May 12
Greetings from Europe
Howdy my friends! I write this to you from Helsinki Finland in the middle of
a European tour with Jason and the Scorchers. It has been a great tour, and
the band is playing at its peak. I honestly think the version of JATS is as
good as any to date.

Driving to Newcastle we stopped at Hadrian's Wall. It was built by the
Romans across northern England to keep out the Picts, Scotts, and Celts.
Originally it was 10-12 feet tall and ran all the way across England with
forts and garrisons all along the way. I had never seen it and as luck would
have it, we drove right by it en route to Newcastle. So I begged the fellows
to stop and see it, explaining how cool it would be to see this giant Roman
wall.  However, when we got there, it was a bit disappointing.  Over the
centuries, farmers had taken those perfect square stones and used them to
build houses and barns. The remaining "wall" was only 3 or 4 feet high...
That wouldn't even keep out sheep! Farmer Jason did not approve of his
historic farmer colleagues taking those stones!!

Thank you for all the inquiries and prayers about the Nashville flood. Our
family was not affected, but so many were. I was here in Europe all during
it, but sounds like it was a once in a millennium kind of flood.  

Once again I was blessed to be able to play shows in my old home area in
North Illinois this April in Milan and Kewanee.  The Milan show was the
farewell event for the Coyne Learning Center, since it is closing after this
year. I am honored that they chose me for this event, although saddened as
well. It is a great school, and will be missed by the families it has
served.

The Kewanee show was so poignant, given that I was born there.  Many old
friends, relatives, and teachers attended.  There were so many surprises.
Some of those folks I hadn't seen since high school.  I come from good folk.

There are lots of Farmer Jason and some solo dates coming this summer. I
look forward to seeing you at those shows.

May 12
Farmer Jason visits Illinois
Farmer Jason returned to his home area of Bureau/Henry County in
Northern Illinois April 16 and 17 to play several shows.  The Milan show at
the Coyne Preschool was the last public event at the school. It will be
closed after this year. They chose Farmer Jason for this farewell event. At
Kewanee, Jason did three events. First he met with theater and music high
school students to discuss careers in the performance world, and then did
two Farmer Jason concerts at the Peterson Auditorium.  Here are some links
about the events. -

www.starcourier.com/education

www.starcourier.com/feature

March 2
Halcyon Times in USA TODAY
Halcyon Times is the Pick of the Week in today's USA TODAY (page 5D). You can see the piece online here.

March 2
Halcyon Times and the Passing of Ed Hodges
So we now release Halcyon Times, the first Jason and the Scorchers record of new material since 1996. Yikes, that was 14 years ago! How did that happen??!! Almost everyone who hears the cd is calling it one of our finest efforts to date. I do agree, and I am not the kind of artist who says every record I am involved with is "our best one yet." (I always wonder how artist who say that with every release can claim any credibility...)

No one is more surprised than me that this release even happened, let alone that it is a career record. I was quite reticent about the whole idea, but Warner kept after me. Certainly bringing Al Collins and Pontus Snibb on as the new rhythm section was a huge step in the right direction. That is truly a rhythm section for the ages. They nail it. Warner of course is playing at the top of his game, and I feel like I have learned a lot as a singer since the last JATS record. Honestly, being Farmer Jason the past 6 years has focused my singing considerably. I have learned to concentrate and enunciate more clearly, and to completely go into character.

Another huge advantage we had on this release was the impressive team of folks who threw in. As always, manager Deb was there every step of the way, and the Farmer Jason/ Jason Ringenberg designer and website manager Paul Needham brought his full support and impressive array of skills to the party. Dan Baird and Ginger Wildheart offered their services in whatever way they could help, free of charge. They both were an amazing asset to us. Ginger flew in for a week in February and co-wrote 9 of the songs, and then demoed them all for us! Dan offered to produce the record. When we went with Brad Jones instead, he then unselfishly jumped in help write the cd, and to play rhythm guitar during the sessions. I still can't believe he gave us the Days of Wine and Roses idea. Imagine Homemade Sin doing that song... All in all, you put Warner Hodges, me, Al Collins, Pontus Snibb, Brad Jones, Ginger Wildheart, Tommy Womack, and Dan Baird together and you do have a rock 'n' roll dream team. It was a marvelous experience working with such talent, and one that I will not forget.

As most of you know, Warner's father Ed Hodges passed away February 16. Many JATS fans have seen or met Ed, since he and Blanche made every show we ever played in Middle Tennessee, often joining us on stage to jam. Ed was often like a second father to me, and also a dear friend. Since he was a musician himself, he knew the language and the matrix. Even though he was not of our generation, he could hang out with us rockers on equal terms. At the end of the day he was one of us.

I have so many fond memories of him. In the early days of the band, he would sing Haggard's "Working Man Blues" with us, and I would play bass!!! My bass playing must have sounded atrocious, but he always invited me to do it, since he instinctively knew how much I enjoyed playing bass on a song. He was that kind of guy- rock solid and completely at ease in his own skin. He epitomized the term "Southern Hospitality", always first up to help anyone who needed it. I never knew him to say anything stupid or divisive. I never knew him to be flakey about anything. I never knew him to be anything but kind and courteous. On top of all that, he was one smart cat: an old country boy who started with nothing and made something of himself.

He was my friend, and I will always consider the experience of knowing him to be one of the great blessings of my life.

May he Rest in Peace.

March 2
Farmer Jason on NPT Pledge Month
Nashville Public Television has been a big supporter of Farmer Jason, producing and airing his Emmy winning videos and generally being there when needed. March is Pledge Month at NPT, and once again NPT will be airing several 30 minute Farmer Jason shows featuring the videos and talking to Farmer Jason while taking pledges. For those of you interested in helping NPT, please make your pledges during the Farmer Jason segments, since this shows NPT that Farmer Jason has broad support out there. Even though you call during to Farmer Jason Pledge Shows, you can still choose other Pledge thank you gifts very easily if you choose. Some of the shows have an opportunity to win tickets for the Belcourt March 27 show.

Here are the times of the FJ Pledge Shows. Again, please make your pledges at one of these times.

Mon Mar 8, 10am (with Belcourt show ticket offer)

Fri Mar 12, 11:30am (with Belcourt show ticket offer)

Sat Mar 13, 7:30am (without ticket offer)

Tue Mar 16, 1pm (without ticket offer)

Fri Mar 19, 2pm (without ticket offer)

The numbers to call for pledges are : Out of Nashville- 800 355 5310, in Nashville- 615 259 2100

March 2 W
Farmer Jason takes part in "Read Me Day"
This shot is taken from behind the stage at Nashvilles "Read Me Day" where Farmer Jason provided entertainment for the event. The kids are jumping in the air during The Kitty Song.



"Read Me Day" is an nonprofit event where Nashville polititians and celebreties go into local schools in underserved neighborhoods and read to the kids. Farmer Jason shared his reading experience with Charles Davis, a retired NBA star who has his own charity foundation.

February 22
Jason & The Scorchers hit Europe in May
Jason & The Scorchers 2010 European Tour kicks off in The Netherlands on April 29. The month long trip takes in Holland, the UK, Norway and Spain. For full details visit - www.jasonandthescorchers.com

February 12
Belcourt Tickets On Sale
Tickets for the Belcourt Farmer Jason show March 27 in Nashville are now on sale at www.belcourt.org Be sure to get tickets in advance for this one, as it likely will sell out.

January 20
New Jason Ringenberg and Farmer Jason radio interview online
Both Jason Ringenberg and Farmer Jason made an interview appearance on the legendary WSM AM 650 station in Nashville to promote the Music City Roots show January 13. WSM, known as the “Air Castle of the South” and “The Mother Church of Country Music” is still pumping out great classic country, bluegrass, and Americana. Jason appeared during the “Coffee, Country, and Cody” morning show with Bill Cody. It is one of Jason’s favorite radio shows, a true slice of Americana so rare in this formatted corporate era. To hear the interview go to: wsmradio

January 16
Halcyon Times record of the week on House Of Mercy
Syndicated, UK based internet radio show House of Mercy is featuring Halcyon Times as their record of the week from 16 January. The three hour show hosted by Barry Marshall-Everitt is broadcast daily and features three songs from the forthcoming album - Moonshine Guy, Beat On The Mountain and for the first time online Land Of The Free. For links and broadcast schedule visit - www.houseofmercy.net

January 7
Jason recommends new Stace England CD.
Stace England was interviewed on National Public Radio’s “Weekend Edition” show about his new Stace England and the Salt Kings cd “The Amazing Oscar Micheaux”. Micheaux was THE pioneering African-American filmmaker from 1919-1948, with a career that spanned both the silent films and talkies. His films were all self produced and shown in black community theaters. He was also an author, and the first African-American to homestead South Dakota. England’s cd chronicles his life and films. As Jason says: “As for the music on “The Amazing Oscar Micheaux” Stace England and his band the Salt Kings once again prove that history can rock! This record will appeal to film aficionados as well as people who don’t have the first idea who Oscar Micheaux is. Recalling mid period Big Star or early REM, the music stands on its own merits, while transporting the listener into the romantic 1920’s world of celluloid dreamers. I doubt there were any film makers who fought bigger odds reaching for their dream than Micheaux. Stace England and the Salt Kings muster up a similar spirit all these decades later.”

Fans of Jason and the Scorchers will know that Stace opened the historic Perryfest show in 2007, and that Jason appeared on two previous Stace England CDs dealing with Southern Illinois history. Micheaux was from Southern Illinois as well.

