UK and Scandianvian dates for August
Jason & The Scorchers play Bootleggers in Kendal on Sunday 1 August. The Legendary Nashville rockers also play the Rock & Blues Custom Show in Derbyshire the day before (Sat 31 Aug) and the Summer Sundae Weekender festival in Leicester on Aug 13. Jason & The Scorchers also have a short run of dates in Norway and Sweden between 4 - 10 August. Check the shows page for full details.
June 29
Competition! Which Ratz track is Warner playing on? In the Spring of 2010, veteran Nashville punk/pop band The Ratz - Joe Blanton (later with Royal Court of China), Les Shields, Randy Thompson, and Bone Brown - reunited to record four new songs, one of which features the guitar skills of longtime friend and fan, the one and only Warner E. Hodges.
Visit nashville80srock.net to listen to or download all the songs (for free!) and then guess which song Warner plays on. Choose from: My Baby Don't Love Me, Kill Me, That's Alright Mama, or Drop to the Ground. Then to enter the competition submit your guess via The Ratz Trap Facebook page or by email. The names of the people who guess correctly will be placed in a hat and a will be drawing held on July 10, 2010. The winner gets brand new CD's from Jason & the Scorchers (Halcyon Times) and Warner E. Hodges (Centerline). One entry per person, please!
Do you love it?
June 29
European tour diary online
Admittedly we are a little late with this as it's been up on Youtube for a while now but here is our favourite Viking drummers latest cinematic epic, brough to you as always in the glory of Scorcher-rama!
May 14
Tour shirts now available online We are pleased to announce that official Jason & The Scorchers tour shirst are now available to but online. To order click on the banner below.
May 10
Notes from the road
Howdy friends.
The first wave of European dates are finished and I have to say that I couldn’t be happier with how it is going. For starters, this band is a frontman’s dream. I am having the time of my life riding this wild bull. Warner, Pontus, and Al are simply magnificent, unbelievably tight and together. This is a band for the ages, every bit as good as the mid ‘80s version of JATS, which is saying something…
We are doing a LOT of new songs in the set, more than half of the show in fact. While we hope folks aren’t bothered by that level of ‘new’ versus old, it is a trend we will keep doing. The Halcyon Times songs demand to be heard, and they stand up with the vintage JATS stuff very ably.
There hasn’t been much time for sight seeing, but we did find a moment to visit Hadrian’s Wall near Newcastle. It was magnificent scenery, but the ‘wall’ was a bit disappointing. It was built by the Romans across northern England to keep out the Picts and Scots, and apparently it did that very effectively. It was 10-15 feet tall with forts and watchtowers its entire length. However, over the centuries farmers and villagers have used those perfect square stones to build their barns and houses! Now most of it is only 4 or 5 feet tall or has disappeared altogether… That won’t even keep out hungover tourists!
Jason Ringenberg
Helsinki Finland
Hello from the road guys,
As most of you now know, JATS are in Europe letting it rip, and it sure is nice to be playing the new tunes instead of talking about playing the new tunes. I am however, very glad that a bunch of people are talking about the new record, Halcyon Times. It has been a wonderful turn of events the last couple of years. Having Pontus and Al work out as well as those of you fortunate to catch a show have witnessed and heard on record, has been an amazing thing. Jason and I could not be too much happier. The band has just been blowing doors right from the get go. There is so much going on in the new tunes from Halcyon Times that we were a bit fearful of how we would reproduce the record, but my worries have subsided. I do have my hands quite full of "how the hell am I gonna do that???", but I think we've got it covered.
We started off with three shows in The Netherlands and they were all fabulous. We love the Queen's birthday celebrations. It is always a hoot. Man I like those Mercure hotels also. The staff's are always so helpful.
Then Kilkenny in Ireland. Wow, Jason has raved about Kilkenny for years. Boy is he right. What a wonderful, magical place. We were really on for that one. They had "proper" fish and chips too.
