Jason Erie

Jason Erie was raised in Jersey but he was born for Nashville. After years spent cultivating a musical (if not also rocky) childhood and fronting a New York rock band, Erie’s finally found his way to Music City, a place meant for his gritty voice and distinct brand of earnest storytelling. He’s only lived in Nashville for a few years now but he’s fit right in.
Last year, Erie released his debut album, The Art Of Letting Go, a 7-song collection exploring the gamut of Americana with tender ballads, folksy romps, and everything in between. Here’s what Erie told us about the record:

The Art Of Letting Go opens with “Talking To Chairs,” our first introduction to Erie’s songwriting prowess. He’s not writing hooks or singalong verses so much as he’s weaving entire stories and creating characters. It’s narrative, but it’s poetry, too, because Erie has such a vivid way with words. Armed with his acoustic guitar and occasional thumps of backing percussion, he delivers a poignant self-reflective piece you can somehow feel brewing in your own gut. Next comes “Conversations With A Bottle,” a high-energy romp built on country twang. It chugs along, waves of fast-paced percussion thrumming beyond wailing fiddle. Erie’s emotive croon howls among the outlaw arrangement he’s expertly crafted, a foot-stomping, thigh-slapping Americana anthem.

On “Lorelai,” we get something of a mix between the elements of the previous two tracks. There’s more of Erie’s profound lyrics (“You look more alive in that cheap pine box than you have in years”) and a robust, slightly countrified arrangement, but it’s more of a slow-burn, creeping along at a steady pace. This one’s built on emotion. It’s intense. It hurts. But Jason Erie treats it thoughtfully. The halfway point of The Art Of Letting Go finds the dark, pounding “Black Lung,” the record’s devilish alt-country effort. Erie’s vocals are at their most powerful here, an example of just how versatile every component of his work is, growling and yowling among a searing arrangement. On “Gold Rush,” we return to Erie’s softer side with melancholic strings and a minimalist base. He sings another story here, laced with bittersweet wisdom to mimic the soundscape.

The album’s title track boasts some of Erie’s best lyrics as he gently tackles our changing history and what it means to watch this world falter. It’s another sweetened song, devoid of the raging alt-country rhythms he’s equally capable of, and it takes its time, softly exploring its six minute length. Thank god it’s a longer piece because we need the time to reflect and to shake off the goosebumps it gives us. Nearly half an hour later, the record ends with “Some Kind of Way,” led by playful strums and swells of percussion. It’s like the final chapter — Erie introduces us to two characters, Bobby and Jenny, walking us through their ups and downs without revealing exactly how this story ends, though we can infer. Singing lines like “Maybe they were just a couple counterfeit fools / Thinking they could beat this town,” Erie practically draws the story. We can see the characters he speaks of, see them holding hands and running far from the place that held them down. This is Erie’s superpower. Effortlessly, he does everything he can to make us see, not just hear. The result is a remarkable sensory experience in which we’ve hopped inside Erie’s brain for a private tour of what’s going on in all those crowded corners.

On The Art Of Letting Go, Jason Erie makes his grand debut as a songwriter and storyteller who could easily hold his own with the Nashville legends we know and love. The thing about Erie is that he’s not just a wildly talented musician — he’s a poet, a gut-puncher, a soul-shaker, an artist so in tune with the special ways that words can be spun. Not all singer-songwriters can do this, but somehow Erie does it all. Humbly, too, like he doesn’t even know that magic lives in him.

Listen to The Art Of Letting Go below and connect with Jason Erie on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. - The Music Mermaid

"Black Lung" by Jason Erie

I am not sure how this is our first official listen to The Art of Letting Go by one of my favorite "new" Nashville songwriters - Jason Erie. My guess it that it got caught up in the craziness of the year end. Nevertheless, here it is. I first met Jason Erie at the late lamented Bobby's Idle Hour maybe a year or so before he moved to Nashville. He was visiting his friend Darrin Bradbury. To be honest, when I met him, I didn't even know he was a songwriter. Fast forward and I go to a show where some friends are playing, and I meet Jason again - he is playing, too. I remember our first meeting, and his music blows me away. Each subsequent time I see him play, he is better and better. The album is wonderful. Great songs, a wonderful, warm voice, and an undefinable spirit. - Ear to the Ground

It’s often intriguing to try to gauge the inspiration behind someone’s music by diving in head first without any prior knowledge.