To hear the interview or for more info go to: www.npr.org and www.staceengland.com

December 22
A Christmas message from Jason!
Hello my friends and Merry Christmas! This year it has dawned on me that one of the things I love most about Christmas is the music. I wonder what those songwriting masters from centuries ago thought after they wrote those classics. Did they realize what they had created? Did they get the credit and respect they deserved in their lifetime?

Their music is everywhere this time of year. I have lost count of the times I have heard “Silent Night” or “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”, but somehow those songs still move me and reach so deep. Even when delivered by modern computer tuned singers who can’t really do the songs justice (I count myself in that crowd), they still work their magic.

My favorite Christmas records this year are by The Beach Boys and Gene Autry. I have the Beach Boys one on vinyl. Their version of “We Three Kings” is a masterpiece, an absolute masterpiece!! I actually sang the “Myhr is mine” verse in third grade for a Christmas concert. (In those days you could still sing sacred music in public schools, and I do believe that the ban on such songs nowadays is a great injustice.) The Gene Autry record is deceptively good, and grows on me with every listen. It is delightfully fun and something that everyone in the family can enjoy. And of course Sinatra, Elvis, and Bing are always on my Christmas playlist, to show what true masters can do with such beautiful songs. Sinatra’s mid period version of “Jingle Bells” (he did several) is pure genius. The arranger on that should have won a Grammy.

December was a good month musically for me. I did a short run through Spain, ending once again in Mallorca, an island off the coast of Barcelona. My manager there, Toni Monserrat, put together a great little run of Farmer Jason school shows. I can’t express how much I enjoy those shows, with the incredible cross culture chemistry. Even with their limited English, the kids get soooo excited, and it translates in ways none of us really understand. A special thank you to Toni and his family Barbara, Megan, and Anna, and to all my Mallorcan friends who open their homes and hearts to me.

After Mallorca, I journeyed to Hanover Germany to meet up with the rest of Jason & The Scorchers for the Blue Rose Christmas party. On the way, I severely damaged my back, but was somehow able to perform. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The room was packed, and I have to say the band really brought the goods. Pontus couldn’t make it, so Mauro Magellan did drums duty. Even without a full band rehearsal, he absolutely nailed it, as did Warner and Al. When that band is on, it’s something to behold. The new Halcyon Times songs went over the best. We even had the moxie to close with Moonshine Guy, and it worked. After being in the Farmer Jason world so intensely all year, to jump right into to the JATS rock world was such a radical change of gears. Its funny, rock ‘n’ roll never really changes, only the faces in and around it.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with hopes realized.

October 14

Howdy my friends!

Many of you out there have met my mother Betty Ringenberg at shows the past 30 years. She is a saint on this planet of ours. On October 25 she is turning 80! That’s not bad for a women who has had two rounds of cancer, one considered terminal. We are asking anyone who knows her to send a birthday card. This will be quite a surprise.


Marvin and Betty Ringenberg with Jason's older brother Joe

At 80 Mom still lives on the farm where she grew up. Dad is 86 with advanced Alzheimer’s and a host of physical ailments. Mom still takes care of Dad and the farm. It’s a 24/7 never ending strain on her, but somehow she maintains that great attitude of hers. I honestly don’t know how she does it. Day in day out, she never ceases to amaze me.

Please do send her a card and keep her in your prayers, although I know she would not want anyone to make a fuss over her. Her address is:

Betty Ringenberg
15283 550 E. ST
Sheffield, Illinois 61361

Best always,

October 8
He's little but he's loud!
Farmer Jason rocked out recently with Max McNicholas in Pearland Texas on the old Jason & The Scorchers song "I Can't Help Myself". Max is is already a pretty good drummer. Scorchers skins man Pontus Snibb is reported to have been consulting his Musicians Union rep since this photo was released to the worlds media.

August 7

Hello my friends! I am stuck at Reagan International for a few hours, coming back from the Jason and the Scorchers show in New York. It is a good place to wax poetic…

First I should tell you about the Farmer Jason show at Athensfest. It was a cracking show, full of cute kids under a tent. Off to the side of the stage was a young family holding a handmade sign with a drawing of the Punk Rock Skunk. The little four year old girl had the biggest smile on her face.  After the show I was doing the normal meet and greet, and I couldn’t help but notice the “glow” around that little family. When their turn to meet and greet Farmer Jason came up, the father introduced himself as “Patterson, I play in a little band here in Athens.” Well that little band is the Drive By Truckers! We had the best time talking and catching up, then the Hoods (Patterson, Rebecca, and little Ava) took me out for an Athens brunch that couldn’t be beat.  Thank you Hoods!

To top off the experience, Jim White’s wife and daughter Sadie were also at the show. I had just met Jim in Bergen Norway at Bergenfest.

All of July I was in Ireland and the UK, mostly doing Farmer Jason shows and festivals. I have to say those festivals were an absolute joy to do. We also did some wonderful club and school shows, and I was blessed to meet a lot of new friends and get hooked up again with old friends like the Whitehouse family in Brighton. At the Brighton school show, the kids all showed up dressed as farm animals or farmers! Great fun indeed.

Speaking on the UK and Ireland, we are planning on making a return trip in December doing Farmer Jason shows. If any of you have ideas or want to take a crack at putting on a show contact my agent Bob Patterson   bp@bpa-live.com   Don’t be shy, its much easier than you might think.

Our sweet corn is exceptional this year, as are the potatoes.

God bless

March 12
“Keeping Chickens for Fun and Eggs!” a seminar with Jason Ringenberg
Jason is doing a question-answer discussion seminar called “Keeping Chickens for Fun and Eggs!” Sunday March 22 1.00pm at Arthouse Gardens 1108 B Woodland Street (behind I Dream of Weenie) in East Nashville. Jason will answer questions and offer advice on how to raise chickens in a small back yard space for family egg use, keep them protected from predators, choose the different breeds, build basic pen and coops, and maximize the joys of chicken raising. The format will be more discussion/question/answer than lecture. The seminar will last about 45 minutes. A free will donation of 5.00 per person is requested.

Mar 8
Only Four Seats Remain for Jason & the Scorchers' Historic Recording Sessions March 26-28
Time is running out. Only four seats remain for these historic recording sessions in Nashville on March 26-28, 2009. See Jason & The Scorchers record their first album in eleven years with producer Brad Jones (Hayes Carll, Caitlin Cary, Jill Sobule, Bobby Bare, Jr., Justin Townes Earle) and study the art of record production up close at MPI: Music Producers Institute. No previous studio experience is required, just a love of music and an interest in recording and production.

This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience; you'll be granted exclusive access to JATS tracking sessions at Ocean Way Nashville, where artists like Willie Nelson, Gretchen Wilson, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Three Doors Down, The Del McCoury Band, Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkson, Tim McGraw, George Strait, Matchbox Twenty, Harry Connick Jr.,The Mavericks and Sheryl Crow have all recorded.

See and hear how records are made, led by Grammy-winning producer and MPI founder Steve Fishell, formerly of Emmylou Harris' Hot Band and producer for Pam Tillis, The Mavericks, Radney Foster, Little Richard, Emmylou Harris, The Dixie Chicks, Indigenous, Albert Lee and many others. Track with the pros and learn more about their creative, rarely seen process of making records.

Tuition for this three-day session is only $900.

To learn more, go to MPI's website at www.musicpi.com, email sessions@musicpi.com or call 615-337-0092.

Mar 3  
NPT airs It's... A Farmer Jason pledge show
Big news. NPT (Nashville Public Television) will be airing a Farmer Jason Pledge Drive Show six times in the next two weeks. The show will feature all the videos from his Emmy Award winning “It’s a Farmer Jason!” video program as well as Farmer Jason personally soliciting pledges.Even if you don’t live in the Nashville area, it would be a great help to Farmer Jason if you could make a pledge to NPT during his showtimes. NPT has been critically important to the whole Farmer Jason development and deserves your support. We are hoping that the Pledge Show will generate a lot of money for NPT, and then other stations around the country might want to do the same thing with Farmer Jason. Even if you can pledge just $5.00, that would help.

Folks that pledge $40.00 will get the “Rockin’ in the Forest” cd, a $60.00 pledge will get the new “It’s a…Farmer Jason!” dvd, and a $90.00 pledge gets both of them. However, to truly help Farmer Jason you have to pledge during his segments and let them knowing you are pledging in support of Farmer Jason. Please call NPT at 615 259 2100 or 800 355 5210 to do this. You will be helping Farmer Jason and a great Public Television station.

Here are the showtimes -

Tuesday 3/3 at 1:00-1:30pm

Thursday 3/5 at 1200-1230 am

Saturday 3/7 at 0800-0830am

Monday 3/9 at 1000-1030am

Wednesday 3/11 at 12:30am-1:00pm

Sunday 3/15 at 07:00 -07:30am

They are for Central USA time.

Thank you!

Nov 24
Full Artic Circles

Howdy friends!