Then off to Britain for five shows. The Musician was wonderful. Paul thank you for the Indian restaurant. So good we ate there twice!!! A great laundry and photo shoot "off" day was had by the whole band. Thank you Paul and Tony. Al and I even managed "proper" fish and chips that day as well.
Sheffield, Glasgow, Newcastle, and London all seemed to get better, musically, each day. I love when the band does that. Got to see Mark Cunningham, Colin Jamieson, and John Manson three different times. It was great as always. Also saw Pete Saxby three times and his wonderful daughter, Chloe, twice, including on her 16th Birthday in London. Jo, Pete's better half made London as well. It always great to see you all. Thank you for coming and putting forth the effort. It is not easy to drive all night and then go to work is it Pete? Colin? John? Mark? LOL!!!
I now await my lovely wife and JATS manager, Deb in beautiful downtown Helsinki. Deb stayed behind for our youngest daughter Emelia's graduation from university. She starts law school in the fall. Wow, a lawyer in the family. Could've used that about 28 years ago! Congratulations Angel. Good work indeed!
Helsinki has always loved us as much as we loved it. I cannot wait to play Helsinki, although, I gotta be honest. I cannot wait to play anywhere, anyhow, for anyone, at anytime, at this point. Wish we were playing today, but my hands did need a break.
We then are off to Norway, then Antwerp, then six shows in Spain. We finally are gonna do some shows in Spain. I was fortunate to go to Spain with Dan Baird & Homemade Sin and I can't wait to go there with JATS! "Excitement Much" as my beautiful, daughter Chauncey would say.
Thanks to all of you who have seen the band. Thanks to all of you who are planning to see the band. Get ready. We now have our "sea" legs and we are loaded for bear.
"Bring on the dancing girls, and put the champagne on ice, we're goin' in!” - Bon Scot, AC/DC from Sin City.
Keep it rockin',
Warner E. Hodges
First off, I'd like to thank the Scorcher fans for receiving me with open arms. It's been an incredible experience witnessing you all giving so much energy back to the band at the shows. I can't begin to explain to you all what it's like to be on my side of the stage except that it's a lot like hanging on to a speeding locomotive while hundreds of people cheer you on. What a ride it's been so far, I really don't want it to stop. It's just mind blowing to hear you take over the vocals from Jason on "Broken Whiskey Glass." I am truly impressed with all y'all. Please come say hey to me after the show is over. I'd love to meet you.
So how did I end up on this ride that is "Jason and The Scorchers"? For those of you who don't know, I also play in a band with the amazing Stacie Collins (my talented and lovely wife, not my cousin). The first time I met Warner E. Hodges I was playing bass at a Stacie gig in Nashville when our guitarist at that time (Ken McMahan) just handed Warner his guitar in the middle of a song and walked off stage. He knew Warner would take the bait. Warner and I have been making music together ever since. That's the short story anyway.
Warner still plays with Stacie and I from time to time but Dan Baird kind of permanently borrowed him to take Ken's place in Homemade Sin. One of the rare occasions when Warner will be playing guitar for Stacie Collins this year will be at The Shed in Maryville, TN on Sunday May 30th (FYI - JATS play The Shed the night before).
Stacie also has a new CD coming out soon. The basic tracks were produced by Dan Baird and Warner, Dan and I all played on it. It's a twelve song barn burner mix of rock (and roll), blues and twang. Check out www.staciecollins.com for more details.
See ya on the road,
Al
Hey y’all!
I’m working on my tour documentary right now... I’ll have it ready soon for your viewing pleasure. It’ll give you an inside peak of JATS on tour, on stage and off. So tune in again soon for some video footage from the first leg of our European tour.
A big thanks to all the great fans who’ve been to the shows so far. And to all others, see ya soon somewhere down the rocking road...
Pontus.
May 10
Live shots from the UK tour online Photos from Jason & The Scorchers recent shows in Leicester, Sheffield and London by JATS album designer and photographer Paul Needham can be seen here, here and here.
