Jason Perry
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| Jason Perry | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Lead Singer of ’A’ |
| Born | December 29, 1969 Leeds, Yorkshire, England |
| Genre(s) | Rock/New Wave |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1997-present |
| Label(s) | London/Warner |
| Associated acts | A (band) |
| Website | http://www.a-communication.com |
Jason Perry is a record producer, song writer, and lead vocalist of the Suffolk based band ’A’. He has an identical twin brother, Adam, and a younger brother, Giles, both of whom are also members of the band.
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[edit] Biography
Jason spent his childhood in Leeds, before moving to Suffolk with his family at the age of 13. He attended Reydon High School, where he met guitarist Mark Chapman and bassist Stevie Swindon. Together they formed the band Grand Designs, with Jason's twin brother Adam on drums, and by the late 80's they were playing regular gigs in and around Lowestoft. The band had a prog rock inspired sound, similar to that of It Bites, Yes and Rush. After finishing high school, Jason attended Suffolk College where he studied graphic design. In 1991 Jason moved to London where he shared a flat with Adam, Stevie and Dan Hawkins, who later went on to be in The Darkness.
[edit] ’A’ - 1995-2005
’A’ was formed in 1995, with Giles Perry joining as keyboard player. The band moved away from their prog rock days with a much bore brattish sound, mixing the energy of Ash, the melody of The Beach Boys, the pop sensibilities of Van Halen and the attitude of The Beastie Boys. At the time Jason had a job creating music for TV ads. He bought a studio, which he also used to produce some demos for the band. ’A’ landed a deal with London Records in 1996, and released records under their own "Tycoon Records" subsidiary. In 1997 they recorded their debut album How Ace Are Buildings over three months in California. Jason co-produced the album with Thom Wilson, most famous for producing The Offspring's "Smash". ’A’ began to build up a loyal following in the UK, touring with the likes of The Sex Pistols, Jesus Jones and their heroes Faith No More. After the album was released, bassist Stevie Swindon parted ways with the band and was replaced by their friend and satanist Daniel P Carter. In 1998 How Ace Are Buildings was re-released on ltd edition vinyl, with a bonus record featuring live tracks, remixes, clips from interviews, answering machine messages and general silliness. The record was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Jason.
In 1999 they released their second album A vs. Monkey Kong, which had a more mature sound than their debut, and is regarded by many as their finest hour. With its release they began touring internationally for the first time. The single "I Love Lake Tahoe" was a big hit in Germany, and in 2000 the band embarked on a worldwide tour with The Bloodhound Gang. Jason produced many of the B-sides from this period. Also this year, Jason got married to his longtime girlfriend Holly.
The third album was Hi-Fi Serious, recorded in Germany with producer Al Clay in 2001. The first single was "Nothing". The track was the heaviest thing the band had recorded, and went crashing into the UK top 10. This was followed by top 20 hit "Starbucks". The band spent 2002 touring woldwide, appearing at many of the world's major festivals, and won a Kerrang award for best British band. This was the bands most successful period to date.
In 2003 Jason became the proud father of a baby boy called Zack. ’A’ released a brand new single "Good Time", and began writing material for album number four.
After a brief delay, the album was recorded in early 2004 in Seattle, with producer Terry Date. Again, the album marked a more mature sound for the band, and was regarded as containing the bands strongest material to date. Around the time the album was completed, the bands UK label, London Records, was bought out by Warner Music. Unfortunately this meant the album was shelved for the rest of the year, with nobody knowing whether the album was ever going to see the light of day.
Around this time Jason moved to Essex and built a new studio. He took on his first role producing another band, working with a band called The Riverclub. He also went on the road with The Bloodhound Gang, as part of their crew. ’A’ made a brief return in August, at the Reading and Leeds festivals, headlining the Concrete Jungle stage. At the end of the year the new ’A’ album was finally given a release date of April 2005.
’A’ returned with a four night residency at the Metro Club in London, followed by a tour of Germany and a 19 date UK tour. First single "Rush Song" was released in May, but due to their two year absence, coupled with the re-emergence of britpop, with bands such as Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand dominating the airwaves, the single inevitably received very little airplay, TV coverage or press, as well as little promotion from their label. The single entered the charts at number 35, giving them a fourth top 40 hit. The album Teen Dance Ordinance was finally released on July 18, 2005. The album was well received amongst fans, and received positive reviews in the press. The band made a main stage appearance at the Download Festival in the UK, did a few dates with Avril Lavigne in Germany, and played their first ever acoustic gig, which was broadcast live on the internet. After a short but successful UK tour in October, it was announced that the band was being dropped by their label, Warner Music, due to poor record sales, and that the band was going into hiatus, stating that they would be unable to continue financially.
[edit] Collective
In 2005 Jason teamed up with old friend and established songwriter Julian Emery, and formed "Collective", a songwriting and production team. Collective also featured ’A’ bassist Daniel P Carter, and is managed by Jason's brother Adam. Their first project was co-writing and producing the debut album from Matt Willis, Don't Let It Go To Waste. The album reached gold status and spawned three top 40 singles in the UK.
The team's next project was with McFly on their third album Motion In The Ocean. The album was a huge success reaching the top 10 and spawning three number 1 singles in the UK.
The team have also been involved with a string of writing sessions with the likes of Sugababes, Andrea Corr and Cher.
[edit] The return of ’A’
’A’ returned in 2007 to play a one off festival in Rochford and are thought to be keen to get writing again in 2008.
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