It has been a busy fall, and so much to be thankful for. November 13 I journeyed north of the Artic Circle for a show in Tromso Norway. Tromso is a very cool (no pun intended) town, full of interesting people and drop dead gorgeous Nordic scenery. In the 1890s, it was the launching point for many of the great Norwegian polar expeditions, including Fritdjof Nansen’s famous 1893-96 attempt at reaching the North Pole. For those of  you not hip to Nansen, he was in my opinion the greatest person of his age, and had he been from one of the “Great Powers”, he would have been much more famous, probably the most famous person in the world. He was a true renaissance man in the mold of our Franklin or Jefferson.  To name a few of his accomplishments, and these are only a few: he was a Nobel Peace Prize winner, he held the “Farthest North” record for several years, he was the father of modern polar exploration, he solved the problem of repatriating the WW I prisoners of war who were stuck for years in a morass of Bolshevik-Western Powers politics, he help bring relief to the Russian famine of the early 1920s, he helped found the modern science of nerve biology, he was Norway’s ambassabor to the UK in the 1920s, and was a great dancer!  Golly how did he find time for all that!!  I find it incredible that he is still relatively unknown outside of Norway. To top it all off, he was a man of Peace.  I think Norwegians have much to be proud of- their great national hero made his mark as a statesmen, diplomat, scientist, and explorer, not in the military world.

The Nittedal Norway shows were quite a nice surprise. They were put on by two fans of mine, Kaare and Annette Leth. They had never promoted a show before, but you would have never known that. The landed 3 great stories in the regional papers, and created a big buzz for the shows. The Farmer Jason show had cute little blonde haired Norwegian kids packed inside, with parents spilling out on to the smokers patio. The biggest surprise of the day was when the Leths and all the kids presented me with a lovely birthday cake, complete with a frosting version of the FOREST cd!!! They sang me Happy Birthday in english. Given that most of the crowd was under 6 years old, I was quite impressed by that!


Jason with Annette, Martin and Kaare Leth

That night the Nittedal band Rabbagastene opened the show and then backed me for a full set of solo and JATS songs. I have to say, they really nailed it, and played with great spirit and ability. For example, Bible and a Gun was transcendent, and the whole crowd sang along. It was wonderful to rock with a good band again. Kaare joined in and sang one of his songs as well. It was a magic night.

Back home in the USA, my first show was in Manchester Tennessee for Jimmy Stephens 5th birthday party at the Manchester Farm Bureau Party Room. That was a first for me. Jimmy is a wonderful little fellow, and had a room full of nice friends and family. I felt privileged to be a part of it.


5 year old Jimmy Stephens on his Daddy’s back “Jumps So High!!”during Little Kitty.

Well, I think I will go ride my new bike! 

Rock on my friends

17 June
Jason serenades pig on Scandinavian TV
The main Sweden, Danish, and Norwegian National TV channels are to air a show dedicated to edgy Nashville country music on their DR Music program. Jason is featured in the program singing to his hog Petunia, amongst other things.

17 June
From Ireland to Elvis- (or I Have a Great Job)

Howdy friends! It is summertime and the living is easy. We have been eating great produce from our garden: peas, lettuce, radishes, potatoes and chard, but the coupe de grace awaits our pleasure. The tomatoes are taking their sweet time. Patience is not one of my virtues. What is taking them so long to ripen!!!???

We had a marvelous tour of Europe. I have to say that the JATS dates
rocked. Al Collins played bass and Pontus Snibb from Sweden sat in on
drums and harmony vocals. I was quite impressed with their taste and
swing. Warner was the personification of country rock'n'roll guitar. I
don't know if I have ever heard him play better, night after night. To
top things off, we heard just before leaving that the AMERICANA MUSIC ASSOCIATION plans to give us their Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance this year. There were a lot of smiles on those stages.

I have a great job.

After the JATS dates, I did a very busy tour of the UK and Ireland as JR solo and Farmer Jason. Some days I did 3 shows! In total I did 45 shows in 35 days. Phew...

In Ireland I actually did a true one room school in rural County Galway. There were 30 kids total in the whole school, with one teacher. I have to say that if you have a room full of little Irish kids, you have a room full of cute! It almost brought me to tears of joy to hear them singing along with me trying to imitate a Southern accent.

I have a great job.

After the European tour, I journeyed to Tupelo Mississippi where Farmer
Jason was scheduled to play the kids stage at Elvis Fest. My whole family came along and a big time was had by all. There were Elvis impersonators (OH EXCUSE ME I MEANT TO SAY "ELVIS TRIBUTE ARTISTS") everywhere. My show was sandwiched between the Elvis Pet Parade (a golden lab won as the 70s Elvis) and an 11 year old girl "Elvis Tribute Artist"! I kid you not, this really happened.

I have a great job.

Farmer Jason with Elvis and daughters Addie Rose and Camile.




With Elvis again, Elvis having changed jump suits and consumed 90lbs of hamburger between shots.




Elvis prepares to unleash some Karate on Farmer Jason if he tells him "what a great job I have" one more time.

April 6
Nashville Rocks! Basement Barnburner Follows Belcourt Bedlam
On The 29th March, in a personal first, Jason recently wore all three of his musical hats in one day. He started the morning as Farmer Jason at the Belcourt Theater to a rowdy house of preschoolers and parents, then did a stark moody evening set as solo Jason Ringenberg at the Basement, then finished at the Basement with a late night surprise barn burning appearance of Jason and the Scorchers with Warner Hodges on guitar, Al Collins (from The Stacie Collins Band), and Fenner Castner on drums. Stacie Collins also joined in on harmonica on Lost Highway. Al Collins really did an impressive job as the JATS bassist. More on that development down the road...

The biggest surprise and treat of the day though happened right off the bat. Warner joined Farmer Jason at the Belcourt for a rockin' version of Possum in a Pocket! It never sounded better and Warner turned out to be quite a hit with the pre-school set! Jason's 7 year old daughter Camille remarked "He is really good but he should shave his head!"

April 6
Another strong European review
Belgium’s biggest music publication HUMO, recently give BEST TRACKS 3.5 out of 4 stars in a feature review.

MARCH 10, 2008
Bourbon and a rib eye steak

Arty Hill’s new cd BAR OF GOLD is out. I did the liner notes for it and highly recommend it for those of you who hunger for real country music. Those of you who made Perryfest last June would remember Arty’s brilliant guest harmonies on “Blanket of Sorrow” and Arty has sat in with me several times in the Baltimore area. Check him out at www.artyhill.com

Here are the liner notes I did for BAR OF GOLD that pretty much sum up my feelings about the record:

Arty Hill has one of those voices that sit in your gut “like bourbon and a rib eye steak” (to quote one of his old songs). In an age dominated by country singers who owe more of a debt to marketing managers than to Hank Sr., Arty has managed the nearly impossible: he has made a record that bridges the gap between modern Country Music and its storied past. This record works today and it would have worked equally well in 1965.

I doubt there is a better country record put out this year, if there is I sure haven’t heard it. In fact, WRECK OF A MAN could stand next to any country classic and hold its own. Ditto for BRING OUT THE BIBLE (We Ain’t Got a Prayer). Golly its “comforting” to hear songs about broken hearts and broken lives again. Country Music is supposed to hurt!

The picking and production is flawless of course, we would not expect anything less out of Arty than complete attention to detail and realism. He is, after all a total music junky. Arty also is my favorite modern country/bluegrass harmony singer and has outdone himself on this release. Again, show me a better harmony this year than the high lonesome WRECK OF A MAN part. The ghost of Buck is truly honored. Thank God there are still a few gut shot singers like Arty Hill to remind us that Country Music once ment more than frat party sing-alongs or Hallmark card quotations.

3 February
New Press - Uncut (UK), Easyriders (Europe)
Easyriders Europe are running a major four page article on Jason in their March issue. The feature will appear in German, French, Italian and Dutch, proving once again that Cow Punk truly is the universal language. Click on the image bellow to see the full spreads.



Englands Uncut magazine is running this excellent four star review of Best Tracks & Side Tracks in it's current issue -

27 January - NEW
Southern Illinois- Full Circles and Half Squares

I had the wonderful pleasure of doing my first dates of the 2008 touring schedule at my old haunts in Murphysboro/Carbondale, Illinois. I did a cracking little Farmer Jason show at the Longbranch, and a JR cd release concert at the Liberty Theater with the Woodbox Gang. I went to college there at SIU-Carbondale from 1978-1981. Believe it or not, I am a college graduate in UNIVERSITY STUDIES! Wow a degree like that will take you places. (In fact it took me right into bars and clubs everywhere...)

Not only does Southern Illinois hold such warm dusty memories for me, but it is a living relationship. For example Stace England I only got to know 4 years ago , and I now count him as a good friend/musical colleague, I guest on his cds etc. Check him out at www.staceengland.com. As you see, I am not the only hog farmer's son from Illinois into music. Stace has been so instrumental in reconnecting me to those Southern Illinois roots, and he graciously promoted the Liberty Theater show on a volunteer basis, as did the entire staff there that night. Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped with the show: Mike Lesceluis, Craig Reeves, Bert Reeves, Jim Foerester , Bill and Lois at the Liberty, and of course Miss Alethea England who not only worked many hours on the show, but also showed Farmer Jason true Southern Illinois hospitality by sleeping in the basement so I could have a comfy bed. Most of all thanks to Stace, who wanted to do a special show for me and the Woodbox Gang and far surpassed all our expectations.



Speaking of the Woodbox Gang, they are my favorite modern band, and probably my favorite American band since early REM. These guys are the real deal, sort of a demented jug band but without all the corny kitsch. It is a tight little 5 piece led by Alex Kirt, a Warner Hodges type band leader. He is a brilliant musician, producer, and arranger, as good on a broad musical level as anyone I have ever played with. The songwriter/singer is Hugh Deneal. This is going to sound way over the top, but I feel that Hugh is the most exciting and original songwriter on the planet today. I seriously mean that. Buy the BORN WITH A TAIL cd and listen to NEVER KISSED A GIRL and BIG BANG YING YANG for starters, but all their stuff ranges good to brilliant, and there is a lot of it. But its not for the faint of heart, it is pretty intense stuff.