May 10
Halcyon Times at Number 5 in April FAR chart
Halcyon Times made number 5 on the Freeform American Roots (FAR) Chart for April. The chart compiled is compiled from reports sent in by 150 actual DJs with freeform (i.e. no playlists) radio shows on public, college and community stations from around the USA and the world.
April 3
Making of Halcyon Times video online
He drums, sings, writes songs, plays lead guitar and for all we know makes delicious cakes. If all that weren't enough, ladies and gentlemen we give you Pontus Snibb filmmaker! Our favourite Viking has just posted this little home movie he shot whilst recording Halcyon Times in Nashville last year. So for a candid peak at the Scorchers at work, useful tips on how to keep your headphones in place whilst recording and what Dan Baird likes to eat for lunch go check it out.
March 2
Halcyon Times in USA TODAY
Halcyon Times is the Pick of the Week in today's USA TODAY (page 5D). You can see the piece onlinehere.
March 2
Halcyon Times and the Passing of Ed Hodges
So we now release Halcyon Times, the first Jason and the Scorchers record of new material since 1996. Yikes, that was 14 years ago! How did that happen??!! Almost everyone who hears the cd is calling it one of our finest efforts to date. I do agree, and I am not the kind of artist who says every record I am involved with is "our best one yet." (I always wonder how artist who say that with every release can claim any credibility...)
No one is more surprised than me that this release even happened, let alone that it is a career record. I was quite reticent about the whole idea, but Warner kept after me. Certainly bringing Al Collins and Pontus Snibb on as the new rhythm section was a huge step in the right direction. That is truly a rhythm section for the ages. They nail it. Warner of course is playing at the top of his game, and I feel like I have learned a lot as a singer since the last JATS record. Honestly, being Farmer Jason the past 6 years has focused my singing considerably. I have learned to concentrate and enunciate more clearly, and to completely go into character.
Another huge advantage we had on this release was the impressive team of folks who threw in. As always, manager Deb was there every step of the way, and the Farmer Jason/ Jason Ringenberg designer and website manager Paul Needham brought his full support and impressive array of skills to the party. Dan Baird and Ginger Wildheart offered their services in whatever way they could help, free of charge. They both were an amazing asset to us. Ginger flew in for a week in February and co-wrote 9 of the songs, and then demoed them all for us! Dan offered to produce the record. When we went with Brad Jones instead, he then unselfishly jumped in help write the cd, and to play rhythm guitar during the sessions. I still can't believe he gave us the Days of Wine and Roses idea. Imagine Homemade Sin doing that song... All in all, you put Warner Hodges, me, Al Collins, Pontus Snibb, Brad Jones, Ginger Wildheart, Tommy Womack, and Dan Baird together and you do have a rock 'n' roll dream team. It was a marvelous experience working with such talent, and one that I will not forget.
As most of you know, Warner's father Ed Hodges passed away February 16. Many JATS fans have seen or met Ed, since he and Blanche made every show we ever played in Middle Tennessee, often joining us on stage to jam. Ed was often like a second father to me, and also a dear friend. Since he was a musician himself, he knew the language and the matrix. Even though he was not of our generation, he could hang out with us rockers on equal terms. At the end of the day he was one of us.
I have so many fond memories of him. In the early days of the band, he would sing Haggard's "Working Man Blues" with us, and I would play bass!!! My bass playing must have sounded atrocious, but he always invited me to do it, since he instinctively knew how much I enjoyed playing bass on a song. He was that kind of guy- rock solid and completely at ease in his own skin. He epitomized the term "Southern Hospitality", always first up to help anyone who needed it. I never knew him to say anything stupid or divisive. I never knew him to be flakey about anything. I never knew him to be anything but kind and courteous. On top of all that, he was one smart cat: an old country boy who started with nothing and made something of himself.
He was my friend, and I will always consider the experience of knowing him to be one of the great blessings of my life.
May he Rest in Peace.
Jason.
