Jason, No Scorchers

I first heard Jason and the Scorchers when they opened for the Ramones in Houston, Texas sometime in the early 80's. I had no idea who Jason or the Scorchers were but they took the stage and more than held their own, winning over the punk rock crowd with their style of high energy American music. Long before before Uncle Tupelo and No Depression, Jason was playing what came to be called "alt country". Their 1984 release "Fervor" is one of the best EP releases ever (with serious consideration given to Los Lobos' "...and a time to dance" and "Black Market Clash" by The Clash).
Some 25 years later, a solo Jason took the stage at Durham's Festival for the Eno . He seemed genuinely happy to be there for his too short one hour timeslot on a hot humid July afternoon. Jason asked the crowd to call out their favorites in a what turned out to be a more or less all request show. Early Scorchers' classic tracks, "Absolutely Sweet Marie" (Yeah, I know Dylan wrote it), "Broken Whiskey Glass", "Bible and a Gun" and "Harvest Moon" were called for, played and drew a nice response from an appreciative crowd. Two (at the same time) broken guitar strings and a brief rain storm couldn't stop Jason who took it all in stride with a sense of humor (Ryan Adams take note). Jason, no Scorchers, battling the weather and technical difficulties, put on a rockin' solo show that reminded me how much I've enjoyed his music over the years and inspired me to go home and listen to his 2008 career retrospective "Best Tracks and Side Tracks 1979-2007".

Jason and the Scorchers (with the original line-up!) will play together for the first time in over a decade on September 18, 2008 when they're awarded a "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Americana Music Association!