1973. Being the son of a US military man meant that
Jason moved around the world during his entire childhood.
This constant upheaval helped to breed a rebelliousness
and loneliness in Jason that would later help to fuel his
music.
Jason has been musical since he was a young child.
Both of his parents played the guitar and sang, and this
fostered musical expression in his household. Throughout
primary school, Jason was in band and choir.
choirs. He began leading worship his Junior year in college. He enjoyed
playing in front of small groups of 20 as well as larger groups that swelled to
the hundreds. It was at this time of his life that Jason met a young man that
would shape not just his musical career but also his life: Rikk Beatty.
Jason took various courses in operatic
voice, piano, music theory, and
instrument improvization. It was at this
institution that Jason learned he had
great talent, but that talent alone is not
enough. Jason remembers telling his
best friend, Rikk, during this time that,
Sambora (Bon Jovi) and sing as well as Geoff Tate (Queensryche)." Over
10 years later, Jason is still working on both things.
It was during this time that Rikk introduced Jason to two players that
continue to influence Jason greatly: Yngwie J. Malmsteen and Steve Vai.
You might not hear that much of either of these players in Jason's playing,
but their style and genius affect his playing greatly.
played music
together, off and on,
for the next few years.
They recorded a
Christmas album, a
few singles, and
performed together
on numerous
occasions. However,
playing in a band
together was just not
something they could
do until one day....
if Rikk ever needed a rhythm guitar player for his band, that he should call
Jason. Well, that time had come. One of Rikk's songs was getting airtime
on a local radio station, so Rikk wanted to get the band back together. His
old rhythm guitar player couldn't do it, so Rikk was asking Jason to do it.
Jason said, "yes!" and the two had one heck of a thrill ride for the next two
years. They recorded a full-length album, played many, many shows, and
had one heck of a great time doing it.
rollercoaster ride.
Some nights things
went really well. We
were living the rockstar
life as one of our bass
players, Fish, put it. But
then other times, things
just fell apart. We kept
losing band members
because they would
flake out on us. It was
either flake out or wig out. It was nuts!" During this time, Jason not only
became a better musician, but his confidence grew. Jason elaborates, "I
remember this one time. Rikk had just gotten through this huge operation
that was so stressful, but the band was really meshing. We had this one
show that was going to be my last with the band. It was going to be in
front of hundreds, maybe thousands, of people and we didn't really have
enough practice in. This was my big send off and I was really nervous that
the show would really stink.
a TON of people and I wanted
to run screaming from the
stage. Literally, I had to hold
onto my keyboard to keep from
running away like an idiot. But
I made it through. I played
because that is how I learned
to get through the first song or
two of the set. You just grit
fright wears off, it is all fun from there, and the fans and the band is all that
matters...and the music!"
Even though Rikk and Jason wrote songs together, went on a fantastic
west coast tour, and astonished fans with their performance every time
they hit the stage, Jason had to say goodbye to The Rikk Beatty Band.
Jason split from the band to spend more time with his family and explore
different music interests. Jason really wanted to take what he had
learned from Rikk and The Rikk Beatty Band experience and use that as
a stepping stone to starting a solo career of his own.
music together. They have
formed an acoustic duet called
Acoustic Enchantment and are
currently supporting their first
album by playing shows in the
greater Seattle area. One show
of note was when they opened for
Scott Cossu at the St. Martin's
Capitol Food and Wine Festival.
in the audience. His head was bobbing and he was really getting into the
music. My wife said she heard him say, 'very nice' numerous times."
Jason remarked that this was a high point in his career so far.
Jason looks forward to the months ahead. He is recording his first solo
album that will be mostly acoustic. He has numerous friends from church
contributing to the project. One in particular, Bill Camerer, is working
closely with Jason in the writing and arranging of the album. Jason
remarks, "I'm excited to work with Bill because he is so solid
me on track. Also, this is the
first time that I'm the main
lead player. Bill is playing
rhythm guitar and it will be up
to me to fill the shoes that
Rikk usually wears. I'm
looking forward to it!"
Whether playing rhythm or
lead, one thing is for sure:
Jason is someone people
should keep an eye on in the
upcoming years.