This was the case for Jason Erie.

When I lifted the proverbial needle and set it down on track one (clicking doesn’t sound as glamorous) I immediately appreciated his delicate, soulful, Americana singer-songwriter style. The melodic finger-picking is much akin to that of a Nick Drake, accompanied with strong vocals like that of a Chris Stapleton. An interesting combination, no doubt. Right when I thought I knew what I was getting into, his song “Conversations With A Bottle” grabbed me by the *bollocks and threw me on a raucous honky tonk dance floor, badass fiddle and all. I was impressed with his quick and drastic but totally wonderful change of pace. I’m all for the drastic change of pace. You have to mix it up. And Erie does this like a seasoned professional.

As his songs cycled through, I came to the conclusion the man has a knack. He’s got lyrics that hit home, especially small town home, with a very salt of the earth feel. He encapsulates blue collar life, and delivers his poignant lyrics with his powerful yet melodic voice.

Born and raised in northern New Jersey, he spent over ten years fronting multiple bands with numerous trips on the road. After five years leading New York-based rock band Waking Up East, Jason decided he would take a sabbatical from music. In 2016, after a four-year hiatus, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, newborn son, and his well-worn notebook. He was determined to put that well-worn notebook to good use. If anyone can take on the challenge of being a successful Nashville singer-songwriter, Erie sure stands a good chance. Fans of Bruce Springsteen, Jason Isbell, and John Mellencamp could find themselves deep in the throes of Erie’s music.

Erie will have his highly anticipated debut album “The Art of Letting Go” slated for release October 26th, 2018. You can catch him playing shows around Nashville in coming days and weeks at places like RADIO CAFE, TIN ROOF, LORETTA LYNN’S CAMPFIRE SESSIONS, and more.

For more info on Jason Erie, check out his website HERE and be sure to keep an eye and an ear out for his upcoming album “The Art of Letting Go” next month!

*I am not British. - Music Mecca

Americana artist Jason Erie was born and raised in New Jersey singing folk songs as his father played guitar in their basement. After his parents’ divorce, while watching his mother struggle with addiction and his father cope with depression, he began writing songs.

His teen years were molded by the two-bedroom apartment that he shared with his mother. After getting sober, she turned their home into a halfway house, helping others in recovery. The tragic nature of addiction and sobriety was inescapable. Jason started using music as a daily coping mechanism, writing about the people he grew to love but lost.

After spending five years fronting New-York-based rock band "Waking Up East," Erie decided to take a break from music altogether. Now, the Nashville-based Erie has reignited his love for songwriting and performing. His new album, The Art of Letting Go, paints a beautifully dark picture of suburban America in decay with songs composed in a marriage of structure and chaos, he mixes Americana storytelling with a punk-rock attitude.

Today, TDC is pleased to premiere the gut-wrenching video for "Some Kind of Way," a roots rocker that nods to the greats, a la Petty and Mellencamp, with its well-crafted tale of two lovers through happiness and devastation.

Enjoy, and share, the video below then read on as Erie answers his Essential 8 where he talks songwriting, the story behind The Art of Letting Go, David Ramirez, and more!
​
​Is there a story behind your album’s title?
​The record really is about addiction, love, loss, and letting go. Whether it be of the past, someone else’s, or down to your own ego. I believe it takes time to develop the ability to “let go.” It truly is an art, hence the name.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I get inspiration mostly from the small things in life, like pumping gas or seeing bloated roadkill at the side of the road—but it’s people that really fascinate me. I find that the most seemingly ordinary people are usually the most pent up. I don’t know why we, as humans, judge one another on how well kept we appear to be because for the most part it’s bullshit. I like to poke the bear in my songs and find out what the characters are hiding behind the façade.