The Farmer Jason show brought out all the cool kids in Carbondale. It was a hoot. There was some over the top cuteness going on. They sang along, danced, and asked me the funniest questions like "Farmer Jason, why is your fingernail black?" (I had hit it with a hammer, but how do you explain that to a 4 year old?) The best moment was when my dear friend and old drummer from Shakespeare's Riot Tom Miller joined me on WHOA THERE PONY and MRS. MOUSE, keeping perfect time on his bodhran, a Celtic hand drum made from goat skin. He hasn't missed a beat, no pun intended. Tom has 8 kids, with some of them at the show. When he came on stage I remarked "Tom is probably the father of over 10% of the kids in this room!" It didn't quite come out right... Thank God his wife Kirsten has a good sense of humor. Actually the two of them met at a Shakespeares Riot show almost 30 years ago...They are saints.

The night show at the Liberty Theater was packed, and full of good will. I did my set first, and to sing in that 1920s building to all my old and new friends was an experience I will not forget. In fact I count it as one of my top 10 favorite gigs of my life. After my set, the Woodbox Gang played and wow were they good. It was their first theater show in their home town and they meant business. They came to throw down. After their set I joined them for their NEVER KISSED A GIRL, the BROKEN WHISKEY GLASS version off the new cd with Alex Kirt singing the second verse, and my fave song of theirs ALMOST ENOUGH with me singing some of it. I was on cloud nine. I remember yelling at them during one of the songs: "THIS IS WHY WE DO ALL THE BS!!" But I didn't use the abbreviation...

January 24 - NEW
Jason on Robbie Fulks' Secret Country
Jason will be featured live and interviewed by Robbie Fulks on his SECRET COUNTRY show XM RADIO Channel 12 (X Country). It will air Monday Jan 28 at 11.00am ET, Thursday Jan 31 at 7.00 pm ET, and Saturday Feb 2 at 11.00am ET.

January 24 - NEW
Jason Ringenberg & Stacie Collins to co-headline in Nashville
Jason's March 29, Nashville album launch at The Basement is now going to be a co-headline show with Stacie Collins. For those of you not in the know Stacie is a fantastic singer/harmonica player and currently one of the hottest live acts around (which may have a little to do with her guitar player being a certain Mr Warner E. Hodges). Jason will be opening the show solo, followed by a full band set from Stacie. You don't want to miss this one fight fans 'cause you know all hells gonna break loose on those encores. To find out more about Stacie visit - www.staciecollins.com

January 15
New album available now
Jason’s new best of/rarities album Best Tracks & Side Tracks, 1979 - 2007 is now available to buy online at www.jasonringenberg.com. The album is officially released in the U.S. on January 22nd by Yep Roc records. European release dates vary from region to region, but the album will be available locally to coincide with Jason’s spring touring schedule.

The two disc, 30 track, compilation is a complete overview of Jason’s solo career to-date including his pre-Scorchers band Shakespeare’s Riot, the best of his solo recordings and brand new versions of Farmer Jason and Jason & The Scorchers favourites, plus clutch of unreleased or hard to find material.

Don't forget that next to buying your copy off Jason personally when he rolls through your town, ordering Best Tracks & Side Tracks from the official Jason Ringenberg online store is by far the best way to support Jason and his music. And just like on the road Jason is more than happy to personally sign and dedicate your CD on request. Post and handling is free for all U.S. orders.

January 14
New features hit print
Jason was recently featured on the cover  of Flipside, the insert for The Southern, the biggest daily in Southern Illinois. Read the article here

January 14
Farmer Jason zeroes in on new audience
Already a hit with pre-k rockers the world over Farmer Jason is now recruiting them even younger as he targets the fetal set, as witnessed by this recent feature article that appeared on ePregnancy’s website. Less convinced by this new strategy Farmer Jason’s brother, Jason Ringenberg, commented - "There have been periods in my life when seeing ePregnancy and my name on a Google alert would not have been a welcome sight..." Read the feature here

January 4
2008
This is a great day to be an American! Last night in Iowa, non establishment long shot candidates in both parties won by virtue of grass roots organizations, coherent messages, and inherent honesty. I think we are witness to a revolution in American politics. This is going to be a very interesting election year.

America is constantly and continuously criticized by the rest of the world as a nation that has lost its soul. I hear it all the time in my travels. I think that judgment is premature and essentially unfair. 2008 is going to show the world just how vibrant and progressive the American Democracy can be.

This year I will be touring all around the world supporting my new BEST TRACKS cd, as well as continuing to develop the Farmer Jason story. I am looking forward to seeing many of you out there again. On behalf of my family and colleagues in the Farmer Jason/Jason Ringenberg organization, we wish everyone a Healthy and Happy New Year!

December 29
Liberty Theatre show poster art.
We just had to bring you this fabulous poster artwork for the January 19 Best Tracks album launch show at The Liberty Theater in Murphysboro, llinois. Click here to see the artwork in all it's glory.

Oh Santa! New and Used Holiday Classics from Yep Roc Records:
Yep Roc is one of the coolest labels in the business at the moment. Th' Legendary Shackshakers, Los Straightjackets, The Apples in stereo, Reverend Horton Heat and other artists offer mostly new songs. A favorite? Jason Ringenberg and Kristi Rose giving the holiday pros and cons on "Lovely Christmas."

- Wayne Bledsoe, Knoxville News-Sentinel

Two more album launch parties have been confirmed; in Raleigh, NC on February 8 (with Two Dollar Pistols) and at The Basement in Nashville on March 29. All the 'Best Tracks & Side Tracks' launch shows will feature a free signed poster give-away so get on down.

Jason will be back in Germany for most of February supporting the release of 'Best Tracks' with further European dates in the pipeline for later in the spring. Stay tuned for further news as and when we have it.

Not to be left out Farmer Jason is back at Nashville's Belcourt Theatre on March 29, which if it's anything like his last visit will be a pre-k riot!

For full details visit the dates page.

October 20
JASON RINGENBERG BEST OF ALBUM
Jason Ringenberg’s new album BEST TRACKS AND SIDE TRACKS 1979-2007 will be released on January 22 in the US on Yep Roc Records.



The double CD set is a complete overview of Jason’s solo career to-date including his pre-Scorchers band Shakespeare’s Riot and new versions of Farmer Jason and Jason & The Scorchers favorites.

Disc one features the best of Jason’s solo recordings, largely focusing on the Pocketful Of Soul, All Over Creation and Empire Builders album, plus three new recordings. Disc two rounds up a clutch of previously unheard rarities including the thought to be lost version of Jimmie Rogers Last Blue Yodel that Jason recorded in London, England with The Wildhearts.

The full track listing is as follows -

Disc One - Best Tracks

Shop It Around (new lyrics and recording)
The Life Of The Party (new recording)
Bible And A Gun (with Steve Earle)
Camille (with Swan Dive)
Punk Rock Skunk (rawk remix)
One Less Heartache (with The Wildhearts)
She Hung The Moon Until It Died
Rainbow Stew
For Addie Rose
Born To Run
The Price Of Progress
Prosperity Train
A Pocketful Of Soul
Eddie Rode The Orphan Train
Link Wray
Tuskegee Pride
Half The Man
Chief Joseph’s Last Dream
Broken Whiskey Glass (new recording with The Woodbox Gang)
The Last Train To Memphis

Disc Two – Side Tracks

Lovely Christmas! (with Kristi Rose)
Moose On The Loose (with exended Webb Wilder outro)
The Sailor’s Eyes
Cappuccino Rosie (live country version with Arty Hill)
Moms 70th Birthday Song
Help There’s A Fire (Shakespeare’s Riot version)
Buckminster Fuller We Need You Now
Who’s Gonna Feed Them Hogs
Paradise (with R.B. Morris, Tom Roznowski and Janas Hoyt)
Jimmie Rogers Last Blue Yodel (with The Wildhearts)

The albums release party takes place on January 19 at The Liberty Theater in Murphysboro, llinois. Helping raise the roof are Carbondale’s mighty Woodbox Gang who are one of Jason’s favorite American bands, so much so that they guest on a new version of the old Scorchers standard Broken Whiskey Glass especially recorded for the new album.   

In away this show brings Jason full circle as he started his musical career in Southern Illinois in 1978 and several of the songs on BEST TRACKS & SIDE TRACKS originated in the Murphysboro-Carbondale area.

Both Jason and The Woodbox Gang will be playing full sets, with the The Woodbox Gang closing out the night. The action kicks off at 7.30 with tickets available on the door. Don’t miss this one fight fans ‘cause it’s going to get rowdy!

October 20
When Fallen Angels Fly
At the giant Stage Coach Festival October 13 and 14 in College Station Texas, I had the pleasure of catching Billy Joe Shaver’s set. Without a doubt, it was the most compelling show I have seen in ages. Without coming off maudlin, he bared his soul for all to see, and every word he sang or spoke was physically tangible, and purely honest. As the sun set behind him, you could see those words float into space, propelled by his giant mannerisms and transfigured raw beauty.

To be honest, three times during the show I was moved to real tears, even surrounded by all the drunken frat boys. The Holy Spirit is strong in that man, truly.

The CD is about the "Old Slave House" near Equality, Illinois where
slavery existed in a free state, and only Stace could pull off a concept
CD about such a bizarre and subverted chapter of Illinois history. The
CD works conceptually and swings like Exile on Main Street. I sing
Freedom's Star, and old abolitionist song from 1848 which is one of the
most beautiful I've every come across.

