NEWS ARCHIVE - 2004

NEWS ARCHIVE - 2003

NEWS ARCHIVE - 2002

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