February 22 Jason & The Scorchers hit Europe in May
Jason & The Scorchers 2010 European Tour kicks off in The Netherlands on April 29. The month long trip takes in Holland, the UK, Norway and Spain. For full details visit the shows page.
Edgar 'Ed' Wadsworth Hodges, February 23, 1930 - February 16, 2010
Edgar passed peacefully at home February 16, 2010, attended by his devoted wife of 53 years, Sarah Blanche Hodges. He is survived by his son Warner E. Hodges (Deborah and their children Brock, Chauncey and Emelia) and granddaughter Molly Sara Price, his siblings Sally (Rudolph) Cashwell, John Hodges and Lora Ware, sister-in-law Rachel Johnson and brother-in-law Jerry (Elizabeth) Sweatt, numerous nieces and nephews and many, many adored friends. He was preceded in passing by sons Gerald Dwayne Price and Glen Alan Hodges.
Born February 23, 1930, in LaGrange, NC, to Eva Mae and Enoch Hodges, Ed worked for Ford Motor Company, Norfolk, VA, before being drafted into military service in March 1951, Ft. Meade, MD, basic training in Camp Breckinridge, KY. He was troop shipped to Europe (Sonthofen, Germany), where he achieved the rank of corporal. In March 1953 he separated from the U.S. Army and immediately joined the Army Reserve of Norfolk, VA, where he found a need to be back in the field. He re-entered the Army as a sergeant in August 1955 and was transferred to Ft. Benning, GA, where he meet his beloved wife, Blanche.
Between 1958 and his retirement from the Army in October 1973, he was assigned three tours of duties in Germany, Korea, two in Vietnam, Santa Domingo and the Panama Canal Zone. During his military career he and wife Blanche formed a band, "Swingin' Strings," winning a contract to tour military bases for Special Services entertaining the troops as opening act for such well-knowns as Johnny Cash, Archie Campbell, Lefty Frizzell, Bobby Bare, Faron Young and Porter Wagoner.
After retiring from the army as Chief Warrant Officer 2 in October 1973, Ed and his family settled in Nashville to carry on their love of playing country music. He began teaching at NADC. He received his BS from the University of Tennessee in 1981 and his Master of Science in Industrial Education in 1985. Ed received the Outstanding Technical Instructor Award of 1982 from the State of Virginia Private Schools Association. He also received eight top instructor awards from NADC and the Outstanding Instructor of the Year award from NADC in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1984. Ed retired from NADC as Education Coordinator in 2000 to indulge his love of gardening and music.
Ed was wholeheartedly devoted to his family, home, work and music. He will be sincerely missed by his family and the many who were fortunate to have their lives touched by him. Ed was exceedingly supportive of, and influential in, his son Warner’s music career, notably the band Jason and the Scorchers.
Ed’s family members would like to express their sincere appreciation to the amazing staff at Odyssey Health Services (Hospice) for their loving care.
Many Scorchers fans will remember Ed for his many on stage guest appearances with the band over the years. Ed, Blance and Warner can been seen playing together at the Hodges family home in this in this 1983 TV spot.
Messages of condolence can be left at the Edgar Wadsworth Hodges Memorial page on Facebook.
January 16
Halcyon Times record of the week on House Of Mercy
Syndicated, UK based internet radio show House of Mercy is featuring Halcyon Times as their record of the week from 16 January. The three hour show hosted by Barry Marshall-Everitt is broadcast daily and features three songs from the forthcoming album - Moonshine Guy, Beat On The Mountain and for the first time online Land Of The Free. For links and broadcast schedule visit - www.houseofmercy.net
January 7
Jason recommends new Stace England CD.
