"The air is fresh up here I'll say, I can do anything, it's a view on a clear day."- Jason Shand sings on his upcoming single 'X-Factor', from his soon to be released debut full length CD 'Because of Zeeva'. Those lines carry a lot of weight for the singer songwriter who had spent the better part of a decade underground finding his unique style and sound.
Having fronted an alternative rock band in Boston leading to a short lived record deal with British indy label Freestyle Recordings (a BMG subsidiary), Jason made a conscious decision to leave the band and Boston to pursue a solo career in his hometown of NYC. This pursuit and the finding of his unique sound has been a long road travelled.
"I feel as if I had been a tortured soul having a ton of musical influences and when catering to some, I still wouldn't feel quite complete having neglected the others."
These feelings of indecision in regards to his musical/sonic direction had plagued the artist over the years which resulted in several delayed release dates for 'Because of Zeeva'.
Two of the earlier completed tracks from the album- the shimmering 'Suelyn et Julien' and a soulful rendition of ABBA's 'Dancing Queen'- had been released as singles and were warmly received by radio nationwide (DQ spent several weeks in the buzz bin of a couple radio stations). 'SJ' had also been picked up by indy film “Quarter Life Crisis”. But despite this success, something was still missing for the artist.
"I love those two songs which come from an acoustic adult contemporary place. That was the direction the album was headed in... which made me uneasy because I feel there is also a progressive side to me that was not being tended to. I needed to find a producer who had an understanding of many genres, who could help me realize both visions, yet keep them under one umbrella."
Enter... or re-enter... Luigie Gonzalez, Jason's first producer as a solo artist 13 years ago in Boston. Since then, Luigie has made a name for himself in LA as a highly respected and sought after producer, having been twice nominated for a Grammy in the Latin Pop/Rock arena. Jason and Luigie had kept in touch over the years with hopes of working together again. All it took was one fateful email to make those hopes become reality.
"Early one morning I woke up in a cold sweat about my singing career. I shot an email off to Luigie and I was on a plane to LA soon afterwards. He picked me up at the airport and it was as if I'd not seen him in a few months as opposed to the 13 years that had gone by. The trip to LA was a huge risk but the chemistry was still there between us and we hit the ground running. Everything that I had wanted my music to be came to fruition right before my eyes. It’s the best work I've ever done. No more underground. Now I am ready to fly."
The Jason/Luigie (re)union has resulted in a unique brand of progressive/adult contemporary pop: a musical concoction that draws from the 80s, 90s, the present, and beyond. Jason's many influences include Peter Gabriel, Dido, Seal, Annie Lennox, Coldplay, Crowded House, Radiohead, NLX, and U2 amongst others. 'Because of Zeeva' is set for release next summer.
Stay tuned...
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Jason and producer Luigie Gonzalez
