Jason Loewenstein
Encyclopedia
Jason Loewenstein is an American
alternative rock
singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and a member of the indie-rock bands Sebadoh
and The Fiery Furnaces
. He grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts
, where he attended Northampton High School, and now resides in Brooklyn, New York.
to play drums and bass for Sebadoh
. His first songwriting contributions came on Sebadoh III
and continued on Bubble and Scrape
, adding "dark .. rough hewn pop gems" like "Happily Divided" and "Sister".
Following Gaffney's departure from Sebadoh in 1993, Loewenstein assumed a higher songwriting profile, contributing five songs to 1994's Bakesale
.
This continued on the last two Sebadoh releases Harmacy
and The Sebadoh
, after which the group went on hiatus until 2003/2004 when he and Lou Barlow
toured as a duo on a tour they called "Turbo Acoustic", with Loewenstein and Barlow playing along to drum tracks that were pre-recorded by Loewenstein.
In 2007, he, Barlow and Gaffney reformed the "Sebadoh Classic" trio and toured throughout the United States and Europe.
In 2002, he produced and played every instrument on his first solo album At Sixes and Sevens, which was released on Sub Pop
. The touring band for that record included Bob D'Amico, who would later join Jason in playing with the Fiery Furnaces in addition to forming Circle of Buzzards with him in 2008.
, playing bass and guitar. He acted as engineer on their 2008 release Remember
and 2009's I'm Going Away
.
, David Kilgour's (The Clean) "Frozen Orange", Brett Eugene Ralph's "Kentucky Chrome Review", and Lou Barlow's "EMOH".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and a member of the indie-rock bands Sebadoh
Sebadoh
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band, formed in 1986 in Westfield, Massachusetts by Eric Gaffney and Dinosaur Jr bass player Lou Barlow. Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided by Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi music, a style of indie rock characterized by low-fidelity recording...
and The Fiery Furnaces
The Fiery Furnaces
The Fiery Furnaces are a U.S. indie rock band formed in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York. The band's primary members are Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger. The siblings are originally from Oak Park, Illinois, a near-western suburb of Chicago.- Band biography :...
. He grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
, where he attended Northampton High School, and now resides in Brooklyn, New York.
Sebadoh
In 1989, Loewenstein was recruited by Eric GaffneyEric Gaffney
Eric Gaffney is a songwriter and recording artist. In 1989, he co-founded the indie rock band Sebadoh, and since 1998 has been performing and recording with his own project Fields of Gaffney. In 2007 a reformed Sebadoh began touring again.-External links:...
to play drums and bass for Sebadoh
Sebadoh
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band, formed in 1986 in Westfield, Massachusetts by Eric Gaffney and Dinosaur Jr bass player Lou Barlow. Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided by Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi music, a style of indie rock characterized by low-fidelity recording...
. His first songwriting contributions came on Sebadoh III
Sebadoh III
III is the third album by the American indie rock band, Sebadoh. It was released by Homestead Records in 1991.III was the first full length Sebadoh album to feature Jason Loewenstein, who joined the band's two founding members Lou Barlow and Eric Gaffney in 1989, and debuted on the "Gimme Indie...
and continued on Bubble and Scrape
Bubble and Scrape
Bubble and Scrape is the fourth album by American indie rock band, Sebadoh. It was released by Sub Pop in April 1993.Bubble and Scrape was the final Sebadoh album to feature songs composed by founding member Eric Gaffney.-Music:...
, adding "dark .. rough hewn pop gems" like "Happily Divided" and "Sister".
Following Gaffney's departure from Sebadoh in 1993, Loewenstein assumed a higher songwriting profile, contributing five songs to 1994's Bakesale
Bakesale
Bakesale is the fifth album by American indie rock band, Sebadoh. It was released by Sub Pop in 1994.Bakesale was the first Sebadoh album released following the departure of founding member, Eric Gaffney, though he did drum on four of the album's tracks from a session engineered by Bob Weston. Tara...
.
