TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH JASON REEVES By: Fridae Mattas Jason Reeves, do you know who he is? If not where have you been? This young man is well on his way to revolutionizing the future wave of music. Recently getting a production deal with MajorLabelScout.com and is currently working with MySpace’s Top Unsigned Artist Colbie Caillat. At such a young age Jason has achieved so much and has such an incredible gift of music. I have been observing Jason’s growth the minute I played his third LP “Nervous Mind of Love”. There was something about him that I instantly liked and it was incredibly refreshing to see at how musically inclined he was at such a young age. From there I saw potential for many bright possibilities in his future. This is an interview of twenty questions answered by Jason in his own words, I like to keep it about the music, no gossip questions asked by me thanks! Musicians honor to the grave! Fridae: “We will start things off with a little self – promotion, pimp yourself to the world Jason.” Jason: “Ha Ha I’m not sure how to pimp myself out. I am just a simple boy that writes simple songs about simple things. I believe in love and beauty, which is fading.”
Fridae: “What was it that made you decide you wanted to pursue a career in music?” Jason: “I've always loved music, and wanted to be Michael Jackson when I was a kid. However, it was Bob Dylan and James Taylor that really made me want to write songs and play music for that matter. It’s about communication through song and honest connection with people.”
Fridae: “How did you start out in the business? Was your family supporting you or were you on your own? Jason: “My family played and still plays a huge part in me doing this. They are incredibly supportive and have been since the beginning. I do not know if I would be able to do it without them. Love from family is something all together standing on its own.”
Fridae: “Who is Jason Reeves? Give us a little something from you about you.” Jason: “It's really hard to say what I am or who I am. I hope I am still just a child and that I don't get dull and buried by imaginary things over time. I am just a dreamer that likes getting lost beneath trees and running up mountainsides and being in love. Life is about adventure and letting go. I just like singing songs and being with the people that mean the most to me. I feel like I am only a transmission device, it is as if my writing comes from somewhere outside of me and that it exists for a reason.”
Fridae: “Where did all this talent come from? Does music flow through your blood or are you a one of a kind in your family?” Jason: “Music definitely flows in my family, with my mother singing and my father playing the guitar. I have always been around music and them playing it. I suppose I’m just the mixed up pieces of them both.”
Fridae: “I have read that your High School won a Grammy, tell me about that because I did not know schools could win a Grammy!” Jason: “My High School actually won three or four Grammy’s we were the first school to ever win two years in a row. I did not know that could happen until the foundation came to our school one day with a trophy and had all of us sing for them. I was extremely lucky to be involved with that program. Chorus and my teachers were a big part of developing me as a singer.”
Fridae: “What are you currently working on? Jason: “Right now I’m in the middle of recording my 4th record, which is a love story from before it begins until after it ends. I am also in the studio working with Colbie Caillat on her first record, as well as an acoustic album we recorded together on the mountains, the beaches and in the magnificent wilderness of California.”
Fridae: “You have been accomplishing a lot on your own, what drives you to achieve?” Jason: “Guess I just know exactly what I want to do and am lucky to have the clarity to see it. Writing and playing music is all I feel I should be doing right now. I take it very seriously and give it all I am. If you don't feel passion for something, you are lost in the dark.”
Fridae: “Where do you find the inspiration for your songs? Is there a muse?” Jason: “Every single little thing is inspiring, there is too much beauty and it is sometimes sitting silently. Graceful angelic girls under clouds and trees and flying stars, eyes and smiles and touching hearts, it all being given and taken back away again. Love and breathing in, with the world.”
Fridae: “What was the worst performance you have had?” Jason: “Ha Ha I’m not sure what my worst performance was, but right at the beginning of my first show in LA, I broke a string and had to play the rest of the set without it. I guess it was just a rough introduction into this insane city.”
Fridae: “Most artists are their own worst critic and end up being very hard on themselves, do you put immense pressure on yourself? Jason: “I definitely put pressure on myself to always get better and to work harder than I am. I am also really critical about everything I write and play. It is a very strange and vulnerable feeling to put your songs out there for people to listen to, and it's hard not to worry what they think.”