Where do you do your best writing?
I would have to say that the places I write are very important to me. I have an old wooden desk that I bought off of craigslist years ago that I wrote this record on. I started songwriting with my mom’s 1970-something couch. I loved that thing. My twenties were at a coffee table, and now the desk. I get attached to pieces of furniture. I’d like to think the feeling’s mutual.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
I think it’s all personal to me. Even if you are writing an observational piece, I think it’s led by empathy. I don’t think there is such thing as a “made-up story” per se, at least to me, those characters seem the most real. I think, after a while, it’s hard for a songwriter because there is always a part of you somewhere in the song. It truly becomes a balancing act between how far you want to let the listener in and how comfortable you are with the real you.

What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
Everyone who is worth listening to in the music industry cut their teeth while playing to two people in the crowd—enjoy it. The beginning of your career is the most pure artistic time for any artist. Savor the art you are making and the people you are making it with, because in the end we all end up rotting in the ground, you might as well appreciate the time you spend up here.

What are your “must have” albums for the road?
Springsteen’s Born to Run to start the tour and Nebraska while coming home. In between, definitely Dylan, Blood on the Tracks, maybe some Jimmy Eat World and Manchester Orchestra for fun.

What’s your dream venue and why?
The Ryman because it’s the Ryman. Not a bad seat in that place and such history. All my heroes have played there.
​
Who would you love to collaborate with?
If we are talking dead or alive, definitely Lead Belly, he was the real deal. Alive, I would say David Ramirez—if you haven’t heard of him, look him up!

www.jasoneriemusic.com
​Videography by Anana Kaye and Irakli Gabriel www.duendevision.com - The Daily Country

Congrats on your debut album, The Art of Letting Go! Was it born in Nashville or on the road?

Thank you so much, it’s exciting to finally have it out!! I would say it was birthed in Nashville but conceived in New York. Nashville definitely added its DNA to the mix but the stories behind the songs are definably North Eastern.

What made you want to work with producers, Chris Brush & John Dennis?

John and I met in a songwriters round when I first came to town. We kind of quickly became fans of each other’s music , which led to us becoming friends. When I showed him the demos I think he jokingly said, “If I was the producer on this I would…” and I said he should produce it. We worked through the preproduction of the songs and it just made sense.

John suggested that I check out PlethoraTone Studios here in Nashville, that is where I met Chris Brush. He was the engineer on this record as well as a co-producer. Since this was John’s first record as a producer, it was great to have a seasoned vet on board as well. Chris has an amazing ear and a lot of great credits to his name. They both did an incredible job helping me realize my vision for this record, and I am a lucky man to call them friends.

The Art of Letting Go, is something very personal to you. Can you talk it about it some?

I wanted this record to really capture a moment in my own life. I was thinking a lot about how I grew up and where I came from, that’s how the idea started. I wanted to be able to let go of some baggage that I have been carrying, hence the name “The Art of Letting Go.” Most of the songs on the record are about addiction and recovery. I had a hard childhood; whether I wanted to talk about it or not, it all poured out. It is a retrospective look at my past and the stories that have survived all this time.

What song past or now do you want to be known for in ten years?

I would love to be known for the title track, “The Art of Letting Go.” I think it’s my favorite lyrically that I have written so far. It seems to resonate with people because we are in such tumultuous times. I hope people can find solace in the fact that most people feel the same way they do, or at least I do.

Are there any songs that didn’t make the album that you now wish you included?

There are a bunch of songs that didn’t make the album, they just didn’t fit within the concept of this record. I honestly wouldn’t have added or subtracted anything on The Art of Letting Go. I will say, all of those other songs are recorded and will be on a follow-up release, slated for sometime later this year. I am also going back into the studio in March to start recording a full-length, but that won’t be out for a couple of year

You have song “Gold Rush,” was it inspired by the recently closed iconic Gold Rush here in Nashville?

Unfortunately, no… but my song, “Gold Rush,” is about missing home and feeling like you can’t go back. That is sadly accurate to the feeling of Gold Rush closing. It’s just another example of what is happening to Nashville. The music community dies a little more every time a place like this closes. It’s another heavy blow to the gut. I’m not sure how many more punches the art community can take.

You have a few shows coming up in town. Any favorite places to play in Nashville or somewhere you hope to play one day?

I am hitting the road a lot this year, but I always love playing in my chosen hometown. I love playing City Winery, Dee’s, and The Bowery Vault. Those are some of my favorites. I would love to play the Ryman, hopefully one day.

What excites you most about the Nashville music scene right now?