The official release date for the CD is November 13 but Stace is able to
sell advance copies from his website: www.staceengland.com

Best always

September 17
New shirts now available



Farmer Jason and daughters Camille and Addie Rose modeling the new crop of Farmer Jason tee-shirts. Pick yours here, they're home grown and farm fresh!

August 28
The Rain in Maine Is Good For My Brain
Ah to be in Maine in late summer is to truly heaven. When I left Tennessee it was 105. When I arrived in Berwick it was 65. I have a good gig.

I stayed with my friends Bruce, Vickie, Liam and Connor Hilton. Bruce has a great band called the Digbees www.digbees.com and had arranged a great little Maine/New Hampshire mini tour of FJ and JR dates culminating in a JR/Digbees concert in Rochester. We had a marvelous time. My favorite show was the FJ show at MY LITTLE FRIENDS DAY CARE, which Vickie owns and operates. The kids were big FJ fans, and knew the cds backwards and forwards, singing along and requesting their favorite songs. In fact we did an encore concert the next day to do some of the songs I didn’t do the first day that they wanted to hear.

Maine is a lovely part of this world- mellow folks, temperate weather, and lots of abundant unspoiled nature. At the end of the run we had an old fashioned Maine lobster feast. (They call lobsters “sea bugs” and they are “wicked good”.) Shopping for them is half the fun, and half the price you pay outside of Maine! Nothing tops fresh Maine lobster.

Check out The Digbees "Stinky Blackwater" cds. You won’t be disappointed. Bruce has created an entire schitck based around the idea that The Beatles ripped off all their best ideas from a Liverpool policeman named Stinky Blackwater (in real life SB was the one who ran over John Lennons mum). As the “real” story unfolds, we all find out that Bruce in fact is the only surviving kin of Stinky Blackwater and has made 2 cds based on Stinky’s original ideas that the Beatles stole from him. Its genius.

Best

To his cost Farmer Jason discovers that you can't hypnotise lobsters!

August 19
Ellapolooza
Farmer Jason played Ella Williamson’s 3rd Birthday party. Her parents Rob and Sandra Williamson, used to listen to Farmer Jason’s brother’s band Jason and the Scorchers since the FERVOR days! There were 4 generations of the family at the party, and Farmer Jason did end up doing a few Scorchers songs, and a version on Guadalcanal Diary’s TRAIL OF TEARS. (Guadalcanal Diary was from Marietta and The Scorchers used to play their club THE STRAND back in the 80’s. Farmer Jason is still a huge fan of theirs.)
 
While the show was being booked, for a while it looked like it might not happen. This conversation occurred between father Rob and daughter Ella:
 
Dad: Ella, I am sorry to say that Farmer Jason may not be able to make it to your party.
 
Ella: Well, can we get Johnny Cash instead?


Farmer Jason with Ella and Hunter

Farmer Jason with Ella and her great grandma Bena Arvella Williamson, 93 years old.



Farmer Jason frantically tries to recall a Johnny Cash song or two.

5 August 2007
A Summer Of Love

It has been a marvelous summer. June started with the enormously successful Perry Baggs benefit concerts. All total, we raised close to 20k for his medical bills. The main Jason and the Scorchers reunion show June 2 was without a doubt one of the top five concerts we ever did. To see Perry up there again playing drums and singing his heart out, when we all knew he had been in the intensive care ward most of February and March, was totally inspiring in the best sense of that word. I’ll never forget it.

The next week I had the great pleasure of doing my third tour of Alaska. That place is Jason heaven. I loved every single moment of it. My favorite shows were well attended outdoor Farmer Jason concerts in Fairbanks and Homer. It sure is nice having real mountains and glaciers for a backdrop!!! After one show, since it is essentially light all “night”, I decided to climb a 6500 foot mountain north of Anchorage called Goat Mountain. I made it to the top at 1.00am, but I can tell you it took everything I had! Once at the top there wasn’t a sign of humanity to be seen. It was gorgeous. Somehow I made it back down in the gray semi-twilight, but I was sore for about a week!!!

On June 30 I played the Route 33 Rhythm and Brews 10 Year Anniversary Party in Wapakoneta Ohio. The Terri and Ron Lininger family have miraculously built up a fantastic live venue in rural Ohio, with a loyal audience for original music. As it happens Warner Hodges was there with his bands, so “spontaneously” (wink wink) we did a Jason and the Scorchers set. Fenner Castner played drums and Al Collins (Stacie Collins husband and bassist) filled in on bass. He rocked as an honorary Scorcher. Speaking of Stacie Collins, she is a fantastic live performer and harmonica player. I felt humbled. We should expect to see a lot more from her. Dan Baird, Terry Anderson, and The Drams also played and everyone delivered stellar sets, or maybe it was the perfect crowd that drove us all to our performance peak. They rocked from 7.00pm-4.00am, and gave every performer complete attention and respect.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of playing 2 shows sponsored by the Fairview Church in Yoder, Indiana. I grew up with their pastor Dan Horwedel, who was in my brother’s class. His Dad was our high school principal. It’s a true country church, bordered by corn and bean fields. Many in the audience were real farmers. To sing Oh Lonesome Prairie, actually looking out over a real prairie, was a religious experience for me. To top it off, many old fans came in from Ft Wayne and Indianapolis which created a really interesting chemistry. That is how Preacher Dan is; he brings folks together without pretense or judgment. Everyone got along perfectly and had a great time. The Farmer Jason show absolutely rocked, and afterwards we all got to take pony cart rides!!!

All the best

June 23, 2007
Jason & The Scorchers are headling the Asturias Crossroads Festival in Oviedo, Spain festival on Sept 8

www.crossroadfestival.es

May 7, 2007
In a review of the Stagecoach Festival in USA TODAY, the Farmer Jason show was singled out as one the the "Most Memorable Performances". Here's the review -

As the leader of Jason & The Scorchers, Jason Ringenberg created an unprecedented blend of country and punk. The Scorchers have been retired, but Jason's "twin brother" (wink, wink) has a record deal, goes by the name Farmer Jason, wears red Converse sneakers and overalls, and sings for children. Saturday afternoon, a tough-to-tune guitar didn't keep him from delighting kids as he sang of a "punk-rock skunk" and of a "guitar-pickin' chicken" who moves to Music City, "where the chicks are pretty."

	Famer Jason serenades the kids at What's Cookin' Jr in London, England. click image to view full gallery
	Farmer Jason & Boer Piet conspire at Rotown in Rotterdam, Holland click image to view full gallery

Stagecoach Festival offers Half-Pint Hootenanny

Farmer Jason joins friends Buck Howdy, the Bummkinn Band and more at the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, CA May 5 and 6. This is the first year for this country music version of Coachella, the renown music and arts festival created by Goldenvoice, and features the biggest names in country music and activities for the entire family. The "Half-Pint Hootenanny" makes Stagecoach the first festival to showcase a lineup of "country music for kids," demonstrating that pop isn't the only appealing kid's music genre.

MySpace.com/farmerjason

Farmer Jason has joined social networking site MySpace to provide an additional method of interaction with other artists and fans. The official Farmer Jason website remains www.farmerjason.com and is the best resource for all news and information, but if you have joined MySpace then please add Farmer Jason to your friends! Spread the seeds!

Rockin' The Awards!

"Rockin' In The Forest With Farmer Jason" is winner of two prestigious awards, a 2007 Parents' Choice Approved Award and The National Parenting Center's 2007 Seal of Approval. Go to http://www.tnpc.com to read the review.

February 23, 2007
Jason and the Scorchers to play Exit In June 2, 2007
Jason and the Scorchers, Nashville's legendary rockers, will reform for one concert only June 2, 2007 at the Exit In Nashville Tennessee. This will be a benefit concert, with all profits earmarked to help pay the medical expenses for Perry Baggs. Perry is courageously fighting diabetes and kidney failure, and is on dialysis 3 days a week. He is the original Scorcher's drummer, harmony singer, and songwriter of some of the band's biggest songs. His courage in the face of his illnesses is a great inspiration to many in the Nashville music community, as well as other diabetes and dialysis patients.

Health permitting, Perry does plan to play drums on some songs at the show, and sing harmony. Warner E. Hodges will be on guitar, Jason Ringenberg on vocals,   Fenner Castner on drums filling in for Perry as needed, Kenny Ames on bass, and possibly old Scorchers   Ken Fox and Andy York may make an appearance if their schedules permit.

The show will start promptly at 8.30. The band will do 2 sets.   For ticket info go to www.exitin.com

February 23, 2007
00.02:59 Records will release THE SANDINISTA PROJECT on May 1, a CLASH tribute, covering their landmark SANDINISTA album. Jason's contribution to the project is an achingly pure country duet with Kristi Rose on the punk disco track "Ivan Meets GI Joe". After three decades of dragging country songs kicking and screaming into the modern world, this time Jason is going in the opposite direction! Other artists on the two cd set include The Smithereens, Amy Rigby, Willie Nile, and Bill Lloyd. For info go to http://sandinista.guterman.com

February 5, 2007
The number one most added download in Europe and the USA on E MUSIC's "Daily Download" is none other than Sweden's Pontus Snibb dueting with Jason Ringenberg on Pontus's song "So The Story Goes" from his cd ADMIRAL STREET RECORDINGS. For more info on Pontuss Snibb go to www.pontussnibb.com. Scorcher fans may remember that Pontuss did a fantastic job filling in as the Scorcher's drummer at a Norwegian festival in 2003.