Stace England was interviewed on National Public Radio’s “Weekend Edition” show about his new Stace England and the Salt Kings cd “The Amazing Oscar Micheaux”. Micheaux was THE pioneering African-American filmmaker from 1919-1948, with a career that spanned both the silent films and talkies. His films were all self produced and shown in black community theaters. He was also an author, and the first African-American to homestead South Dakota. England’s cd chronicles his life and films. As Jason says: “As for the music on “The Amazing Oscar Micheaux” Stace England and his band the Salt Kings once again prove that history can rock! This record will appeal to film aficionados as well as people who don’t have the first idea who Oscar Micheaux is. Recalling mid period Big Star or early REM, the music stands on its own merits, while transporting the listener into the romantic 1920’s world of celluloid dreamers. I doubt there were any film makers who fought bigger odds reaching for their dream than Micheaux. Stace England and the Salt Kings muster up a similar spirit all these decades later.”
Fans of Jason and the Scorchers will know that Stace opened the historic Perryfest show in 2007, and that Jason appeared on two previous Stace England CDs dealing with Southern Illinois history. Micheaux was from Southern Illinois as well.
January 2
First Halcyon Times review hits!
Happy New Year and some glad tidings to kick off the new decade. The first review (or should that be preview?) of Halcyon Times has surfaced on UK music blog site Shakenstir, Weighing in at 4.5 out of 5 it’s certainly a nice way to start the new year. You can read it in full either in our reviews section or over at www.shakenstir.co.uk.
December 23
A Christmas Message from Jason Hello my friends and Merry Christmas! This year it has dawned on me that one of the things I love most about Christmas is the music. I wonder what those songwriting masters from centuries ago thought after they wrote those classics. Did they realize what they had created? Did they get the credit and respect they deserved in their lifetime?
Their music is everywhere this time of year. I have lost count of the times I have heard “Silent Night” or “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”, but somehow those songs still move me and reach so deep. Even when delivered by modern computer tuned singers who can’t really do the songs justice (I count myself in that crowd), they still work their magic.
My favorite Christmas records this year are by The Beach Boys and Gene Autry. I have the Beach Boys one on vinyl. Their version of “We Three Kings” is a masterpiece, an absolute masterpiece!! I actually sang the “Myhr is mine” verse in third grade for a Christmas concert. (In those days you could still sing sacred music in public schools, and I do believe that the ban on such songs nowadays is a great injustice.) The Gene Autry record is deceptively good, and grows on me with every listen. It is delightfully fun and something that everyone in the family can enjoy. And of course Sinatra, Elvis, and Bing are always on my Christmas playlist, to show what true masters can do with such beautiful songs. Sinatra’s mid period version of “Jingle Bells” (he did several) is pure genius. The arranger on that should have won a Grammy.
Jason with his wife Suzy and daughters Kelsey, Camille and Addie Rose
December was a good month musically for me. I did a short run through Spain, ending once again in Mallorca, an island off the coast of Barcelona. My manager there, Toni Monserrat, put together a great little run of Farmer Jason school shows. I can’t express how much I enjoy those shows, with the incredible cross culture chemistry. Even with their limited English, the kids get soooo excited, and it translates in ways none of us really understand. A special thank you to Toni and his family Barbara, Megan, and Anna, and to all my Mallorcan friends who open their homes and hearts to me.
After Mallorca, I journeyed to Hanover Germany to meet JATS for the Blue Rose Christmas party. On the way, I severely damaged my back, but was somehow able to perform. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The room was packed, and I have to say the band really brought the goods. Pontus couldn’t make it, so Mauro Magellan did drums duty. Even without a full band rehearsal, he absolutely nailed it, as did Warner and Al. When that band is on, it’s something to behold. The new Halcyon Times songs went over the best. We even had the moxie to close with Moonshine Guy, and it worked. After being in the Farmer Jason world so intensely all year, to jump right into to the JATS rock world was such a radical change of gears. Its funny, rock ‘n’ roll never really changes, only the faces in and around it.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with hopes realized.
Jason
December 23
Seasons greetings from Warner
Hello all and Happy Holidays! I am all geared up to spend Christmas with Deb and the rest of our family. One of our girls, Eme is in Nashville already and Chauncey, our other daughter gets here on Monday 21st. Brock our son, lives here so Deb and I are happy for the season.