There are a ton of people and bands to be excited about right now and I’m lucky to call them my friends. John Dennis (the producer of my record) is putting out his third record sometime in the spring, Josh Gray is releasing his record in April, Sisterman is about to release a record sometime this year, Just Whiskey has an EP coming out, The Blam Blams have their debut record out and are an incredible live band, Anana Kaye is putting out a record soon. Gracie in the Valley just put out their second release, Sun Brother just put out their debut, Dayna Bee (she played fiddle on my record) is putting out her debut this year, Holly Bruce, Brian Milligram. A lot going on, but all worth a listen.

Can you remember your first trip to Nashville?

I can, I first came here with my old band playing on tour, I think we played at Springwater lol. It made an impression.

Any favorite Nashville restaurants?

Mitchell Deli (best Reuben in Nashville!!! Just a fact!!!), I also have to give love to my favorite Mexican joint Elotes Nayarit & Taqueria in Madison.

Is there anything coming up for you that you’d like to share?

I have a tour coming up in April with my friend Josh Gray, and I will be announcing a lot of shows shortly. Stay up to date on my socials @jasoneriemusic. - NashVegas.com

For five years, Jason fronted the New York-based rock band Waking Up East resulting in two LPs and several tours across the USA. After a brief break and a move to Music City, he has released his debut solo record, “The Art of Letting Go,” a poignantly personal seven-song EP that commands an attentive listen. Jason’s musical journey kicks off with the stark “Nebraska” feel of “Talking to Chairs” and closes with the jangly optimistic country-rock chords of “Some Kind of Way.”

While Nashville seemingly sees more new Americana faces these days than it does bachelorettes riding pedal taverns, Jason’s music stands out. This young man has a gift for transferring his life experiences into songs that’ll grab your ear and hit you in your gut.

Thanks Jason for tackling 11 Questions from a fellow pizza-loving New Jerseyan. Jason will be playing at The 5 Spot on November 21 and then again on December 18 as a part of Derek Hoke’s $2 Tuesdays.



Where are you from originally, when did you move to Nashville and why?

I am originally from Dumont, New Jersey. It’s a one-square mile town just outside of Manhattan. I moved here from NYC a little under three years ago. It was my wife’s idea to move here, actually. I took a break with music and got a “real” job while we lived in New York. My wife could see I was unhappy and pitched the idea to move to Nashville. A few months later we packed up our 400-square-foot apartment and haven’t looked back.

What are the first and the last records you bought, and where did you buy them? Were they CD, vinyl or digital?

The first CD I can remember owning is the D2: The Mighty Ducks soundtrack. The soundtrack was filled with masterpieces like Queen’s “We are the Champions” and “Whoomp! (There It Is)” by Tag Team. It was a quality record. LOL! The most recent record that I have purchased is David Ramirez’s We’re Not Going Anywhere. He is great.

First and last live concerts that you’ve seen?

The first concert that I went to was The Mighty Mighty Bosstones in Asbury Park, NJ. It was a great punk/ska show in the early 2000s. The last concert that I saw was Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Zakir Hussain with the Nashville Symphony. It was incredible!!! It’s funny how time refines your ears.

Whose star should be added to the Music City Walk of Fame?

John Prine, for what he has done for the Folk/Americana scene here.

Where do you go in Nashville for coffee and pizza?

Sip Café in Inglewood, all the way! Best coffee shop in Nashville! The best pizza here in Nashville (and take it from me, I moved here from NYC) is Five Points Pizza or NY Pie. They both make a great pie and are the closest thing to NYC pizza that you can get here.

What’s your favorite record to ever come out of Nashville?

That’s a toss-up for me. I was going to say Blonde on Blonde by Dylan, but I think old Neil has him beat in my book with Harvest.

Where’s the best place to eat late night after a show?

Dee’s in Madison has pretty great tacos.

The Bluebird calls and asks you to host an “In the Round.” Pick three local songwriters to join you.

Well, I do play with a lot of local people, but for a round I would pick my friends John Dennis, Josh Gray, and Brian Milligram.

What are your favorite music venues to play in town?

