Mason Jar Music Blog

Hi Mason Jar Music Blog Fans,

We want to thank you for following along with us as we blogged about our adventures, and to let you know that we are discontinuing updates in the Blogosphere. For future updates on what we're working on, please check out what we're sharing on Facebook , Instagram, and Twitter.

Love,

For many of us at Mason Jar Music, the music of the 1990s was the backdrop to our coming of age. It was our introduction to pop culture and the soundtrack to our middle school dances. This year, continuing our annual Decoration Day cover series, we've asked a few of our favorite local Brooklyn artists to re-imagine a 1990s song of their choosing. Together with the Mason Jar Music House Band, we've crafted this humble homage to a few of the great turn-of-the-century artists, including Smashing Pumpkins, Macy Gray, Cher and Lauryn Hill. 

The Decoration Day series began on a whim three years ago after a last minute studio cancellation inspired co-founders Dan Knobler & Jon Seale to record an EP of some their favorite songs. In what has become a celebrated Mason Jar Music tradition, the collective unites friends and collaborators for one weekend each spring to record a group of themed cover songs to be released around Memorial Day.

Decoration Day, Volume 3 by Mason Jar Music & Friends

Mason Jar Music House Band - Homeowners Association EP

For a while now, the band that backs up many of the artists that come through Mason Jar Music has been myself on guitar, Jason Burger on drums, Zack Rosen on bass, and Jake Sherman on keyboards. We really like playing together.

With that in mind, Jason and I spent a whole bunch of afternoons at his place jamming and looping and assembling some instrumental ideas to bring to the MJM House Band. When the time came to record, we settled on three tunes and brought in a killer horn section with members of Antibalas, TOO MANY ZOOZ, and EMEFE. These were very fun to play and record and we hope they are very fun to listen and dance around to.

- Dan

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The Mason Jar Music House Band is:

Jason Burger - Drums & percussion Dan Knobler - Guitars Zack Rosen - Bass Jake Sherman - Organ, wurlitzer, rhodes, and synths

with: Jas Walton - Tenor sax Ray Mason - Trombone Matt Muirhead - Trumpet Leo Pelligrino - Baritone sax

This week I had the pleasure of reuniting with some old high school friends to record a new version the new year's classic "Auld Lang Syne" at my parents' house in Macon, Georgia.

Reading a translation of the ancient Scottish lyrics definitely brought on some bittersweet reflections of relationships come and gone. 

Katrina and I compiled some memories from the year into this video collage, and (MJM co-founder) Dan mixed the track from his fiancee's dad's house in Nashville. 

Thanks to everyone who has supported us this year! I hope this music gives you a chance to reflect on the beautiful and difficult moments from 2013 and look ahead to the blossoming new year. 

- Jon

  Produced by Mason Jar Music

http://MasonJarMusic.com 

Recorded at the Seale family home in Macon, Georgia, December 2013. Additional lyrics by Jonathan Seale.

Hampton Vernon - Vocals and Drums

David Pope - Vocals, Piano, Guitars

Jonathan Seale - Vocals, Bass, Percussion

Jenni Seale, Joe Reiff, Josiah Seale, Angela Kilby - Group Vocals

Ryan Whitehead - Saxophone

Recorded by Jonathan Seale

Mixed by Dan Knobler

Filmed by Katrina Sorrentino and Sasha Arutyunova

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from Mason Jar Music and Josh Garrels!

Produced by Mason Jar Music http://MasonJarMusic.com

To watch the film, visit http://TheSeaInBetween.com

Recorded live at the Barracks Row Theater in Washington, D.C. on December 9th, 2012.

Josh Garrels - Vocals Russell Durham - Violin Char Prescott - Cello Jon Seale - Vocals Jenni Seale - Vocals Gabriel Gall - Keys

Recorded by Jacob Blumberg Mixed by Jonathan Seale

Sometimes things just work out nicely. About a year ago MJM composer/arranger Ian Davis was booking an acoustic European tour with singer Katie Vogel and their band Relatives. I had recently done a few gigs with some very fine Irish musicians who were accompanying Chelsea Crowell on her US tour. One of those fine gentlemen, Colm O Herlihy, is a very kind and talented guy who made a lot of connections for Ian and Katie in Ireland and a great time was had by all.

That relationship is continuing to bear fruit: Colm just launched a label, MDR Recordings and signed Relatives as one of their first acts. However, Ian and Katie were in the midst of production on a new EP which wouldn’t be finished in time for their Irish tour, so they approached me about recording a stripped down, acoustic duo album.

