When you're 15 years old, your mom works nights, and you have "access" to soundproofing from the movie theater where you work, what else would you do but start a metal/crossover band with your friends? The band was Blind Surgeon, the year 1986, in Bedford NH. In the years that followed, Jason and BS trekked down to Boston, Worcester, and even the Nashua Mall parking lot on the back of a flat-bed to spread the metal word.
After graduating high school, he moved on, and eventually to the bay area–San Francisco to be exact–to attend the San Francisco Art Institute. During his time there, he met some folks through a mutual friend and together started the band Half Film, taking the duties of the drum kit. They released a couple albums, toured the US and Europe with local pals Swell, and finally called it a day sometime in 1999.
He then moved to Oakland, bought an 8-track and started recording on his own. After convincing some drunken friends that they want to start a band, he formed The Red Thread sometime in 2002. From there, they put out 3 albums on Badman Recording Co., shared the stage with like-minded artists like Neko Case and Radar Bros., toured the states and are now on semi-permanent hiatus. "Broke up" sounds too depressing.
And that brings us to the most current of Jason's projects...Mist and Mast. In 2007 he wrote and recorded the debut album in his Oakland apartment, playing all the instruments himself. The album was released on his own Oakland Petting Zoo label in October. Wanting to play the songs properly live, he enlisted a bunch of friends from San Francisco and Oakland to fill out the live band. The live band consists of Jason on guitar and vocals, Craig Adams on guitar, Bill French on drums, and Alex Steinhart on bass.