The New Year brings all kinds of great things. First off, Halcyon Times, comes out in Feb. It has been a long time coming, to say the least. We are all so excited to have the new CD coming out. It has been a while for us and we seriously weren't sure there would ever be another CD from us. There are also European JATS dates on the horizon. May of 2010 is what Deb is working on at this minute.
I will also be in Europe with Dan Baird & Homemade Sin three or four times this coming year. We are in Denmark and Norway in Feb. Please check Dan's website for dates. We have just started writing songs for the next DB & HMS cd. I hope to be working on that in the early part of 2010.
I am also in the final stages of vocals on the CD I have been working on with Timm Biery and Dave Roe. I have been blessed to been a part of a musical journey with these two amazing musicians. I always leave sessions with these guys wondering why they asked me to be a part of their three piece. It is a super challenging and rewarding experience playing with these guys. I am always pushing my musical envelope with Dave and Timm. I hope we get the CD out this coming year.
I will be in Europe for about half of 2010 as it stands right now. I hope to see as many of you as possible this year.
p.s. - Jason, please don't leave Dino off the Christmas music list!
Happy Holidays,
Warner
December 23
Happy Holidaze from Al
I hope all y'all have a wonderful Holiday and a Rockin' New Year! I've got a good feelin' about 2010. Sometimes I can just feel something good is coming and this is one of those times. With the upcoming release of "Halcyon Times" and my wife Stacie Collins' new CD "Sometimes Ya Gotta" I think I'm in for one heck of a ride next year.
If you're in the neighborhood of Knoxville, TN on Dec. 31st I invite ya to come ring in the new year with Stacie Collins and the boys from Blackberry Smoke at The Shed in Marryville. We'll be blowin the roof off of joint! I promise a rockin' good time and some very cool music at one of the best venue's in East Tennessee. Check Stacie's web site for details www.staciecollins.com
Well if I don't see ya in TN on New Years then I hope to see on down the road at a Scorcher or Stacie Collins show in 2010. Be good to each other.
Cheers!
Al
December 23
Ho ho from from Pontus in Sweden
I just got back from a big European tour with my other band Bonafide. We played 34 shows in 38 days and the response has been fantastic everywhere, and it´s been one hell of a ride.
I´m glad to say that in every country we´ve been, fans of JATS have come up to me with questions like: "When can we hear the new JATS album" and "how does it feel to be in the band?" So I proudly say: roll on February 2010 and it really kicks ass to be a Scorcher!
I´m really itching for those drumsticks again! I've had enough of picks and broken amps for a while. So, see you somewhere down the line on the forthcoming tour.
Now time for some well needed sleep and a nice white Christmas.
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Scorching Year to you all!
Best wishes,
Pontus
December 23
New live songs available to watch on Youtube! Thanks to Jayhawk69 for posting a bunch of great new, live Scorchers video footage on his Youtube page. Filmed in early December in Hannover (Germany) at The Blue Rose Records Christmas party the quality of these clips is excellent. Pontus was still away on tour with Bonafide at the time so Mauro Magellan from Dan Bairds' Homemade Sin took the drum stool for the evening.
Songs available to watch include old favorites such as 'Harvest Moon', 'If Money Talks', 'Broken Whiskey Glass' and 'Absolutely Sweet Marie', covers of 'Oh Las Vegas' and 'Fortunate Son' (both featuring Warner on lead vocals) and three brand new songs from the forthcoming Halcyon Times album 'Gettin' Nowhere Fast', 'Mona Lee' and 'Moonshine Guy' which you can watch below. There is also a great clip of Jason and Warner joining Willie Nile on stage for a smoking version of The Ramones 'I Wanna Be Sedated'.
You can view all Jayhawk69's footage from the evening here.
December 23
First CD's arrive!
We were excited to receive the first finished copies of Halcyon Times recently. Not only have we gone all out to record the most exciting album of our career but we've pulled out all the stops with the packaging too. Although Halcyon Times will be released in different CD packaging formats in different territories all versions of the album come with a full color 24 page booklet that features exclusive photographs, production notes from all the band members and lyrics to all the songs. We think you're going to like it!