We set up shop for two days in Katie's living room - just four mics, a gut string guitar, and two voices - and spent a few hours cutting four tunes. That EP, The Signs That Mock Me As I Go, was released this week on MDR Recordings and Ian and Katie are touring Ireland again this month.

- Dan

When on Memorial Day weekend, 2012, a long-standing recording session at Mason Jar Music was cancelled at the last minute, MJM co-founders Dan Knobler and Jon Seale decided to make the most of the lost time. Inviting a handful of artists & musicians from the burgeoning Brooklyn indie-folk community into the studio, they set out to pay tribute to some of their favorite American music. The result was Decoration Day, a six track EP of songs written over a 200 year span of American history.

Exactly one year later, the Mason Jar Music collective returns with Decoration Day, Volume 2 - featuring a new outfit of up-and-coming talent, this time giving a nod to 1960s- era soul. The six-track EP pairs Josh Garrels, Nick Hakim, Emily Elbert, Flearoy, and Gabriel Garzón-Montano with an impeccable MJM house band and a 4-piece horn section featuring members of The Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, EMEFE, and The Westerlies. The album was recorded in three days, live-in-studio at Mason Jar Music on Memorial Day weekend, 2013.

CREDITS:

Produced by Mason Jar Music Recorded by Dan Knobler, Jon Seale, and Jacob Blumberg at Mason Jar Music in Brooklyn, NY on Decoration Day Weekend, 2013 Mixed by Dan Knobler & Jon Seale Mastered by Jacob Blumberg The Mason Jar Music House Band: Dan Knobler - Guitar Zack Rosen - Bass Jason Burger - Drums & Percussion Jake Sherman - Organ, Wurlitzer, Piano Jas Walton - Tenor Sax Billy Aukstik - Trumpet Freddy DeBoe - Baritone Sax Willem de Koch - Trombone Vocals on Don't Let Me Down: Nick Hakim, Emily Elbert, Gabriel Garzon-Montano Background Vocals on Don't Let Me Down: Stefan Weiner, Cameron Scoggins, Fox Schwach, Hannah Read, Jon Seale Additional Background Vocals: Jon Seale, Stefan Weiner, Emily Elbert Vocals on Grandma's Hands recorded by Josh Garrels in Portland, OR Cover photo by Sasha Arutyunova sashaarutyunova.com

New video + MJM Producing new acoustic Relatives EP

Below is a great little video of our friends Relatives (MJM arranger/composer Ian Davis and singer/songwriter Katie Vogel) performing "Widower." The song will be released on a forthcoming acoustic EP produced by Mason Jar Music for MDR Recordings (a new Irish label started by our good friend Colm O'Herlihy), and the duo will be touring through Ireland in late July to support the release.

The video was filmed by MJM photographer Sasha Arutyunova and was recorded around one mic: a vintage Gefell m70 courtesy of our friend Arno at Sacred Sound Studios in Dresden, Germany. Relatives' new press photos above were also taken by Sasha. Enjoy!

- Dan

Here's a belated selection of photos from The Sea in Between Documentary Release Tour: Southeast, Feb '12.

Virginia Beach, VA Garner, NC Atlanta, GA Birmingham, AL Nashville, TN Photos © Sasha Aleksandra Arutyunova & Katrina Sorrentino 2013

MJM Produces Letters from an Old Trunk by the Whiskey Collection

After a joyous release show at Rockwood last weekend, we are very happy to share the first first full length from our friends The Whiskey Collection. Letters from an Old Trunk was produced and recorded by Mason Jar Music last summer.

Drawing on inspirations ranging from Bill Monroe to Thom Yorke, The Whiskey Collection crafts sound like an artisan moonshiner.

Stream the album below:

Letters from an Old Trunk by The Whiskey Collection

A few years back, Jon and I were playing at the Knitting Factory with our band Flearoy and had the great privilege of sharing a bill with The Whiskey Collection. The group of 5 classically-trained Juilliard students playing energetic, thoughtful folk and bluegrass blew us away. Since that night all the members of the Whiskey Collection have become integral parts of the MJM community and the band has expanded to include myself and Matt Porter.

The band is in the running for The Deli's NYC Artist of the Month, so if you dig the music, please take a second to vote and show your support.

