Hey all,

Here’s a pic of my recent set up for a couple of shows, lot’s of tap dancing during songs. The amount of pedals I own continues to grow so I spent an afternoon re-organizing the whole pedal board to accommodate “correct” signal flow and ease-of-use. Guitar players: feel free to criticize my signal flow…cuz I’m not changing it. Am I ashamed of the Ibanez chorus? You betchya.

Jon

I wear 3D glasses all the time now, it makes things feel more real…and way more 3D.

My portable “office.” I’m constantly working on new tunes, but I’ve been focusing on a handful of new songs that are all taking shape during this one specific period. It’s really exciting to have a group of songs mold into final products and be connected to each other in some way. This group of about five or six songs feels very tight-knit, like a family of songs. They feel different. Fresh. Calm. Mature. I’m still sculpting away to make sure they are perfect for their debut, but they are slowly and surely coming to fruition. Can’t wait to share them with all of you.

So I’m hanging out in NYC and look who I bump into.

So here’s why we really came to Japan, to help these guys showcase their speakers. Quite the experience to be up on stage with these Eclipse TD MK II monitors behind you, everything is right there in your mix. Best on-stage mix and FOH mix I’ve ever heard/experienced. Here are some pics of the setup. We’re off to Fujitsu-Ten today to check out the factory.

I’m back in Japan for two weeks and it feels great to be back. I’m hanging with the family and doing some workshops at old schools for the first week, and then we’re doing a masterclass/performance with Eclipse speakers. When I say we, I’ve dragged my drummer Matt Musty along with me for the experience.
We were at my old high school Canadian Academy for a full day of workshopping with almost the entire music program from middle school and up on Monday. Lots of fun questions and good times. Musty and I both had a blast. Here are some pictures that my brother Daniel took, talented young guy.
Watch out for some more pictures and videos. We’re running around Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe the next couple of days. We’re scheduled for another workshop at Kyoto International School on Friday, and then we’re sitting in with the Canadian Academy High School Jazz Band and Japanese guitarist and UN Peace Ambassador Jiro Yoshida on Saturday. Lot’s of fun ahead of us.

It’s very exciting to share with you my latest and first official release on iTunes. We’ve been working on this song for a while now and since so much hard work has gone into this song and into getting it available for you guys, I need to make sure that everyone is thanked and credited.
Chris Hermann engineered, co-produced, and co-mixed this single…and the rest of the album (coming soon,) and his presence is all over this single and the record. Many thanks to my good friend and partner in crime.
Joe James oversaw the production of this single, and the record and made sure that a quality product was what came out the other end. His knowledge, resources, experience, and overall sense of music guided the rest of us through this journey, and we thank him for that.
Tom Carr mastered the single at 1854 Mastering in Milford, MA and is responsible for allowing us to get this song into your hands in the right format and sounding great. A huge thanks to him for making sure our vision stays intact and perfect for your listening devices. www.tomcarraudio.com
Matt Musty is the king of groove and understands my song-writing like no other. He plays for the song, but adds just enough ear candy for you to be mesmerized by the musicality a “pop drummer” can get away with. Many thanks to my drummer and dear friend, we are all in awe.
Bryan Percival played Bass on this single, and most of the album and does a fantastic job. We all had the pleasure of working with a “one take” kinda guy, and it made life easier for all of us.
Josh Fobare played Keys on this song and fills in all the musical spaces I am unable to fill as a singer and guitarist. He works around the song and does a great job of it. He brings my visions to fruition, and with very little communication, a great asset to this single and the upcoming record.
Chris Roche and Noriko Terada for helping me find the right words.
Barbara West is my representation in this crazy music business, and is fighting tooth and nail to get my music out to all of you.

We’re finishing up the album as we speak. It sounds great, it feels good, and it’s starting to look stellar. I can’t wait to share it with all of you.

Thanks for all the support, now go show your friends!
-Jon

One of the most important elements in a drummers groove is control over the hi-hat, in my opinion this is. It seems like such a small and insignificant detail, but I believe that the hi-hat, and control over the hi-hat is what separates a good drummer from a great drummer. I feel that this isn’t true for all styles and genres, but if you can’t convince me with your hi-hat playing, then I can’t believe in your groove.
A drummer has to care about the sound each part of the drum set produces, and gain control over it. The hi-hat can make a groove fall behind, lay on top, feel tight, loose, out of control…all of the above. It’s all about pressure on the hi-hat. Too many drummers get preoccupied with the coordination of a drum groove and lose focus on the most important part, the sound of a groove. You can hit a drum a certain way to invoke a certain emotion, and a lot of players spend time focusing on the snare drum, which is the “heart” of the drum set. But that type of study and accuracy needs to be put into the toms, the kick drum, the cymbals and especially the hi-hats. A drummer needs to understand the physics of a drum and cymbals. The snare drum may provide you with the back beat and power of a song, but the hi-hat subdivides the groove and has such a huge role on how the groove is perceived. If time and accuracy are not put into control over the hi-hat, your drumming can be seen through. A drummer may have chops and techniques everywhere else on the drum kit, but can sound amateur because of lack of control over the hi-hat.
The key is in the pressure you apply to certain grooves, and how you open and close the hi-hat. Hi-hats are extremely temperamental and are one of the more complicated things on a drum set. There are two cymbals working with and against each other for a “collective” sound or part of a groove, and controlling this with your foot pedal pressure, stick attack, stick angle, follow through, tightness/looseness of the top hat, weights of the cymbals and so on becomes very complicated. The biggest give away that shows me a drummer is weak is when he transfers from the closed hi-hat to the open hi-hat. Most drummers just let loose and let the two hats fly out of control. It’s really disturbing and can throw an entire groove off.
A number of drummers have mastered the hi-hats and are far above many other drummers because of their understanding. Probably the master of groove and hi-hat control is Steve Jordan, followed closely by JJ Johnson and Abe Laboriel Jr. These guys understand groove on a whole other level and have ridiculous amounts of control over their hi-hats. Study and listen to these guys switch their hi-hat grooves and sounds. They rarely choke the hats, and always have this loose hat sound that sets up this wonderful consistent wave that the rest of a groove and band can ride.
Another person who understands the importance of the hi-hat but decides to take a different approach is producer and guitar player T-Bone Burnett. T-Bone Burnett understands the importance and weight the hi-hat has on a groove, but he chooese to avoid the use of hi-hats in many of his productions. He believes they are too constricting for a groove and don’t let a song breathe enough. He uses longer sounding hi-end instruments/elements to accomplish this necessary subdivision, and believes that maracas and shakers allow for more space in a groove, leaving it open for interpretation and experimentation.
I just thought I would share with you my philosophy on groove and hi-hats. For me, it makes or breaks a drummer. I’m studying all the time.

-Jon

Just finished reading the Eric Clapton autobiography. Great read. I highly recommend it, you’ll learn a lot. Clapton has always been one of my biggest heroes and I finally got a chance to really dive in and understand why. Now moving on to Sting.

It’s official, I’m in Los Angeles post grad. Give me a month to find my feet. We’ll talk soon.