Tag: Jason Wilber

Time Traveler: Jason Wilber’s engaging musical journey

 in Reviews, Songwriters

By Ken Paulson —

Jason Wilber was among friends and family as he took the stage in Fort Myers, Florida on June 24. There was his wife Michelle in the second row. Sitting next to her was Jason’s father. On the left side of the room were friends from Bloomington, Indiana. And pretty much everywhere there were fans who loved his work as a member of John Prine’s band.

No matter, though. Even a room full of strangers would have been won over by Wilber’s engaging, low-key set.

Wilber opened with the upbeat and inviting “Time Traveler,” a song he says was partly inspired by the science-fiction classic novel “Time and Again.” It was a fitting start to a set that spanned decades of music.

The oldest song was also the most moving. “A Song For You” was written and recorded by Leon Russell in 1970, and was later covered by Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, the Carpenters the Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Willie Nelson and many others. Despite all of those other interpretations, Wilber’s stripped down version was absolutely striking. From the beginning, it was a song written by a road musician for the woman he loved. Wilber’s take sounded true.

Wilber didn’t disappoint those who came to see him because of the Prine connection, playing “Far From Me” from John’s first album and “Souvenirs” from the Sweet Revenge follow-up in 1972.

John Prine also came to mind when Wilber performed his own song “Quakertown Optimists Club,” which explores why an Optimists Club would call it quits. The song and story behind it were very entertaining.

Jason Wilber is an extraordinary guitarist and he offered up sometimes intricate and always impeccable playing throughout his set. From his cover of “Annie You Save Me” by Graffiti6 to his stirring closer “Ghost Light,” he packed a lot of variety and surprises into the evening.

Bruce Gallant opened the evening with an exuberant performance. It’s always a great sign when the artist is clearly having as good a time as his audience. We hadn’t seen Gallant before, but quickly recognized that his “Living in Paradise” is a local anthem:

“Living in Paradise, I ain’t got much, but it sure is nice. A ten by fifty mobile home, that sets on land that I don’t own”

There’s some Roger Miller in there – and that’s a good thing.

The concert was presented by the Americana Community Music Association, a remarkable organization of volunteers who bring great live music to Southwest Florida. Their base is the All Faiths Unitarian Church in Fort Myers. Picture a good house concert with top talent, comfortable chairs, good lines of sight and first-rate sound. These folks have built a vibrant music community out of a sheer love of Americana music. Highly recommended.

Ken Paulson is the editor of Americana One and the host of The Songwriters, seen on PBS affiliate TV stations nationwide.)

Review: Jason Wilber’s “Echoes”

 in Americana Music, New releases

By Paul T. Mueller
wilberJason Wilber is best known to many as the nattily dressed guy who stands to the right of the great John Prine on stage, playing guitar and mandolin and singing harmony. Wilber also happens to be a singer-songwriter in his own right, with nine solo albums to his credit.

The newest, Echoes, finds him performing songs by other writers. He’s covering a lot of ground here – Leon Russell’s “A Song for You,” the Rolling Stones’ “As Tears Go By,” Pink Floyd’s “Echoes,” Joni Mitchell’s “Edith and the Kingpin,” David Bowie’s “Oh You Pretty Things” and Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” are among the 11 tracks. Of course Wilber’s boss gets his due, with a solemn reading of “Paradise,” Prine’s lament about the despoiled coal country of Kentucky.

Echoes follows several years’ serious effort by Wilber to improve his singing voice, and while he will probably always be more noted as a guitarist than as a singer, his vocals do justice to the essence of these songs. The album benefits from spare but clean production by Paul Mahern, who also handled percussion duties, with help on a couple of tracks from Devon Ashley. The rest of it – guitars, bass and vocals – is all Wilber.

 

 

John Prine on Cayamo

 in Americana Music, Festivals, Music Cruise News

John Prine on Cayamo 2012

By Ken Paulson Four of the best minutes in a week full of great music on Cayamo came as Iris DeMent joined John Prine on “in Spite of Ourselves,” their very funny duet from the album of the same name. Prine is always a professional, and his shows with Dave Jacques and Jason Wilber are well-paced, spanning his best work of the past four decades. The three shows this week were no exception. But Prine absolutely beams when there’s a shift in the routine, and he was clearly having a good time with Iris. She stayed for “Unwed Fathers” and the finale “Paradise.” Prine has been on the Cayamo cruise before, but he hasn’t quite gotten over the sensation of singing while trying to hold onto your balance. He told the audience that if they see any performers who aren’t having a problem with their footing, “they’re drunk.” One early show finished at 7 p.m. “I haven’t been done with a show this early since I played the matinee at the Earl of Old Town,” Prine recalled.