November 22 The ultimate birthday gift for Farmer Jason!
The second round of the IT’S A FARMER JASON! educational interstitial videos airing on select PBS stations around the country earned another Emmy Award nomination for best Childrens Program Mid South Region. You can see all of these videos on the IT’S A …FARMER JASON! DVD available from Jason's store.
November 20
A Note Of Thanks From Betty Ringenberg
Thank you for the love and warmth so many of you sent wishing me a Happy 80th birthday. It reflects what extra terrific people you folks are, and why Jason speaks so fondly of his friends and fans. I thoroughly enjoyed all the cards and notes, and it was so nice to hear from each of you. I wanted to write back thank you notes to everyone, but Jason adamantly instructed me not to do that! So this will have to do.
God’s love and ours toeach of you,
Betty Ringenberg
October 31
MySpace page gets a custom make over
The JATS MySpace page has been given a major overhaul to bring it in line with www.jasonandthescochers.com. Thanks go out to Pontus' girlfriend Mia who did all the heavy lifting writing the new code. You can check out the results here.
October 30 New Scorchers song aired WDKN AM 1260 Dickson Tennessee recently aired an hour long interview with Jason at his farm. Interviewed by Diane Davis, the interview features the first public airing of the song Twang Town Blues off the upcoming Halcyon Times cd. You can to listen to the show onlinehere.
Oct 8
Scorchers sign with major U.S. booking agency
Jason & The Scorchers have signed with prestigious American talent agency APA, who will now handle all the bands Stateside concert bookings. With major offices in Beverly Hills, New York and Nashville, APA is one of the largest full service talent/literary agencies in the U.S., representing top artists in all genres of music, as well as theater, movie, and literary clients. The Scorchers plan to tour festivals and perform selected club and theatre dates in America throughout 2010.
The APA press release read as follows:
We are pleased to announce the signing of the original kings of cowpunk and alt-country trailblazers, JASON & THE SCORCHERS. The reunited band is back with a scorching new album, "Halcyon Times", due out in 2010.
In the early 80's JASON & THE SCORCHERS pioneered a style that straddled hard rock, punk and country music with incendiary live performances. Jason Ringenberg's maniacal stage attack combined with Warner Hodges' business end of a Fender Telecaster blistered audiences around the world with a sound at the time approximated to nothing less than Joe Strummer riding a wrecking ball through the Grand Ole Opry.
Noted music critic Robert K. Oermann says, "Their shows were so physical. Jason acted like a guy who had been attacked with a cattle prod and I still maintain that Warner Hodges was one of the most charismatic lead guitarists of his generation. The two were like twin poles of electrical energy. You could almost see the bolt of lightning that connected them. The Scorchers never sold more than a million records, but nobody who saw them will ever forget it.No act has ever blended punk rock intensity with a country swagger better than Jason Ringenberg and his bandmates the Scorchers... the band and Ringenberg are the closest things Nashville has to rock' n' roll legends".
Classic songs include: "White Lies", "Broken Whiskey Glass", and "Golden Ball & Chain". In 2008 they received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Performing from the Americana Music Association and in 2010 they reunite to blaze further ground with their first new album in eleven years.
Oct 8
Bonafide album storms Swedish rockk chart
Bonafide, Pontus’ gloriously AC/DC-esque hard rock band recently crashed into Sweden’s Hardrock Toplist at number two with their second album Something’s Dripping. They entered the chart well ahead of both Ace Frehley and Megadeth who also released new albums in the same week. To find out more visit: http://www.myspace.com/bonafiderocks
Oct 1
Welcome to Jason & The Scorchers.com Howdy and welcome to the first posting on the new Jason & The Scorchers website. Firstly we would like to thank James Benkard for his years of dedicated service running the old website and for his cooperation and support moving it into this new realm. James helped keep the Jason & The Scorchers memory alive during these past ten years in the “wilderness”. For that and so much more, we thank him from the bottom of our hearts.