January 25, 2007
8.00pm Central Time the GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY cable channel will air a segment on Farmer Jason on Storme Warren's COUNTRY MUSIC ACROSS AMERICA show.

Jason, Suzy, Kelsey, Addie, and Camille Ringenberg
Paul Needham
Marie Arsenault

December 17, 2006
NRC, one of The Netherlands largest daily newspapers, gives ROCKIN' IN THE FOREST WITH FARMER JASON a 4 star review, calling it one of the most important children's cds of the year.

November 13, 2006
XM Kids radio will being running an interview with Farmer Jason by Kenny Curtis at 9.05am Eastern Time.

November 1, 2006
Stuart-Burns Elementary School, Burns Tennessee
Farmer Jason performed a show for the first graders and Stuart-Burns School, where his daughter Camille is a first grader. After the show he went to her class and wrote a song with them called HALLOWEEN. These kids were good songwriters!!

The lyrics:
I saw a spooky house on Halloween.
It was the spookiest house that I've ever seen!
Where a bat turned into a vampire queen.
Suddenly it chased me, and I started to scream!

TED AIRLINES to feature Farmer Jasons ROCKIN' IN THE FOREST WITH FARMER JASON on their in flight music service starting December 1 and lasting all month.

Sept 26, 2006
Harvest Time
Howdy my friends! Its harvest time in the Northern Hemisphere, and like all good farmers, Farmer Jason is busily harvesting cd sales! Today marks the release of ROCKIN' IN THE FOREST WITH FARMER JASON on Courageous Chicken/Lionsgate/ Kid Rhino Music, and I couldn't be happier about it. Thanks in large part to the production and instrumental genius of George Bradfute, I feel like this cd takes "family music" into a whole new dimension. Of course our primary goal was to entertain and educate youngsters, but we are already hearing from young at heart adults how much they love this cd. I truly feel like we are on to something special with this project.

As always, the www.farmerjason.com site has it reasonably priced, and I am happy to autograph and dedicate it however you like, just include instructions in the Pay Pal "Note to Seller" section. It also very directly supports my music in an immediate way. Also Amazon is offering it at a sale price for the next two weeks as well. They are being very supportive of Farmer Jason so if you wish to purchase it through retail channels they would be a good choice.

With the new Kid Rhino-Lionsgate deals, I am entering a bigger more complex business world but we still need your help and support. A review on AMAZON.COM would really help the cause, as well as postings about the record to any blog/web groups. Please talk it up, and get the word out to libraries, schools, coffeehouses etc. about Farmer Jason and ROCKIN' IN THE FOREST. You would be surprised how many successful Farmer Jason gigs have originated with fan involvement. Ditto for cd sales.

Changing the subject a bit, the recent live shows have been quite interesting. Last week I did a great house concert in Streetsboro, Ohio called Honky Tonk House Concert Series. The folks there really put on a nice event, and its all about the music. They are major music fans. Check them out at www.honkytonkhouseconcerts.com. I loved how the stage area was surrounded by Muhammad Ali fight pictures! Cool stuff, and anyone who still has the entire Phil Ochs LP collection is cool in my book.

Sunday I performed at the LIGHT THE NIGHT Walk for Leukemia and Lymphoma in Yardley, Pa. My own mother is a cancer survivor so it was all the more poignant for me to be part of the event. I did a Farmer Jason set then closed the night rocking with the local band Occasional Pi. They had worked up Honky Tonk Maniac from Mars, Self Sabotage, Harvest Moon, and James Deans Car and really did a bang up job. I was quite impressed and it was big fun rocking out with them. Jack Kolmansberger, one their guitarists is a friend and big supporter of my music. The day before we did a Farmer Jason show for his son Tyler's second birthday. It was the first FJ show I have done where the kids chanted FARMER JASON FARMER JASON FARMER JASON until I went on. Could it be the prelude of things to come?

All the best

a.k.a Jason the Farmer

ANARCHY IN THE PRE-K! Farmer Jason's brand new album Rockin' In The Forest With Farmer Jason is released on September 26 on Kid Rhino To read the press release and for more information visit our new Rockin' In The Forest pages here And for a sneak peak of all the forest fun, check out the video to Forest Rhymes using the links below! Windows users - Windows Media 33mb Mac users - Quicktime 33mb

August 1, 2006

The Pennslyvania tourist department is currently featuring Jason's thoughts on Pa on their visitPA website. You can read what Jason has to say here.

I had a great little New England run last week thanks to my friend in Maine Bruce Hilton and his family. Bruce’s band The DIGBEES (check them out at www.digbees.com backed me up in Dover and we had a rocking time. They also treated me to a Native American Pow Wow and to fresh Maine lobster, one of my favorite foods.

More transitions: While in Berwick Maine I went to a convenience store where a little 4 year old boy comes up to me and says: “Are you FARMER JASON?” This is the first time I had been publicly recognized as Farmer Jason so my ego was puffing out like a spring rooster. It was a monumental event in my life. Then he said: “My older brother thinks you are stupid.” As the Romans said, “All glory is fleeting.” Indeed. Later that day when entering the pow wow the lady at the gate asked if I was a senior citizen! I think I will delay that transition!

On a career level, things are really looking up with the FARMER JASON children’s music character I created 3 years ago. The new cd ROCKING IN THE FOREST WITH FARMER JASON is finished and attracting interest already. I just signed a publishing deal with LIONSGATE MUSIC in Hollywood. They won the BEST PICTURE Oscar for their film CRASH last year. After years of having to do everything myself, it is quite nice to have some corporate help. June 3 we are shooting a video for one of the new songs FOREST RHYMES. Lionsgate already has record companies fighting for the cd rights. We expect a fall 2006 or winter 2007 release. I am loving all this. We have a long ways to go to make this truly viable, but I do feel we are on the right road to better things.

On a sadder note, the American house concert scene lost one of its pioneer’s Tim Kimrey. Tim was a gem of fellow. Afflicted with a terrible nerve disease similar to MS, he brought the world to his house by putting on amazing house concerts called THE AFTERNOON NAP. His living room was decked out with stage lights and big open ceilings. The shows were always packed and Tim had a great gift for making musicians feel appreciated and respected. I did 2 JR shows with him. He even had the moxey to put on 2 sold out Farmer Jason shows at his local community center. I’ll never forget how he smiled that day, watching those kids rock out at his shows. My sympathies go out to Tim’s family, Vicki Knoffler, Tim, Charlie, Steve, Jen, Tom, Phyllis, and all his friends who volunteered their time to help put on those wonderful Afternoon Nap shows.

Closer to home, I would like to talk about someone who passed on from my ancestral home area of Sheffield, Illinois. Although I doubt that words can truly do John Cessna justice, I’ll give it a try. The Cessnas are neighbors of ours, living 3 miles away as the crow flies, near Mineral, Illinois, the closest town to Sheffield. Old Coal Creek runs through both our farms. John was a small farmer and did backhoe work as well. They lived in the same house that his wife Dorothy (a saint of a woman) was born in. On this old farm they raised NINE children. It was and still is a magical farm full of ancient farm implements, antique tools, old fashioned play areas, gardens, and grandchildren. My kids love visiting the Cessnas. They were great friends of my parents, and later in life I had become very close to John. We shared a love of that little corner of west Bureau County- its hidden treasures and its history.

Every week now it seems another of the old farmers in that Sheffield-Mineral area passes away, almost always from natural causes. That generation and its culture are fast disappearing. My own father is still farming at 82, but he is an anachronism at this point. John did not die of natural causes; he was killed in a construction accident. He was 74.

Why should I tell y’all about this man? Simply put, aside from my family, I can’t think of anyone I admire or would choose to emulate more than John Cessna. He was a giant man physically, and in his personality. He was undoubtedly the jolliest man God ever made, always laughing and quick with a good story or joke. He would walk into a room and immediately the atmosphere would lighten up. He was the walking embodiment of positive energy and thinking, without even trying. Think a combination of Santa Claus (in fact he was), Will Rodgers, Pope John Paul, and maybe Bob Hope and you might come close to getting the essence of John. I have known some of the biggest stars in the entertainment world, along with senators and business giants, and none have or will ever impress me as deeply as that simple farmer from the prairie. His home and heart was always open to anyone. His memory for remembering people and the details of their lives was astonishing. My Farmer Jason character is based a bit on his personality.

His funeral and wake matched the man and his memory. They lost count at 800 folks at the wake. Mind you the town of Mineral has a population of only 300! I lost count of the folks from every walk of life who said stuff like: “John was one of my closest friends.” After a while it became mildly comical. Boy he had a lot of close friends! At the funeral, his children and grandchildren filled a quarter of the church by themselves. Every priest who had ever known him was there. At one point, one of John’s friends entered the church dressed as a homeless man, offering the only thing he could give us, his tears, then waved goodbye to us. He even looked a bit like John, and John had created and performed that skit many times himself. It will forever remain in my memory. Everyone sang ON EAGLES WINGS at the end of the service and everyone was of one mind and heart. This outpouring was not for a man who was rich, “important”, or famous. It came from the hearts of those who were touched by the giant heart of this giant man. If you want to measure true goodness, start with John Cessna. He is the template.

January 19, 2006
As some of you may be aware Farmer Jason and I are HUGE fans of our fellow Yep Roc label mates Th' Legendary Shack*Shakers. So it was with great concern that we found out that Shack*Shakers guitarist David Lee, was recently injured in a hit-and-run accident.