I love playing City Winery. They have a great sounding room and really know how to treat musicians there. The 5 Spot is one of my favorites, consistent sound and great vibe from the room and the crowd. Last but not least, Kimbro’s in Franklin, TN, has a great scene going on there. What a fun and energetic room to play.

Name a musician who you’d like to see move here?

Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon, but only if they were my neighbors, and I met a guy named Julio that I could introduce Paul to by a schoolyard. Bruce would just watch from his screened-in porch thinking about his glory days and how they passed him by. One can dream, one can dream.

Finally, what’s in your musical future?

Well, I just put out my debut record, so planning a lot of gigs/touring in the New Year. I will be recording and releasing a second record sometime in 2019. It’s going to be a busy year, got a lot planned and a lot to hope for. - Music City Mike

Singer-songwriter Jason Erie: 'Life on the other side is better'

When it comes to his recovery, singer-songwriter Jason Erie is grateful for many gifts.

He has his career, which is at a turning point thanks to a strong new record. He has his family, which keeps him grounded in the knowledge of bestowed blessings. And he has his mom, the individual who probably gets the most credit for shining a light on the possibilities of a new way to live in the aftermath of addiction.

It wasn’t always such. Erie remembers well the chaos of his family’s home when he was a child, and how he sought solace in music, he told The Ties That Bind Us recently.

“My mother is a proud recovering addict, but when I was younger, she was full force into her addiction, and music was more of a coping mechanism for me,” he said. “My father and I would go in the basement, and I would record while he played guitar when I was 3 years old. Then, when my parents would fight, that would be his handout to me after the fight. I would go down there to play music to get over it, and I kind of used music to be my crutch.”

By the time he was a teenager, however, his mother had found sobriety; what’s more, she threw herself into the idea of service work and opened the family home to other recovering addicts and alcoholics. Being present for their struggles and their triumphs made a significant impact on Erie, and he still recalls many of their names and faces all these years later.

“My mom, she kind of poured herself into the program, and the program responded the way that it does to most, where it really needs people to work it and to help it work,” he said. “My mom found another calling for herself to try and help people out that were in a similar situation that she was when I was growing up, and when I was about 16 years old, she ran a makeshift halfway house in our house.

“A lot of people would come, in new to the program, and they would stay with us when they didn’t have a place to stay or family to fall back on. Just like anywhere else, I think a lot of those people really wanted to get sober and needed a hand in doing that, so my mom was that hand for those people.”

Finding his place

While an example of recovery was there for Erie long before he ever faced down his own demons, the addiction that preceded it was a jumping-off point for his own, however. His mother was primarily an alcoholic, he said, but his aunt was an addict, and he grew up in a home where family parties were part of the routine.

“The first time I smoked pot, I was probably 12 years old, because that was normal to me,” he said. “Somebody brought it into my group of friends, and I just said, ‘I might as well try it.’ I got heavily into hallucinogens after that, throughout my teenage years, just experimenting with drugs and finding that music and drugs kind of went hand in hand.”

By the time he was a teen, music was an obsession. He started writing his own songs and playing in area bands, finding a place in the punk and pop-punk scenes in and around the place where he grew up — Bergen County, N.J., a suburb of New York City.

“It was a wonderful thing to be able to express myself and kind of go into the deeper ends of my feelings that I didn’t really have to put a face to,” he said. “I could be behind the music and say what I wanted to say.”

By the time he was 17, he had moved to New York State and met the guys with whom he started his first semi-successful project, Waking Up East. The guys gigged heavily around the New York scene, cutting their first record with members of The Ataris, and Erie began to discover a community of like-minded peers that helped develop his talent for songwriting and playing. He parted ways after several years, however, and with a new bride, he moved into a New York apartment and found a 9-to-5 job.

Around the same time, he made the decision to turn his will and his life over to the care of a program of recovery.

Parental recovery guidance
“Drugs and alcohol, throughout my early music career, that’s what we all kind of did together,” Erie said. “When you weren’t playing music, you were doing drugs and drinking. So when I was 24 years old, my father sat me down with a group of my friends and said, ‘Hey, I think you have a problem.’”

Erie credits his father with helping him get sober; more importantly, he credits his childhood immersion in addiction and recovery with opening his eyes and admitting his own problem. From that point on, he added, he’s never had to use again, but maintaining his recovery didn’t come without some work.

