article Backstage Intro: Meet Jason! in The Blog Vault

article Backstage Intro: Meet Jason! in The Blog Vault https://community.spotify.com/t5/The-Blog-Vault/Backstage-Intro-Meet-Jason/ba-p/1510950 <P><BR /><BR /></P> <CENTER> <TABLE style="background: #ffffff; width: 473px; border: 0px; -moz-box-shadow: 0 0 2px #888; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 2px#888; box-shadow: 0 0 2px #888;" border="0" cellspacing="8" cellpadding="8" bgcolor="#ffffff"> <TBODY style="border: 0px;"> <TR> <TD style="border: 0px; padding: 0px 14px 14px 14px; font-size: 14px;"><CENTER style="font-size: 14px;"></CENTER> <P style="font-size: 14px;"><EM> </EM></P> <P style="font-size: 14px;"> </P> <CENTER><EM><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-inline" image-alt="Backstage-pass.png" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://community.spotify.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/29824iDC3C85FB87C33440/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999" role="button" title="Backstage-pass.png" alt="Backstage-pass.png" /></span></EM></CENTER> <P>  </P> <P style="font-size: 14px;"><SPAN style="font-size: 14px;"><STRONG><EM>Our <A href="https://community.spotify.com/t5/Spotify-Announcements/Introducing-the-Spotify-Community-Rock-Star-Program/m-p/580948#M3753" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Community Rock Stars</A> can submit blog posts to be published on the Spotify Community Blog. To find out more about the <A href="https://community.spotify.com/spotify/attachments/spotify/spotifyct/2952/4/RSPJan2015.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rock Star Program click here.</A></EM></STRONG><SPAN> </SPAN></SPAN></P> <P style="font-size: 14px;"> </P> <P style="font-size: 14px;"><STRONG>Hey there, <a href="https://community.spotify.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1185716">@JESquare</a> (Rock Star)! Tell us something about yourself.</STRONG></P> <P style="font-size: 14px;">I’m a Graphic Designer, and I live outside of Washington D.C.. I was a singer in a Death Metal band for two “glorious” weeks.</P> <P>I’m related to Cotton Mather, on my mother’s side, of Salem Witch Trials infamy. I’m also have a distant uncle, George F Eitemiller who bought himself a permanent ticket on the RMS Titanic.</P> <P>I proposed to my wife in the ruins of a Church, she might say it was a cemetery.</P> <P>I’ve been making mixes since it was cassettes and I have an annual Christmas mix--now in it's 15<SUP>th</SUP> year.</P> <P> </P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-right" image-alt="large.jpg" style="width: 200px;"><img src="https://community.spotify.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/55206i6D57F7A58EA1BF95/image-size/small?v=v2&px=200" role="button" title="large.jpg" alt="large.jpg" /></span><STRONG>So, what kind of music are you into?</STRONG></P> <P><SPAN>I’m into all genres from Classical to Death Metal. Right now I’m really into the new wave of Progressive Metal / Djent / Fusion jazz bands like <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/65C6Unk7nhg2aCnVuAPMo8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Animals As Leaders</A>, <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/16Uqo1jjtPiKI4zU1Ficgb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scale The Summit</A>, <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Gs10XJ4S4OEFrMRqZJcic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Plini</A>, <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2JFljHPanIjYy2QqfNYvC0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chon</A>, <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7nCgNmfYJcsVy3vOOzExYS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Contortionist</A>, <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/3adhzSHzVWN1ICfxIqO9Cn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mestis</A> and <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/1kYsYRtVq1Po3luPqeAnm2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Exivious</A>.</SPAN></P> <P> </P> <P><SPAN><STRONG>What's your favorite instrument, and why?</STRONG></SPAN></P> <P><SPAN>Cello, I love the deep tonal quality. It is hauntingly beautiful as a solo instrument, that just perfectly captures sorrow in a song and yet it can also be a very powerful propulsive instrument in an epic score. For example, listen to <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7oPftvlwr6VrsViSDV7fJY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Green Days</A>’ "<A href="https://open.spotify.com/track/6ORqU0bHbVCRjXm9AjyHyZ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)</A>" and notice how much the Cello ads to that song.</SPAN></P> <P> </P> <P><SPAN><STRONG>What's your inspiration for creating playlists/covers?</STRONG></SPAN></P> <P>For my covers it’s either an image that inspires me or when I listen to a mix I can see what kind of images the music evokes in me.</P> <P> </P> <P>For my playlists it's always for my own personal enjoyment. For instance, my brass bands mix came from me noticing I had a few songs in a mix that all were brass bands and I really enjoyed them so I created a mix around that style of music.