He's written the following message to his fans, followed by a note from (Shack*Shakers frontman) Col. J.D. Wilkes about how you can help with the medical expenses, which can take a heavy toll on a hard-working musician.Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006"Just to let everyone know...I was hit by a car yesterday while on a 100-mile bicycle ride. They hit and ran. I suffered cuts to my face (about 40 stitches worth, split my upper lip in half) and knocked out two teeth. The doctors finished working on me about 6 last night. I'm home and doing surprisingly well. No broken bones and the hands are fine.I should be back to normal next week so there is plenty of time to rest before the tour and new record come out. Thanks to those who have already emailed... I'll keep you posted - Love David Lee"

"Well, the story's not over. The medical and dental bills are starting to pile up on ole D.L. But here's how you can help. Those with Paypal accounts can simply email a donation to David at gobabygomusic@hotmail.com or go to http://www.pompadorks.com. Thanks for your time and charity - Col. J.D. Wilkes."

January 5, 2006
We will sortly have new supplies of Jason's 'Original Roots - Punk Barnstormer' T-Shirts back in stock, in medium, large, xl and xxl sizes. The perfect gift for the discerning rocker in your family pre-order the perfect early Valentines or Easter gift now.

January 5, 2006
Whilst clearing out his attic recently, Jason came across a hither to undiscovered stash of old CDs, LPs and other goodies, which we are making available to you via our new Jason's Rockin' Garage Sale page.

These items are new and in good to fair condition, but some of the LPs and CDs are not shrink wrapped and may be marked Promotional Copy etc. Supplies are strictly limited so get 'em while they're hot.



Also unearthed at the same time were new stocks of One Foot In The Honky Tonk CD's and promo posters, which we've added to the main store page.

January 5, 2006
Supporters of the legacy of scientist-humanitarian Buckminster Fuller have released a tribute cd called DOME SESSIONS to help pay for the renovation of one of Fuller's geodisc domes in Carbondale, Illinois. Fuller was a professor at Southern Illinois University for a time. Jason went to college there in 1979-1981 and donated a track to the cd that he wrote called BUCKMINSTER FULLER WE NEED YOU NOW. For more info go to www.buckysdome.org

December 11 , 2005

Five year old Boone Hood recently treated Farmer Jason to an excellent rendition of HARD LUCK BOY. He sang it perfectly, even hitting all the vocal accents and tags from Jason Ringenberg's version of the song off of ONE FOOT IN THE HONKY TONK. Farmer Jason was delighted and allegedly said: "Gee Boone you sing that much better than my brother, although that isn't saying much..."

November 26, 2005

A punk rock institution, CBGB's, is in danger of being closed down, yet another Price of Progress. Here is a link to an organization trying to fight the process. Lets all do what we can.

November 26, 2005



Link Wray Remembered
It has been heartening to see folks lining up honor the memory of Link Wray, as it should be. I am profoundly thankful now that I wrote and recorded the song to him on EMPIRE BUILDERS. I sent him a copy of it of course, and was delighted that he got it and felt honored. It was my honor.

I do have great memories of Link. During the mid 80s, at the high water mark for JATS, we did a lot of shows in Denmark. All those years we walked on to the stage to his DIXIE DOODLE. He had heard this and start coming out to our shows and hanging out with us, especially with Jeff Johnson and our road manager Ronnie Douglas. They were both huge Link fans. His jam with us at Roskilde Festival was one of band’s high points. I was delighted we had a tape of it for the WILDFIRES AND MISFIRES cd.

Much is now being said of Link, and there is little I can add in terms of his history and accomplishments. Yes he was one of THE guitar pioneers who somehow kept his sense of “cool” all the way into his 70s. That in itself deserves recognition.

However, let me tell you what I think his most unique accomplishment is: Link Wray rocked like the devil (small d) but somehow still honored his Christ. I know no one else who so successfully and consistently did this. I will never forget him sitting with a table of nihilist punk rockers in 1985 and emphatically stating that he wore the Cross not as a fashion statement but because he was a Believer. This made the deepest impression on me.

Link is now rocking Heaven with thunderous power cords.

November 26, 2005
Wednesday November 30. National Public Radio's MORNING EDITION will air a feature on Stace Englands cd GREETINGS FROM CAIRO. JR guested on a track called PROSPERITY TRAIN, a Stace England composition that George Bradfute recorded and produced.

The cd is a concept cd about the infamous Cairo Illinois, the southernmost "northern" town located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. JR fully recommends this cd to anyone with a love of history and good roots music.

November 6, 2005
Nordic Love Warms My Heart
I have spent the last six weeks in the lovely Northern climes, first in Alaska and then lovely Scandinavia. Again, I was completely awed by Alaska and its unforgiving beauty. It still is America’s Last Wilderness, but after a day out getting back to nature now you can go back to a comfortable hotel with internet access! I spent a bit of time exploring the environs around Fairbanks, which until 30 years ago was essentially a mining town. I was amazed to see much of the old mining equipment and vehicles just rusting away where they were last used, once the Gold lust was slaked or gave out.

Scandinavia, once again treated me right. Norway was first, and since I had been reading an excellent biography of Fridtjof Nansen, the great Polar explorer and Norwegian statesman at the turn of the 20th century, I was well primed and ready. After spending 2 agonizing days stuck at JFK I landed in Oslo and went straight to the first Farmer Jason show to non-English speaking kids. Erik from the Kampen Bistro, also known as “The Sioux Cowboy” translated for me and we had a marvelous time. Erik fit the bill perfectly as Farmer Jason’s sidekick, dressed to the part with a cowboy hat and boots. The cute little blonde haired, blue eyed Norwegian children loved it and crowed perfectly during GUITAR PICKIN CHICKEN. That night I did a show with BIG TRUCK backing me up. They were fantastic musicians and played the old Scorcher standards to the T, while still somehow adding their own take on the material. The show at Gamla reminded me of a good mid-80s JATS gig. The crowd knew all the songs and would even sing many of them when we weren’t playing! Once I had to spontaneously do SHOP IT AROUND because they were singing it so loudly!

A few days later I landed in Tromso north of the Artic Circle. I didn’t expect much from the gig but to my surprise they had a pretty vibrant music scene there. We had a full house, and many of them were very aware of my solo and JATS material. It was a lovely time to be north of the Circle, just before the onslaught of winter.

The Swedish tour went equally well. Most of the tour I stayed at my agent Olof and Gry Wikestrom’s turn of the century barn in their back yard in Hultsfred. The smells of that old building reminded me of my Grandma’s house. Earlier this year I had helped them weed their garden and this time I helped dig massive grand champion sized potatoes. It did my heart good. They even took me for a ride in a single prop Cessna out over the Swedish countryside.

The tour ended in Finland, the home of some of JATS greatest shows. I did feel the ghosts of the old times at Tavastia Club in Helsinki, one of the last remaining great rocknroll rooms left in the world. The JATS show there in 1985 is still listed as one of the best Finnish rock shows in history. It was my first solo show there, and once again the magic came alive. One tiny little Finnish girl bought the last T shirt, an extra large. I told her it was an extra large and she said “I know this, but I want to support your music. We need you.” It’s that kind of thing that keeps me in this crazy bizz.

2005



Silent Night - Unholy Racket!
Scorchers contibute track to Alt-Country Christmas Benefit Album.

Jason and the guys recently contributed a brand new track for the Gary Tallent produced holiday benefit CD, To Kate: A Benefit For Kate's Sake. The Scorchers featuring: Warner - gtr, Jason - vox, Kenny Ames - bass, Fenner Castner - drums, Perry Baggs - harmony vox, cut what Jason describes as basically "a pretty heavy rock version of O, Holy Night"

The album put together by Nashville based E Street Band bassist and Southern Gentleman Garry Tallent, features an incredible roster of Americana artists and proceeds will go to the Children's Organ Transplant Association (see www.forkatessake.org for more information on COTA, as well as the story of Nashville's Kate Kirk, afflicted with Niemann-Pick Disease Type A/B).

As well as The Scorchers the CD features all previously unreleased material from the likes of Buddy Miller ("Away in a Manger"), BR-549 (a Western-swing "The Christmas Song"), Steve Earle, Joe Ely, John Prine and more. Tallent plays on half of the songs on the record - including a Rosie Flores original, which features backing by his Nashville-based cover band The Long Players. The full track listing is -

1. BR549 - The Christmas Song
2. Jim Lauderdale - Holly & Her Mistletoe
3. Buddy & Julie Miller - Away In A Manger
4. The Big Happy - Gift Wrapped Boy
5. Bob Delevante - Half Bad In The Snow
6. John Corbett - Ain't No Trouble To Me
7. Joe Ely - Winterlude
8. Jason & The Scorchers - O, Holy Night
9. Raul Malo - Pretty Paper
10. Steve Earle & Allison Moorer - Nothing But a Child
11. Henry Gross - What A Christmas
12. Rosie Flores - Christmas Everyday
13. John Prine - I'll Be Home for Christmas
14. Jeff Black - Winter Wonderland

The CD is in stores now. Click here to purchase from Paste Music

By way of a footnote Jason wanted to point out that Scorchers fans shouldn't read this as a return to active service by JATS.

2005

October 5, 2005 Major action backstage at Farmer Jasons recent appearence at The Far North Conservation Film Festival at the University of Alaska Campus in Fairbanks when Farmer Jason got to meet local hero the Blue Goose. Rumours that the Goose might have a guest slot on the next Farmer Jason album are so far unconfirmed. Thanks to Shannon Nelson for the pic.

September 2, 2005
Farmer Jason Goes International (Harvester)
That dopey twin brother of mine is now moving into my territories overseas! This past tour of the UK and Ireland he did shows at the Tartan Heart Festival in Scotland, Dublin and Dundalk Ireland and played to venues full of cute little Scottish and Irish kids. This is getting old. I am so jealous.