“I did go to a lot of meetings, because I saw how they worked for my mother,” he said. “I don’t go as much as I once did, but seeing how far my mother has come and what she’s done for other people, it’s amazing. Now, I have a 3-year-old son at home, and to see her be a grandmother just blows my mind. I never thought my mother would be alive today, and that was scary to think about.”

He still recalls a fight he had with his mom as a teen, when her addiction had frayed the last remaining strands of their relationship. He told her then that she would never know her grandchildren, and today, he’s grateful that he was wrong.

“To see our relationship evolve past all that, and to be able to let that go and cultivate a relationship with my mother, has really helped me stay on track,” he said. “I would never think about going back to drugs and alcohol because of the fact my mother has been there, and to see that firsthand and to see the person she has become is incredible.”

A second career in music

His mother, however, isn’t the only Erie who has evolved through the recovery process. Although he loves being a family man, working a regular job in New York was killing his dreams, and his wife wanted more for him, he said.

“My wife saw that I was coming home every day, and she didn’t want me to continue with that,” he said. “It was actually her idea to move (to Nashville) and pursue music, so about three years ago, we did.”

Living in a new city gave him an opportunity to reinvent himself as a musician as well. Although his rock and punk background serves him well, he found himself wanting to dive deeper into the maelstrom of emotions that make up the human experience. While there are certainly rock bands capable of conveying those things, he felt that moving forward as a singer-songwriter was a better vehicle for the things he wanted to say.

“I started back into the singer-songwriter stuff, doing my own thing and trying to figure out the sound I wanted to go for,” he said. “I think my solo stuff came out of my childhood. I grew up listening to Springsteen and Paul Simon and folk acts, and the people that I really connected with had that blue-collar feel of America.

“I realized that after starting to write that kind of stuff. I really loved being able to tell my story and being able to tell the stories of others around me without having to sugarcoat everything, and it was a wonderful thing to be able to open up again. It brought back that feeling I had as a kid, and I knew that’s where I needed to go.”

Last month, Erie released “The Art of Letting Go,” and the title is self-explanatory. With the searing eye of first-hand experience, he paints stark and vivid portraits of the duality of pain and hope, with a voice that travels a spectrum between the husky growl of Tom Waits and the church choir baritone of Chris Stapleton. It’s a nod to recovery and all of the things that precede it, he said, and his own story is a part of every song.

“I tackled everything that was in my past on this record,” he said. “‘Talking to Chairs’ (the lead-off track) is about first going into the rooms and feeling like you don’t know anybody and you don’t belong there. ‘Listening to strangers and talking to chairs’ is that attitude when you first come into recovery, when you want to get sober but kind of don’t care who other people are. It’s about finding out that it’s the people that really help you in recovery.”

A recovery journey in song
From “Conversations With a Bottle” to the story songs of “Black Lung” and “Some Kind of Way,” Erie shines on the new album, but if there’s an emotional centerpiece, it might very well be “Lorelai.” It’s written about a woman who once stayed in his mom’s makeshift recovery house, a heroin addict who was instrumental in shepherding him through the teenage years of self-discovery.

“She went back out, and I haven’t heard from her since,” he said. “That whole song is about how I felt inside when she packed up her bags and left our house, and I knew she was going back on the streets. The whole record is about just the recovery process of whatever you’re going through, whether it be depression or drug use, and coming to a place where you can let your past go and find your new and true self.”

That’s possible for everyone, Erie knows, because he’s a living example. Life includes an unavoidable amount of suffering — such is the first noble truth of Buddhism, after all — but misery is optional. And self-induced misery can be escaped. If listeners take anything from his record, that’s what he’d like it to be, he added.

