Jason Blaine Biography

“I love creating. I love the idea that every time we hear a song on the radio at one point somebody sat down, just as I sat down, and wrote a song.”

Jason Blaine picked up guitar at age 8 and started writing songs at 16, around the time he joined his father and brother onstage in their “hobby” band.  Country was a natural direction for him. “My parents always had country music on,” he says.  “I never liked anything hard or anything that made me feel angry, but I definitely grew to like rock, like AC/DC’s Back In Black.”

Although he knew he wanted to be a musician, Jason followed his friends to college as “the thing to do.” He graduated from the business program at Ottawa’s Algonquin College, and then decided on a career in music, but the degree has proved useful. “It gave me a lot of tools to run my own business and help me in the decision making process,” Jason says.

Signing a publishing deal and moving  to Music City (Nash Vegas to his friends), Jason learned a lot about song writing — or at least the way he feels most comfortable composing songs.

“Right now, I’m focusing on writing; gathering up ideas and turning them into something very goal-driven, writing with a sense of purpose” he explains. “I do enjoy the co-writing process, I always have a list of ideas, but it’s a process that takes some getting used to; walking in, meeting a complete stranger and having a personal conversation about whatever we’re going to be writing about.”

His independent full-length debut, While We Were Waiting, comprised of songs he wrote during and after college, came out in 2005 and included the Top 25 singles “Heartache Like Mine”, “While We Were Waiting” and “What I Can’t Forget.” The album was re-released in 2006 on Icon Records. The follow-up, Make My Move, came out two years later on Koch (now eOne) and hit the Top 5 on the Canadian country album chart. The five singles included the Top 10 “Rock In My Boot” and Top 5 “Flirtin’ With Me.”

For his third album, Sweet Sundown, Jason returned to the mill of songwriters he collaborated with on Make My Move, including Willie Mack and Noah Gordon. “It’s all about the right chemistry. People have something to offer and it’s fun. Out of the conversation usually turns out a great song. I’ve had the whole idea come out of our morning coffee conversations!”

Sweet Sundown, dug a little deeper than 2008’s fun-filled Make My Move. From dealing with life as a touring musician to saying thank you to the peacekeepers overseas, the Canadian country singer-songwriter decided to get a bit more serious.

“I didn’t want to completely recreate my last record,” says Jason, 29, a native of Pembroke, Ontario.  “I wanted half the record to be what fans might expect, what I like, what works live and fun, such as ‘Hillbilly Girl,’ but I wanted to have more dimensions to my music and that’s where ‘Heroes’ come from.”

For his new album, Life So Far, Jason has pushed himself more than ever before. 

“Song writing used to be easy until I got better at it,” he says. “You learn how good something needs to be and the attention to detail. There’s a difference between a good song and a really, really good song.”

On Life So Far, there are many really, really good songs. The R&B groove of “Ain’t It Just Like Love”  — co-written with Road Hammer  Clayton Bellamy and featuring the background vocal talents of Ms Bekka Bramlett (Eric Clapton’s god-daughter); “Cool”, an up-tempo summer anthem penned with buddy Deric Ruttan, with all the ear marks of being that “roll down the window and crank up the volume” song that has you singing along at the stop light!

But there is also great depth in songs like “They Don’t Make Em’ Like That Anymore”, a tribute to Jason’s grandfather, a man of virtue, conscience and humility who has been a great influence in Jason’s life.  “Til’ The Sun Burns Out” is the wedding sentiment that he has always wanted to write for his own bride while “You Can” is an inspirational song for his young children, and all children, urging them to dream and then make their dreams come true.

“I feel like I've been given some really great gifts musically, like this is really what I'm meant to be doing. It’s very satisfying to look back at the work that I’ve done knowing that I’ve been creating it, building it and to see the way that songs touch people. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not thankful for being able to live my dream.”

Life So Far is indeed a collection of songs about family, relationships, good times and memories that reflect an air of maturity in his writing craft and a sense of being at peace in his world.

 

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