I did have some good experiences over the pond too though, it spite of my simmering jealousy towards my twin brother. The hotel I stayed at during the Tartan Heart Festival in Belladrum Scotland was situated among some of Scotland's finest walking trails, including 400 year old forests. It was Jason Heaven. I had a marvelous time and the shows at that festival were over the top. I truly fell in love with Scotland on that trip.

The summer USA and Canadian shows have been a hoot as well. The Winnipeg Folk Festival is one of the worlds best and run mostly by 3000 volunteers. In spite of the 100F/38C degree heat and rain everyone was so gentle and mellow. I don't think I saw a single case of radical drunkeness or obvious drug use. Everyone was there for the music.

In Baltimore I played a real pie shop called Dangerously Delicious Pies. The gig was cool and boy did I love the homemade pies!

This last weekend at Plymouth North Carolina I did the Swamp Jam house concert, and Farmer Jason did one as well. I stayed with the promoter Robbie Bowen's dad, Billy Bowen. Sunday morning he took me for a ride in his restored Model T. It was my first experience in a Model T and I can see why it was so popular. They are marvels of simplicity. I loved watching Billy operate all the levers and pedals. At the Farmer Jason show Farmer Jason asked the kids "So what do you need to do to take care of your pets?" There were several of the standard answers: "Feed them, water them" etc then one little girl hollered out "You have to fix them!" It took old Farmer Jason everything he had to keep from busting out in laughter.

For you Washington state folks be sure to check my dates page for some late booked shows in that area, especially the Bainbridge Island Farmer Jason show.



Rancher, musician and lackey to Farmer Jason

June 30, 2005
Euro Hillbilly
Howdy friends. It’s a hot day in Bon Aqua Tennessee. Even the tomatoes are wilting under the sun’s relentless attack. The kids have ventured to the pool and I have retreated to the cool confines of my tiny office.

This has been a very Eurocentric year for me, as I expected it would be. Before the year is out I will have made 5 trips over the pond. I suppose I should list some high points:

I think the most surreal moment was in Galicia, Spain. I was walking to the sound check when I heard out in the street REBEL FLAG IN GERMANY in the distance. Then around the bend came an old pick up truck with posters of yours truly glued to the bed and a giant old fashioned PA system blasting out EMPIRE BUILDERS. I guess their idea of promotion worked. We did have a good crowd…

Another favorite gig was the Burleson, England Farmer Jason show. This was held at a camp for physically and mentally challenged kids and boy did they come to rock! We had a marvelous time. Some of the kids couldn’t talk or move very much but they all found a way to participate in the music. We made up quick little songs on the spot and sang them loud as God would let us. All this happened in a beautifully wooded old English park/camp. I have to say it was one of my favorite gigs in my life. The local promoter, John Roberts even joined in on spoons.

Last weeks Scandinavian festivals in Sweden and Finland were great successes. These were the biggest festivals in those countries and it was a rush to play to those big audiences again. Believe it or not Marilyn Manson and Slipknot headlined both shows. Yea Marilyn Manson, Slipknot, and Jason Ringenberg. I was on the same flights as Slipknot, a huge multiplatinum death theater metal band. Their singer had actually been a bouncer at the JATS show in Des Moines years ago (the gig where I almost got electrocuted playing harmonica on the bar). They were really quite friendly fellows, except when they were gambling. I saw several thousand Euros change hands while they were waiting in the line to board one of the flights! Next week I am taking Farmer Jason to the Winnipeg Folk Fest. I am doing Farmer Jason and JR shows, as well as hosting some seminars. I think I will have one of the subjects be: “ How To Relate to Death Metal Bands and Still Remain a Humble Hillbilly.”

Your humble hillbilly,

May 7, 2005
Lighthouses Rock Too! - The Dunnett Lighthouse Concert was absolute magic. It was in the engine room of the Dunnett Lighthouse, the northernmost point on the British mainland. I walked about the cliffs right before my show, ambled on stage as the sunset, and rocked to a full house. Folks came from all over the region. The nearest big city to it is Inverness Scotland, 150 miles away. The next nearest city might be Reykavick Iceland!!!

Best,

"The big drawing card ... is its roster of country and bluegrass music stars seen in performance snippets and relating anecdotes about growing up amid the region's mountains and hollows...
Riveting final film interview with Johnny Cash and his daughter Rosanne Cash" - Washington Times

The Soundtrack:
"A must have album. This is what 'Oh Brother' should have been!" - Country Music Facts & News

"This collection is perhaps the most representative of the region and heritage of any I've heard." - Ink19

"The selection of songs found here is an authentic document of the sounds of Appalachia." - MetroBeat

March 20, 2005
An exclusive version of Jason's song 'Half The Man' appears on a new UK compilation 'Caught in the Net'. The thirty track album features exclusive material by artists such as Robyn Hitchcock, Caitlin Cary, Chuck Prophet, Tom Ovans, Rod Picott and Ronny Elliot. The album is the first release from Spyda Records and same people behind UK online radio staion Sypdaradio. 10% of the proceeds will go to the charity Big Issue International to benefit homeless people the world over. Check out the press release below for more details...

PRESS RELEASE
Win a Trip to the “Live Music Capital of the World” when you buy ‘Caught in the Net’ - Spyda Record’s debut compilation album.Every sale of the album will automatically enter the purchaser's email address into this fantastic draw for a holiday for two at the famous ‘Austin City Limits Music Festival’ in Austin Texas from 22nd September 2005 to 26th September 2005. The prize will include flights from anywhere in the world, five nights accommodation in a hotel close to the famous ‘Sixth Street’ in Austin and passes for the three day Festival. The total prize is worth in excess of £2000!

Situated in beautiful Zilker Park in downtown Austin, next to the Colorado River, the Festival features Seven Stages with over One Hundred live acts. The typical laid-back Austin atmosphere makes this one of the best festival–going experiences in the world.
Spyda Records are limiting this offer to the first 4000 albums sold - the draw will be held at the famous London venue ‘The Borderline’ in July 2005

'Caught in the Net' features thirty highly acclaimed artists who are supported by SpydaRadio, otherwise largely ignored by the mainstream. The majority of the tracks featured are exclusive to this release and have been kindly donated by the artist.

And… there’s a further incentive, as if you need it! 10% of the proceeds will be donated to The Big Issue International to benefit homeless people the world over. John Bird MBE, founder of The Big Issue, commented, "Spyda Records should be congratulated for three simple reasons, one for creating such an amazing and original project, two for compiling such powerful and innovative music and three for supporting us in our work. So get out there and buy it!"
So three good reasons to buy ‘Caught in the Net’:
1) Thirty tracks of great music.
2) 10% of the sale price will help the homeless.
3) A less than four thousand to one chance to win a trip for two to the “Austin City Limits Festival”, worth over £2000.

Buy direct from Spyda Records

March 16, 2005
Howdy! There is a new cd coming out called GREETINGS FROM CAIRO. It a serious song history of that storied town at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. For those of you you don't know, Cairo is the geographically the southernmost "northern" town in the USA. It was the first town most of the Delta bluesmen who travelled from the delta to Chicago were allowed to sit anywhere on the bus or drink from a public water fountain. Ironically it also has an extrordinarily violent history of race relationships, including riots in the 60s, huge white supremacist activity in the 19th and 20th centuries, and an instance where both a white and black man were lynched on the same day.

I was contacted by the projects producer Stace England, a Southern Illinois singer-songwriter, about guesting on a song and jumped at the chance. Although Stace was essentially a stranger at the time, the fact that he grew up on an Illinois hog farm too was all it took! I sing on a track called PROSPERITY TRAIN. Its about the decline of the Cairo commercial main street from a "midwest Vegas" to an absolutely rundown abandoned ghost street. It is one of the spookiest places I have ever haunted and I am no stranger to that kind of expercience. Anyway, me and George Bradfute cut the song and I am happy with how it came out, and proud to be part of a project this deep and historically important.

I stand no financial gain in promoting this cd, I do it to help a good cause. The cd will be released April 19 but Stace England is now offering it on his website www.staceengland.com. That is the easiest and best place to buy it and will help the project the most.

Best,

January 6, 2005
Howdy friends. Just thought y'all might like to see this posting I made to "the Soup", a Jason and the Scorchers email discussion group. Perry has a pretty neat thing going with his Shotgun Club band -

Hey Soupers,

I caught Perry's show at the Exit In and it was very good. He has put together a great band, although Hank lll wasn't on drums. Rob the bass player comes right out of the Jeff Johnson miminalism school and the guitarist Ebo is a Warner fan, and a good player. The drummer Dave is the fellow from the Cactus Brothers and one of the best rock drummers in Nashville.

They did several Scorcher songs- Victory Road, White Lies, Shotgun Blues as well as some new originals. I sat in on Honky Tonk Blues and did the harmonies. That was a fun turnabout! Their version of Shotgun Blues and Victory Road were over the top- absolutely brilliant. In fact Perry's vocal performance on Shotgun Blues topped any version I ever sang of it. He gave it a whole new life and meaning. Imagine Bon Scott on moonshine singing it and that will give you an idea.

Overall I was quite proud of Perry and enjoyed the show immensely. He was very comfortable and charismatic as the frontman and went over well. He also has found a very committed group of players to flesh out his song ideas and energies. They are good country rockers and understand the magic of Perry and his music. I expect he will do well with this. He deserves that.

Best,