“Wherever you are in life, wherever you are in your recovery, whatever your addiction might have been, life on the other side is better,” he said. “The grass is greener on the other side. Finding that out and coming to terms with who you are and being your best self is possible. Just keep doing what you do and using the program and using recovery to find yourself.” - The Ties that Bind Us

Artist Name: Jason Erie

Album Name: The Art of Letting Go

Label: Self-released

Genre: Folk/Rock

Track Listing: 1. Talking to Chairs; 2. Conversation with a Bottle; 3. Lorelai; 4. Black Lung; 5. Gold Rush; 6. The Art of Letting Go; 7. Some Kind of Way

Publicist: Brennan Management

Review: Jason Erie reveals a lot about his life in this seven-song collection of modern-day folk songs. He talks about growing up in a broken home, watching his mother suffer from alcohol addiction and his father give everything to his job, and having to grow up faster than normal. While not so much protest songs, these tunes are reminiscent of the legacy of Woody Guthrie with a little bit of Dolly Parton wit and wisdom. We really love the rocking sound of “Conversation with a Bottle,” as well as the haunting vocal duet and tantalizing fiddle on “Gold Rush.” The final track “Some Kind of Way” has a John Mellencamp feel that would make it a great radio single.

Recommendation: This one will haunt you if you don’t Get it now. Jump on this train before it leaves the station. - Indie Voice Blog

Jason Erie

The Art of Letting Go
self-released; 2018

​3.8 out of 5

By Jay Freeman

Northern New Jerseyan Jason Erie released his debut record The Art of Letting Go this past October. Erie’s brand of Americana storytelling with the punk-rock edges he grew up on, got its roots at the age of three when he started singing folk songs while his father played guitar. A couple of family struggles he experienced while growing up – namely his parent’s divorce and his mother’s addiction – prompted Jason to start writing his own stuff. Writing songs about addiction and sobriety, loss and those he loved was his way of coping with tragedies during his coming of age years. Now, with his home in Nashville, Erie’s sound and style have been compared to Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton and Bruce Springsteen. And, as his biography points out, Erie’s brand of Americana “paints a grimly beautiful picture of suburbanite America in decay” with “explosions of unhinged emotion.”

Erie had quite an impressive backup band to help him out: John Dennis on lead guitar and piano, Ernie Escalera on electric and upright bass, Mason Wheaton on drums and percussion, Dayna Rose on fiddle, Myles Baker on slide guitar, Jon Estes on B3 organ and cello and Chris Brush on additional percussion. Michael Brennan and Sam Ventura helped out on additional acoustic and guitars on "Some Kind of Way" while Brittany Opperman, Audrey MacAlpine, Priscilla Block and Angie Gonzales sang beautiful backing vocals.

“Talking to Others” begins with Erie recalling how he grew up, being the “king of the baseball team” and describing the characteristics of his mother and father. If you’re familiar with Springsteen’s style of storytelling a la“The Ghost of Tom Joad” you’ll like this opener. “Conversations with a Bottle” definitely pays homage to the country-rockabilly of the ‘50s and ‘60s in the style of Johnny Cash, through its bad boy lyrical content, but with a more modern sound like Chris Stapleton or Marty Stuart. “Lorelai” finds Erie singing deeply moving and hard-to-swallow lyrics that deal with drug addiction and death. I mean, you can’t get much darker or brutally honest than “you look more alive in that cheap pine box, than you have in years” – ouch!

“Black Lung” takes an even darker turn with flavors like an old south gospel tune and lyrics that nail images of the Old West. Erie’s take on bullets, the Bible and a dead man walking with a gun at his side have the makings for a great theme song for an upcoming TV western show, in my opinion. “Gold Rush” finds Erie singing about lost hopes inside bottles of whiskey after the rush for wealth in Oklahoma didn’t pan out – sorry, pun intended. The title track to the album “The Art of Letting Go” is perhaps one of the sincerest songs about dying towns and industries and history changing that I’ve heard in a long time. Lyrically, this song really got to me because Erie encapsulates the story of so many towns and townsfolk who’ve been going through the same set of circumstances for so long. Sadly these days, it’s become commonplace.

​The closing “Some Kind of Way” lightens the mood of the album with its faster country-rock, feel-good beat with lyrics about “Jenny” and “Bobby” falling in love, skipping school, bumming cigarettes and living in the moment – “it could never be as good as right now.” I liked this tune simply because it ended the record on a high hopeful note. Erie’s debut does its job very well with songs about America past and present and the artist’s own personal struggles – all packaged up with gritty, honest storytelling. I don’t suspect the well of universal themes that Jason Erie taps into will dry up anytime soon. ​
official website
bandcamp - Divide and Conquer