Jason Brock
Biography
Jason Brock
Born: December 3rd, 1967
Birthplace: Chelsea, MA
Currently Resides: San Diego, CA
Best Known As: Guitarist for MP3.com star Emily Richards, founder of Songserverworldwide.com
Early Life:
When he was young his mother, a bank teller, and father, a telecommunications worker, encouraged him to play trumpet in the school band. He sang in the school choir and taught himself to play guitar, piano, and drums. After attending George Washington University, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue music without finishing a degree in electrical engineering.
In Los Angeles:
Jason formed the rock band Blowtorch Opera in 1990 with front man and Cherokee recording studio co-worker Paul Condon, bassist Geoff Hartman, and Drummer Mike Nieland. Though the band broke up, the Hartman-Nieland-Brock trio remained intact and went on to record and tour with numerous bands including Maximum R.O.A.C.H.,
Orangehand and MP3.com popstar Emily Richards.
Brock toured nationally with Richards in the summer of 2000 helping Richards to become the most downloaded independent artist on the internet at that time. The tour, historic in scope, was made possible in large part by Emily’s manager Kevin Carmony, and MP3.com’s CEO and founder Michael Robertson. The success of MP3.com and the tour represented a major shift in how musicians would reach their fans.
Shortly after the tour however, MP3.com was sued and bought out by Universal in a major label attempt to gain control over the free-form culture MP3.com represented.
During the same time period, Brock’s marriage and his long time musical relationship with Hartman and Nieland ended as an outcome of a tumultuous affair on the road between Richards and Brock. Tragedy also struck the tour while in Cleveland, when Emily got a call that her little sister Annie had been killed by a drunk driver.
Though devestated and confused, Brock continued on. He helped produce several albums with Emily Richards, also helping her to form the non-profit AWAKE Community. He reinvented himself as a solo artist, singing, writing and recording new songs. To this day Brock continues to build on the musical relationships he shares with artists Toulouse Holliday, Al Linker, Dana Harlow and David Vaughn to name a few.
In San Diego:
Brock moved to San Diego in the spring of 2005 with Emily Richards. He founded the podcasting website Songserverworldwide.com which is now home to the Peacepod podcasts. Brock is now experimenting extensively with ambient and electronic remixes in the creative commons world of ccmixter.com. In 2006, Brock formed the experimental quartet 2012AM with Emily Richards, breakbeat artist DJ Quenique, and ambient artist Mark Wooton. The band recorded five singles and remails together though largely inactive.
Solo Releases:
Plant The Seed:
Jason Brock's 2004 debut solo release Plant The Seed is an expression of Brock’s strong attitude against corporate control and his dislike of the effects of capitalism on art. The album, released independently at CDBaby, found a wide audience on the long tail of the internet. Popular tracks include “Rule the World” and “Beverly Hills”
Fly On:
Released this year, the title track of Brock’s follow-up record pays homage to his friend and teacher Mervyn Brady. His untimely death in 2006 was a tremendous shock and become the impetus for the album as a whole. Many of the songs reflect a sense of loss and acceptance, while others speak of political dissidence and cultural upheaval. Released for free online as a experiment in a time released mixed-media interaction, Fly On is a continuation of Brock’s unending search for independence and freedom in the marketplace of soundcraft.