything … really being inspired … really working hard and digging into the lyrics and the subtleties of the music was really humbling,” he explained.

“It was maybe the first time that I’d seen people take our music that seriously and really dig into it the way that I do, the way that I see it, the way I hear it. It gave me hope.”

In April, the band travelled to Lethbridge to perform with the dance troupe.

The experience was the push they needed to return to the studio and record Grains of Sand, which was recorded in just six weeks.

The group played the Mad Platter last year and loved it so much they decided to start their tour with two shows at the bistro on Aug. 12 — one at 4 p.m. and a second at 7 p.m.

According to Poulsen, the show is high-energy and fun but it has a special quality that makes it more than that. “It’s kind of a positive energy,” he explained.

“We just try to enjoy ourselves, have fun with people, connect with the audience, and connect with each other. We just love playing music and we try to share that with people.”

Each show costs $10 at the door.

To find out more about Jason and the Diatonics visit www.jasonandthediatonics.com. - Spruce Grove Examiner

Million Miles of Trouble (Independent)

One of the sad realities of life is that it’s impossible to remain pissed off at the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sometimes it’s okay to let a little sun shine in, which seems to be the overriding philosophy of Jason & the Diatonics.

The band’s name brings to mind one of those ’70s new-wave groups where everyone wore square sunglasses and pink zebra-skinned pants. What you get on Million Miles of Trouble, though, is a bright-eyed and easygoing mix of coffee-house folk and acoustic pop, anchored by the confident vocals of singer-guitarist Jason Poulsen. The dude comes off like a man who’s never had a dark day, and his attitude is infectious. Even if you’ve been down in the dumps ever since your unemployment insurance ran out, your budgie died, and your girlfriend ran off with that roadie for Theory of a Deadman, it’s hard not to feel a little better about life by the end of the record.

That’s another way of saying that there’s lots to like here. The band gets bonus points for stretching itself artistically, as on the elastic-jazz strut of “Till the Day” or the piano-adorned lounger “Everything Will Be Fine”. The latter finds Poulsen singing “Life will make you go crazy if you take it all so seriously.” Those are words to live by, no matter how much you currently might be sitting alone with a 40-pounder of Jack in the dark, bitterly doing your best to resist all the urges that make you want to go out and kill. - Georgia Straight

Million Miles of Trouble (Independent)

One of the sad realities of life is that it’s impossible to remain pissed off at the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sometimes it’s okay to let a little sun shine in, which seems to be the overriding philosophy of Jason & the Diatonics.

The band’s name brings to mind one of those ’70s new-wave groups where everyone wore square sunglasses and pink zebra-skinned pants. What you get on Million Miles of Trouble, though, is a bright-eyed and easygoing mix of coffee-house folk and acoustic pop, anchored by the confident vocals of singer-guitarist Jason Poulsen. The dude comes off like a man who’s never had a dark day, and his attitude is infectious. Even if you’ve been down in the dumps ever since your unemployment insurance ran out, your budgie died, and your girlfriend ran off with that roadie for Theory of a Deadman, it’s hard not to feel a little better about life by the end of the record.

That’s another way of saying that there’s lots to like here. The band gets bonus points for stretching itself artistically, as on the elastic-jazz strut of “Till the Day” or the piano-adorned lounger “Everything Will Be Fine”. The latter finds Poulsen singing “Life will make you go crazy if you take it all so seriously.” Those are words to live by, no matter how much you currently might be sitting alone with a 40-pounder of Jack in the dark, bitterly doing your best to resist all the urges that make you want to go out and kill. - Georgia Straight

"...Jason and the Diatonics returned home to end their tour for a packed Slice, Aug. 24. You just couldn’t leave the show without sporting a big ear to ear grin on your face. Their music is just that happy.
While I missed opening act Coldwater Road, Jason Poulsen and his band the Diatonics played a poppy, upbeat, crowd-pleasing, smile invoking set to an enthusiastic audience, many of who had performed with him with New West Theatre.
He definitely knows his way around pop hook, as he performed carefully crafted sugary-sweet pop songs backed by a hot band including bassist Jim McLaren, who usually plays keyboards with Incura..." - Lethbridge Sun Times

As the final stop on their short provincial tour, two great independent groups from Vancouver dropped into Lethbridge's Slice Bar & Grill on Friday evening, Aug. 24.

Steph Olson and Jason Poulsen of Jason and the Diatonics play toa full house at the Slice. Photo by Richard Amery

Coldwater Road kicked off the night's musical fun. Mostly unknown to Lethbridge listeners, this five-piece alternative folk crew certainly got the audience's attention.


Lead by Patrick Spencer (born and raised in Vancouver) on vocals and guitar, Coldwater Road was a treat for the ears. With cello, keyboard, flute and harmonica on board, they delivered a full set of catchy, fun songs - some reminiscent of work by My Morning Jacket or Iron & Wine.


Most of their lyrics seemed to revolve around obsessing over women; but by alternating between more emotional ballads and higher energy numbers, the audience was constantly entertained. Even though their set included several covers of tunes by songwriters Tom Russell, Bill Monroe and Okkervil River - this group has a distinct sound of their own.


Their multi-part harmonies and obvious passion for their songs garnered this group plenty of applause from the Lethbridge crowd. Touring in support of their newest LP, "Four Years Apart," this strong performance made Coldwater Road many new fans, and I foresee a bright future ahead.
After a short intermission, the night's headliners took the stage.

Led by Jason Poulsen, a Vancouver musician and actor with strong ties to Lethbridge, Jason & The Diatonics were touring in support of their debut LP, "Million Miles of Trouble", this five-piece indie-pop act eventually had the crowd eating from the palm of their hands.
Opening quite softly with Poulsen delivering a solo acoustic number, his sweet voice and delicate guitar picking lay a hush over the small, packed house. As the Diatonics' set progressed however, their tunes got more and more upbeat until the tiny dance floor was crowded with bodies.


Much of the audience included past and present members of New West Theatre who Poulsen used to perform with.

Incura’s Jim McLaren’s funky bass and an energetic keyboard player provided a strong backbone for the set, while great backing vocals and some pleasing ukulele and tambourine accompaniment added an interesting edge.


Hints of other Canadian troubadours like Danny Michel and Jeremy Fisher could be heard throughout their hour-long set. Their style is unabashedly poppy, but by integrating delicate, layered harmonies behind Poulsen's heartfelt lyrics, one could almost forget that it was night outside; daydreaming instead of sunny afternoons and romantic interludes.


Based on the number of crowd members singing and clapping along, it was obvious that many friends and family members had come out just to see this crew.
As the set progressed, the band broke into newer, more rockin' material. Complete with fat reggae-style basslines and some energetic drum work, the audience were soon clapping and whistling along with the band.


Whether Jason & The Diatonics were singing about life's little struggles, maintaining relationships, or just a cute little ditty about kitchen cutlery; by the number of bodies dancing it was clear that the crowd was enjoying the band's positive vibrations and good energy.


As their set wound down and the night came to an end, Poulsen returned to the stage for several encore songs after some gentle audience urging.
Set to return to their hometown of Vancouver the following day, these two bands made quite the impression. Lethbridge can only hope that they will both be back again sometime soon.

— By Chris Hibbard, Music Lover, special to L.A. Beat - LA Beat