- Dan

We'll be hitting the road again today with our 8-piece ensemble backing Josh Garrels Music for another run of The Sea In Between premiere shows. If you're in the Southeast, come out and say hi.

Above is a selection of photos from our Northeast tour, taken by Sasha Arutyunova.

This post is a little overdue, but here goes! My name is Ian McLellan Davis, I am a singer, composer, and guitarist. I have a group with Katie Vogel called Relatives and I work with Mason Jar Music as an orchestral arranger. I have a large family and each year for the past three years I have recorded a short Christmas album consisting of original pieces composed as gifts for each individual member of my family.

Davis Family Christmas 2012 was particularly ambitious as I added my Dad's girlfriend, her two children, my own girlfriend, and a theme song; thirteen tracks total. I had so much fun making this one and it features a whole cast and crew of some very fine musicians and friends including Mason Jar regulars Jonathan Seale, Rebekah Durham, Kris Nolte, Andy Clausen, Zubin Hensler, Char Prescott, and Stefan Weiner as well as several other great people/players, Willem De Koch, Andrew Mulherkar, Katie Vogel, Stephanie Leke, Carah Naseem, Renata Zeiguer, and Booker Stardrum.

Usually I just put these up on the internet for people to stream/download for free. However, my group Relatives is recording an EP which we are trying to raise money to finish, so the album is streaming for free below or directly on bandcamp, and if you like it and would like to support the Relatives EP, the download is available for $5.

A Davis Family Christmas (2012) by A Davis Family Christmas

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bennett/texana

Our good friend Bennett Jackson recorded eight rock and roll songs for his new record, Texana, at Mason Jar Music almost a year ago and his Kickstarter campaign is in it's last few days.  Help him find the funds to press and release the record (and pay all the musicians who played on it).  He's got some cool rewards, including a series of amazing illustrations for a few of the songs.

The record features MJM-regulars Jason Burger on drums and Zack Rosen on bass, as well as an assorted crew of top notch musicians and friends.  I produced it along with Bennett and Sean O'Brien, both superb guitar players, and between the three of us this is a serious guitar record.

Bennett just released a sampler of "Oklahomer Loner" which features some of my favorite playing I've ever recorded on the outro.  Check it out:

If you can, please donate so independent musicians can keep making rock and roll music.

The amazing box sets for our film, The Sea In Between, are now shipping after endless manufacturing delays. We've already sold half of this limited run, and the rest will sell out quick, so grab yours now from TheSeaInBetween.com.

  The Storm is Passing Over A Benefit Album by Mason Jar Music & Friends In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Brooklyn-based collective Mason Jar Music has assembled an all-star collection of indie-folk artists to create The Storm is Passing Over, a benefit album of fifteen classic American storm songs. Donations exchanged for these recordings will go directly to support ongoing relief work in New York City and the tri-state area.

Though our own house and studio were unharmed by the storm, mere miles from our little corner of Brooklyn, homes were destroyed and lives were lost. As the people of New York City pulled together to support each other in this difficult time, we at MJM were reminded of the blessing of our own close-knit community of artists and musicians - a gift we hope to share through this project. 

Much heartfelt thought and preparation went into the curation, performance, recording, and treatment of these songs. The resulting work is a labor of love inspired by the same challenges and the hope for rebirth that caused our predecessors to pen these songs during the storms that shook their own lives generations ago. These 16 tracks were recorded and mixed over a two week period in December, 2012. Some artists recorded remotely from their homes and studios in Nashville, Portland, and Paris, but most came to record at Mason Jar Music in Brooklyn. Together we workshopped new interpretations of classic songs, swapping ideas and experiences. Each track centers around a real performance, recorded live.

Your donation will help fund Occupy Sandy and their continued emergency relief efforts, but also much needed long-term rebuilding projects in collaboration with the people and communities that have been affected. Together, we can rebuild and renew what has been lost.

Mason Jar Music & Friends:

Abigail Washburn & Béla Fleck Aoife O'Donovan (w. Noam Pikelny & Paul Kowert) Dawn Landes Emily Elbert Flearoy The Gundersen Family Jus Post Bellum Lucius Michael Daves Piers Faccini The Relatives Rosanne Cash Tift Merritt Town Hall

Album cover and website design by Stereotonic & Sounds Like Whiz Bang.  Photos collage assembled by Sasha Arutyunova. Album cover photos collected from the wreckage of a neighborhood in Far Rockaway, Brooklyn by Andrew Ellis.