</P> <P>For my Monthly mixes I wanted something I could listen to throughout the week with, the latest, songs I was personally enjoying and hopefully someone would also enjoy.</P> <P> </P> <P>When it’s a mix with a specific theme I really listen to how songs blend into each other and the overall flow of the mix.</P> <P> </P> <P><STRONG>How has your taste in music evolved over the years, what kind of music did you listen to at 14, and what do you listen to now?</STRONG></P> <P>Oh this is fun so when I was 14 I was really into <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6uothxMWeLWIhsGeF7cyo4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enya</A>, <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/1JdeDdujDbS6ZeSlkXqx3a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Loreena Mckennitt</A>, <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Be36RHAlqJpfUt3tsmUQD" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spyro Gyra</A>, <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/4CxobvwTpmfpIEbkYh4pAb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eric Johnson</A> and <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/34EP7KEpOjXcM2TCat1ISk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wu-Tang Clan</A>. I didn’t like any alternative music and bands like <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6olE6TJLqED3rqDCT0FyPh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nirvana</A> were way too heavy. Now I’m listening to extreme metal, bluegrass, electronics, jazz etc. My taste has evolved but simultaneously those things I liked in the past are still in the DNA of what I like now. It might not be <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/6uothxMWeLWIhsGeF7cyo4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enya</A> anymore but a band like <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5HA5aLY3jJV7eimXWkRBBp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Epica</A> has touches of <A href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/1JdeDdujDbS6ZeSlkXqx3a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Loreena Mckennitt</A>, in subtle ways.</P> <P> </P> <P><STRONG>Thanks for taking your time to chat with us. Before we go, what joke always makes you laugh?</STRONG></P> <P>This isn’t a joke but it’s a story that always makes me laugh. The story goes that Lincoln was stopped one day by a man who stuck a revolver almost into his face. Under the circumstances Lincoln quickly realized that any resistance was unwise. Trying to remain calm, he inquired, "What seems to be the matter?"</P> <P>"Well," replied the man, "A long time ago I swore that if I ever came across an uglier man than myself I'd shoot him on the spot."</P> <P>"Well," supposedly said Lincoln. "Go ahead and shoot me then, because if I am an uglier man than you I don't want to live."</P> <P style="font-size: 14px;"> </P> <P style="font-size: 14px;"> </P> <P> </P> <CENTER><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-inline" image-alt="Screen Shot 2016-03-03 at 2.43.49 PM.png" style="width: 207px;"><img src="https://community.spotify.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/34334i1F5B71686F79891F/image-dimensions/207x186?v=v2" width="207" height="186" role="button" title="Screen Shot 2016-03-03 at 2.43.49 PM.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016-03-03 at 2.43.49 PM.png" /></span></CENTER> <P> </P> <P style="font-size: 14px;"><EM> </EM></P> <CENTER style="font-size: 14px;"> <P><EM> </EM></P> <P><EM>  </EM></P> <EM> </EM></CENTER></TD> </TR> </TBODY> </TABLE> </CENTER> Fri, 31 Dec 2021 07:55:47 GMT MichaelW 2021-12-31T07:55:47Z Backstage Intro: Meet Jason! https://community.spotify.com/t5/The-Blog-Vault/Backstage-Intro-Meet-Jason/ba-p/1510950 <P> </P> <P><span class="lia-inline-image-display-wrapper lia-image-align-inline" image-alt="large.png" style="width: 400px;"><img src="https://community.spotify.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/54899i5C71CC21E2E5841B/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999" role="button" title="large.png" alt="large.png" /></span></P> <P> </P> Fri, 31 Dec 2021 07:55:47 GMT https://community.spotify.com/t5/The-Blog-Vault/Backstage-Intro-Meet-Jason/ba-p/1510950 MichaelW 2021-12-31T07:55:47Z Re: Backstage Intro: Meet Jason! https://community.spotify.com/t5/The-Blog-Vault/Backstage-Intro-Meet-Jason/bc-p/1513365#M5746 <P>Nice to meet you <a href="https://community.spotify.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1185716">@JESquare</a>! ^^</P> <P>And nice interview <a href="https://community.spotify.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/849693">@MichaelW</a>! </P> <P> </P> <P>Peace</P> Wed, 30 Nov 2016 15:15:00 GMT https://community.spotify.com/t5/The-Blog-Vault/Backstage-Intro-Meet-Jason/bc-p/1513365#M5746 Nico 2016-11-30T15:15:00Z Re: Backstage Intro: Meet Jason! https://community.spotify.com/t5/The-Blog-Vault/Backstage-Intro-Meet-Jason/bc-p/1513631#M5747 <P>Hey there <a href="https://community.spotify.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/1185716">@JESquare</a>, nice to meet you!!</P> Wed, 30 Nov 2016 19:13:32 GMT https://community.spotify.com/t5/The-Blog-Vault/Backstage-Intro-Meet-Jason/bc-p/1513631#M5747 KatesHere 2016-11-30T19:13:32Z