Fridae: “What was your best performance?” Jason: “It’s too hard for me to tell how shows go. Sometimes I feel bad about something that people really like or sometimes a show feels good and you don't get an amazing response. But every show is starting to feel better and better, and hopefully my best ones are always being beaten.”
Fridae: “Do you have or have you had any mentors, if so who and why?” Jason: “I definitely have! When I was just starting to write, my friends played a huge role in my learning, especially with playing guitar. A songwriter from Iowa City named J.J. Alberhasky, he was an incredible inspiration and I owe a lot of it to him. He is still amazing.”
Fridae: “What are your dreams?” Jason: “My dreams are endless and intricately laced through my "reality". I want to make music, to love and to live life as purely and as brilliantly as I possibly can. I want to keep money away from my mind and have somebody to believe in, to make art for genuine reasons. And to always be surrounded by friends and family.”
Fridae: “You have had a pretty interesting 2006 what were some of the highlights?” Jason: “2006 was pretty amazing, I am lucky to have found an incredible manager and friend in Ken Kronguard, who has helped me an indescribable amount. Colbie and I have been playing very cool venues like The House of Blues in Hollywood and The Living Room in New York. Everything is just starting to take off with my music really, writing and beginning to record my new record has been the best yet. I am very excited to get back in the studio and finish it! Also Colbie is now the Number 1 unsigned artist on Myspace, and I am lucky to write and work with her.”
Fridae: “Now that it is 2007 what do you hope for more than anything in this new year?” Jason: “1 hope, everything just keeps getting better for me this year. I want to get the new record out and be on tour most of the time, and for my music to get out to as many people as possible.”
Fridae: “What pointers do you have for aspiring artists? Jason: “Well I am still learning and figuring everything out. But you have to figure out what it is you want, and you can't let anything get in your way. You just have to do what you want to do instead of wondering or worrying how. Give yourself to your dreams and they might give themselves back to you.”
Fridae: “What is one thing that you want people to know about you? Jason: “That I'm just looking for love like everybody else is. I want people to know that they can dream and dance and not be tied down by money or the crazy rush of the new world. That bombs and bullets will never speak the same language, and need to stop being used as a means of communication. And that there is beauty hiding outside the city walls, infinitely shining.”
Fridae: “You have several albums out tell us all of them, which one would you say is your favorite.” Jason: “Yes I have Four out right now, one being an EP. ‘Castle Cowboys and Boot-Dancin' Horses' was my first, then 'Makeshift Aircraft' and 'The Nervous Mind of Love,' all of which were recorded very simply in Iowa. My most recent is called 'Hearts Are Magnets.' The EP is compiled of the first group of songs I recorded in California when I moved out here and it has an amazing cast of players and producers. My favorite one though, has to be the new record that I am still in the middle of recording. I have it all written and I am more excited about it than anything I have done yet!”
Fridae: “I have noticed how much you have grown from Makeshift to Hearts Are Magnets and you continue to grow, have you noticed the difference? Jason: “I have definitely noticed a difference between then and now. I was really just starting out and teaching myself when I recorded 'Makeshift.' and I have learned so much in the past two years, about writing and recording and playing in general. It has been an incredible ride and I am beyond lucky to have worked with the people I have worked with so far. I hope that it is still the beginning though, hopefully I have just started to learn and it will be something that never has time to stop. “It is all about never giving yourself the chance to give up.”.”
Nicely said Jason, I hope all of you reading this go out and experience The Jason! Just listen and you will understand what some of us already know. Go to the below links to check out Jason Reeve’s tunes, people run!! Jason is on FIRE catch this shooting star early before the bandwagon jumpers hop on!! MySpace.com - Jason Reeves - IOWA CITY, Iowa - Acoustic / Alternative / Folk - www.myspace.com/jasonreeves CD Baby: JASON REEVES: hearts are magnets MySpace.com - Colbie Caillat & Jason Reeves - Thousand Oaks, California - Acoustic / Alternative / Folk - www.myspace.com/colbieandjason Cityzen.tv- The Culture + Industry Magazine 
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JASON REEVES
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