This continued on the last two Sebadoh releases Harmacy
Harmacy
Harmacy is the sixth album by American indie rock band Sebadoh. It was released by Sub Pop in 1996.It is the second and final Sebadoh album to feature drummer Bob Fay, who replaced founding member Eric Gaffney in 1994....
and The Sebadoh
The Sebadoh
The Sebadoh was Sebadoh's last full album released in 1999.The Sebadoh was the only Sebadoh album with drummer Russ Pollard.-Track listing:#"It's All You" - 2:41#"Weird" - 3:26#"Bird in the Hand" - 1:36#"Break Free" - 2:39#"Tree" - 4:17...
, after which the group went on hiatus until 2003/2004 when he and Lou Barlow
Lou Barlow
Louis Knox Barlow is an American alternative rock musician and songwriter. A founding member of the groups Deep Wound, Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion. Barlow is credited with helping to pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
toured as a duo on a tour they called "Turbo Acoustic", with Loewenstein and Barlow playing along to drum tracks that were pre-recorded by Loewenstein.
In 2007, he, Barlow and Gaffney reformed the "Sebadoh Classic" trio and toured throughout the United States and Europe.
Solo Work
Loewenstein's first official solo work came under the name of Sparkalepsy with the Heather's Overbite EP, released in 1994.In 2002, he produced and played every instrument on his first solo album At Sixes and Sevens, which was released on Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
. The touring band for that record included Bob D'Amico, who would later join Jason in playing with the Fiery Furnaces in addition to forming Circle of Buzzards with him in 2008.
Fiery Furnaces
From August 2005 to the present, Jason has performed and recorded with the Brooklyn-based band The Fiery FurnacesThe Fiery Furnaces
The Fiery Furnaces are a U.S. indie rock band formed in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York. The band's primary members are Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger. The siblings are originally from Oak Park, Illinois, a near-western suburb of Chicago.- Band biography :...
, playing bass and guitar. He acted as engineer on their 2008 release Remember
Remember (The Fiery Furnaces album)
Remember is the first live album from indie rock band The Fiery Furnaces, released on August 19, 2008. The album includes various live performances of songs from their first six studio albums, recorded between 2005 and the tour for their 2007 album, Widow City. Some longer songs, such as...
and 2009's I'm Going Away
I'm Going Away
I'm Going Away is The Fiery Furnaces' eighth album. It was released, on CD and LP, on July 21, 2009 in the US and August 24, 2009 in the UK.The CD version was presented in a 4 panel mini-LP style jacket....
.
Other work
He has also played drums on several albums including Will Oldham's album Viva Last BluesViva Last Blues
Viva Last Blues is an album by Palace Music, featuring Will Oldham on vocals and guitar. The album was recorded by Steve Albini and was released in 1995 on Drag City...
, David Kilgour's (The Clean) "Frozen Orange", Brett Eugene Ralph's "Kentucky Chrome Review", and Lou Barlow's "EMOH".
Albums
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | At Sixes And Sevens | Sub Pop Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene... / Domino |
Singles & EPs
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Heather's Overbite | Vertical Records Vertical Records Vertical Records is an independent record label founded by Capercaillie member Donald Shaw in 2000, based in Glasgow, Scotland. The label has predominantly focused on celtic and roots music, with releases from Michael McGoldrick , Shooglenifty , Harem Scarem , Karan Casey ,... |
| 1994 | Split With Unconvinced | Soul Static Sound |
| 2002 | Codes | Domino |
Compilations
| Year | Title | Label | Track(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Our Band Could Be Your Life | Little Brother | King Of The Hill |
| 1997 | Broken Keys | Wormco Records | Vixen |
| 2002 | The Cornerstone Player 035 | Cornerstone Promotion | Codes |
| 2003 | Destiny (The Hi-Lo Tunez Plan: 2nd Step) | Hi-Lo Tunez | Casserole |
| 2003 | Worlds Of Possibility | Domino | Codes |
| 2004 | Louisville Is For Lovers Vol.4 | Double Malt Music | Just Lazy |