Jason Dormon
Encyclopedia
Jason Dormon is a British
Bassist
and venue owner from Tunbridge Wells. He is most noted for his work in Joeyfat
and also for his running of the Tunbridge Wells Forum
.
collective Joeyfat
and spent the early 1990s releasing music with a number of independent record label
s including Fierce Panda, as well as touring with the likes of Green Day
, China Drum
, Jawbox
, and Scarfo
.
In 1996 Joeyfat went their separate ways in 1996, to pursue other projects and Jason went on to form, alongside Alex Tucker
Unhome who were a post-rock hardcore 5-piece. The band released one album Short History of Houses (Unlabel
) and a split single with Papa M.
Unhome split in late 1999 and at this point he formed the band Rebus who played for a few years before splitting. Around 2000 Jason got back together with Joeyfat to play a series of shows to promote The Unwilling Astronaut, a sixteen track collection of studio
, live and session work spanning the years 1991 to 1996. They have since remained together, and have been playing gigs at a steady rate and releasing occasional tracks.
Their most recent, thirteen-track album, You Can Change People's Lives With Your Mouth / The House of the Fat was released on CD, and limited edition vinyl, in 2003 on Unlabel
. Also in July 2003, Joeyfat recorded a Peel Session for BBC Radio 1
.
In December 1992 Jason and a group of friends opened The Forum
as a new music venue in a building on Tunbridge Wells Common which was previously used as a public toilet and a brass rubbing
centre. It has since hosted a number of acts who have gone on to achieve significant commercial success.
In 2010 Jason was featured in The Independent
's "Happy List", profiling people who make Britain a better place to live.
In 2011 Jeremy Pritchard bassist with the band Everything Everything
named Jason as the person who has creatively influened him the most.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
and venue owner from Tunbridge Wells. He is most noted for his work in Joeyfat
Joeyfat
Joeyfat are an eight piece post-hardcore band from Kent, England, active from 1991 to the present.-History:Joeyfat began in the Tunbridge Wells Forum in 1991...
and also for his running of the Tunbridge Wells Forum
Tunbridge Wells Forum
The Forum is a 250 capacity live music venue in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent.The Forum is an independent music and arts venue in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.-Location:...
.
Early life
Dormon was born in Tunbridge Wells and educated at Bethany School.Music career
In 1991 he formed the post-hardcorePost-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
collective Joeyfat
Joeyfat
Joeyfat are an eight piece post-hardcore band from Kent, England, active from 1991 to the present.-History:Joeyfat began in the Tunbridge Wells Forum in 1991...
and spent the early 1990s releasing music with a number of independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
s including Fierce Panda, as well as touring with the likes of Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, China Drum
China Drum
China Drum were an English punk rock band from Ovingham in Northumberland active from 1989–2001, playing their final years under the name The Drum.-History:...
, Jawbox
Jawbox
Jawbox was an alternative rock band from Washington, D.C., U.S.. Its original members were J. Robbins , Kim Coletta and Adam Wade...
, and Scarfo
Scarfo
Scarfo were a British rock band, formed in Andover, England in 1994, by former art college students Jamie Hince , Nick Prior , and Al Saunders . Scarfo was the culmination of several other bands and line ups involving Hince and Saunders including "Remember the Rabbitts" , and "Electric Turkey Land"...
.
In 1996 Joeyfat went their separate ways in 1996, to pursue other projects and Jason went on to form, alongside Alex Tucker
Alexander Tucker (musician)
Alexander Tucker is an English musician from Kent who writes, records and performs alone and in collaboration with a varied array of artists. One critic writes that "Tucker sounds like he’s following a tradition that has long been neglected, focusing not on ageless songs and ideas but on ageless...
Unhome who were a post-rock hardcore 5-piece. The band released one album Short History of Houses (Unlabel
Unlabel
Unlabel is an independent record label located in Staplehurst near Tunbridge Wells. It has had releases from bands such as Joeyfat, Ye Wiles, Cove, Jason and the Astronauts, SJ and Charlottefield.- Series52 project :...
) and a split single with Papa M.
Unhome split in late 1999 and at this point he formed the band Rebus who played for a few years before splitting. Around 2000 Jason got back together with Joeyfat to play a series of shows to promote The Unwilling Astronaut, a sixteen track collection of studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, live and session work spanning the years 1991 to 1996. They have since remained together, and have been playing gigs at a steady rate and releasing occasional tracks.
Their most recent, thirteen-track album, You Can Change People's Lives With Your Mouth / The House of the Fat was released on CD, and limited edition vinyl, in 2003 on Unlabel
Unlabel
Unlabel is an independent record label located in Staplehurst near Tunbridge Wells. It has had releases from bands such as Joeyfat, Ye Wiles, Cove, Jason and the Astronauts, SJ and Charlottefield.- Series52 project :...
. Also in July 2003, Joeyfat recorded a Peel Session for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
.
The Forum
Dormon's career in music promoting began on the 17th May 1988 when, along with a group of friends (including Ian Carvell, Stephen Cookson, David Jarvis and Haydn Wood), they put on The Brilliant Corners at the Rumble Club in Grosvenor Park rec hall in Tunbridge Wells. The Rumble Club, as a music venue went on to use various premises in the area, including The Watson Hall, Langton, The Hand & Sceptre in Southborough, and the lower floor of the former Winchester pub on Nevill Street, Tunbridge Wells (now the Thorins wine bar). Jason has said that he and his friends put on shows because they were fed up with the cost and travel of going to London to watch bands.In December 1992 Jason and a group of friends opened The Forum
Tunbridge Wells Forum
The Forum is a 250 capacity live music venue in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent.The Forum is an independent music and arts venue in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.-Location:...
as a new music venue in a building on Tunbridge Wells Common which was previously used as a public toilet and a brass rubbing
Brass rubbing
Brass rubbing was originally a largely British enthusiasm for reproducing onto paper monumental brasses – commemorative brass plaques found in churches, usually originally on the floor, from between the 13th and 16th centuries. The concept of recording textures of things is more generally called...
centre. It has since hosted a number of acts who have gone on to achieve significant commercial success.
In 2010 Jason was featured in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
's "Happy List", profiling people who make Britain a better place to live.
In 2011 Jeremy Pritchard bassist with the band Everything Everything
Everything Everything
Everything Everything are a British indie band that formed in late 2007, originate from Newcastle, Kent and Guernsey, and reside in Manchester. The band rose to fame when they were revealed as part of the BBC's Sound of 2010 poll on 7 December 2009...
named Jason as the person who has creatively influened him the most.