“New” is the buzzword around JATS these days. We have a new website managed and designed by Paul Needham. You folks will know Paul from his excellent work managing and designing the Jason Ringenberg, Farmer Jason and Warner E. Hodges sites and his work designing our cd artwork. Paul’s contact info is paul@mohawkvisuals.com.
The other core JATS support team member is Deborah Whittington. Longtime tour and business manager of the band since the late 90s, she is now manager of all aspects of the organization. If anyone has any questions or inquiries about JATS, she can be reached at warnerrue100@gmail.com. We are also assisted by Donna Sharber who helps us with merchandise and runs our MySpace page. The JATS MySpace page has been a great networking tool for fans for the past five years.
Within the band proper, the word “new” is an understatement. The past year has seen the band undergo an astounding transformation. For the past ten years, Warner kept the idea alive that JATS could be valid again. Jason was much more circumspect and even downright resistant to any idea of bringing the band back in any real way. However, Warner doggedly kept after the idea and finagled funding to record again. Most importantly, he talked Jason into at least giving the idea a try. The next step was putting together a dynamite rhythm section. While Fenner Castner and Kenny Ames had done an admirable job filling in for Jeff and Perry, that line-up never quite jelled in the way that it needed to. First Warner brought in Al Collins on bass. He had played with Al for years in the Stacie Collins Band and really felt Al was perfect. Al is a classic rock ‘n’ roll bassist, much like Jeff Johnson. Warner and Jason decided to give him a try on a May 2008 UK tour that fell into their laps. When Fenner could no longer do the long Europe touring, Jason suggested they try Pontus Snibb from Malmö in Sweden. By all accounts, the tour was a smash success and they decided to bring in Al and Pontus to record the new album. Al and Pontus are now solid members of JATS, although Mauro Magellan (of Georgia Satellites and Homemade Sin fame) will sometimes fill in on drums when needed. Be sure to check out their individual bios on the JATS site.
The new album is called Halcyon Times and will be released the first half of 2010. The exact release dates and record companies are still to be confired. We will talk much more about the new album later, but trust us when we sat that it honors the JATS legacy and takes it to a new dimension. Folks are already talking about Halcyon Times as a “career record”.
Some other news: Discovery Channel will air COAL COUNTRY in November. It is a documentary about mountain top removal mining. A new JATS song BEAT ON THE MOUNTAIN from Halcyon Times is in the soundtrack, although you really have to listen for it. To find out more about the film or to order the companion CD which includes BEAT ON THE MOUNTAIN visit - www.coalcountrythemovie.com
Warner, Jason, Al, Pontus, Deborah, Paul, and Donna wish to extend a big THANK YOU to y’all for sticking with JATS all these years and for showing interest in these new developments. Please keep checking back here for more info on Halcyon Times and other JATS news.
Oct 1
When The Wildhearts met Jason in Bilbao
We've just received this great link to footage of Jason performing Lost Highway and White Lies with The Wildhearts in Bilbao, Spain last year. Rogue mike leads, reverb and gandy dancing... what more could you ask for! Should you not already be familiar with The Scorchers favourite rock band you could do worse than check out The Wildhearts new album Chutzpah! Thanks to Nick Small for editing and posting the footage.
Oct 1
New Scorchers song debut on radio During a visit to Maine and New Hampshire in the summer, Jason appeared on Stay Tuned with Shawn Henderson on Portsmouth Community Radio WSCA-LP 106.1 FM. The session featured an in depth interview with Jason in which he discussed all aspects of his career from Jason & The Scorchers to Farmer Jason. Jason also plays live versions of The Tractor Goes Chug Chug Chug, Scorchers classics Shop It Around and Absolutely Sweet Marie and for the first time on American radio two brand new songs from JATS forthcoming album Halcyon Times.
You can listen to the entire session here. There is also video footage of Jason playing the new songs (Moonshine Guy and Mona Lee) filmed during the show online here and here.
