This particular column could end up being inflammatory to some people, and I want to stress that I offer it up in the spirit of opening minds to new possibilities and not to condemn anyone for their personal taste in music.  I don't claim to know everything about anything, and I try to remain receptive to new ways of thinking and learning about music.  That said, I will now address an issue that I've thought about for some time, and before you might ask "Just who is this guy to attack certain types of music and players,"  remember that this is my Web site and I can do anything I want to in here!    ;-)

First of all, let me say that I love all types of music....well, okay....there are styles and performers that I like better than others, but I absolutely 1000% whole-heartedly support everybody's privilege to create whatever they want to, even those that I don't like.  As you may know from previous columns I've written, I support a limitless attitude about the process of creativity.  Artists should have the freedom to pursue and create any style of music or interpretation as they wish.  This article is not a slam against any particular music, but rather an endorsement of people who strive to inject their art with a sense of integrity and originality without regard to "market demographics" or other bean-counter terms.  By integrity, I simply mean staying true to one's tastes and values.  By originality, I mean trying to give people a reason to derive something unique from one's work, even if it is an interpretation of another person's song.  (Take note that I am not saying that one cannot be enormously successful with integrity.  They are not mutually exclusive.)

Society is very quick to categorize and compartmentalize just about everything these days, and music is not immune to this.  Whether you're browsing in a CD store or searching for music on the Internet, you will find a glut of categories to choose from such as Rock, Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Classic Rock, Progressive Rock, Country, Alternative Country, Country & Western, Country-Rock, Rockabilly, Blues-Rock, Blues, Rhythm and Blues, Delta Blues, Chicago Blues, Texas Blues, Jazz, Swing Jazz, Modern Jazz, Fusion, Rap, Gangsta Rap, Hip-Hop, Techno, Soul, Bluegrass, New Grass, Oldies, New Age, etc... (boy would George Carlin have fun with this!)

Don't get me wrong, I acknowledge a need to be able to describe things with some accuracy.  The last thing I want to do is buy an unknown piece of music that someone says is cool "old school" stuff, only to find out that it is Thomas Edison checking his microphone in the 1800's (well, maybe that actually would be cool.)  I have a problem when categories are forced upon artists because they produce expectations and limitations that are unfair to them.

When I try to compose a biography for a press kit or respond to someone who asks what kind of music I play, I am always frustrated by the lack of justice that words do.  I'm not a jazz player, but I love to improvise.  I'm not a traditional blues player, but I derive a great deal of inspiration from early and modern forms of the music.  I like to turn up loud and rock it out from time to time, but I'm not a hard rock player.  I even love the old twangin' Telecaster sounds from country music, but I don't consider myself to be a country player.  So what do I do?  A friend of mine says "You just play 'Jason' music."    That is such a neat way of looking at things.  It is the highest compliment (or at least I hope it's a compliment) that I could ever think of.  I draw from so many sources that defy categorization and I filter them through me and hopefully my music comes out as something unique and worth listening to.  Isn't that what all musicians should do?

One of my very most favorite influences on guitar is the great Lonnie Mack.  I have been lucky enough to see him live on different occasions and even got to meet and talk with him for awhile.  Aside from his ground-breaking work in the 1950's, Lonnie cut some excellent modern albums for Alligator Records, then found himself recording a disc in Muscle Shoals  for CBS/Epic records that would accentuate the "country" side of his music.  Lonnie Mack is not a country artist per se, but he has an earthiness and soulfulness in his presentation that might draw in some country listeners while retaining the interest of the blues and rock guitar slingers out there. On his album Roadhouses And Dance Halls, Lonnie sings a tune called "Too Rock For Country, Too Country For Rock And Roll."  To me, that title hits the nail on the head of what I'm trying to say here.  You've got this tremendous musician whose personal style encompasses traits of many types of music, yet the people in the music industry and program directors at radio stations don't know what bin to put his music in; therefore he doesn't get a lot of the recognition he sorely deserves.

Music is a big industry.  The business side of things can't always be ignored, especially if one hopes to make a living as a player and/or writer.  Most popular radio stations and MTV, which play trendy mainstream music, seem to regard older music and artists as expendable.  Even country radio stations disregard the great legends such as Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Johnny Cash, etc.  It's all about putting that fresh-faced group of today's stars out in front of the public and making a ton of money off them.  Of course, I guess The Beatles could've been grouped in that category, but they have stood the test of time because they actually combined great originality with their looks.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are so-called "preservation societies" which unwittingly do injustice to what they are trying to foster, by virtue of their somewhat snobbish and category-oriented attitudes.   A few of these organizations, such as some blues societies, will promote the older forms of the music, which is most honorable and completely opposite of what today's media does, but they often do so at the expense of encouraging new approaches to a stagnating genre.  What they don't seem to realize is that when guys like Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon, and Howlin' Wolf et al created their music, it was fresh, original, and NEW !  To preserve the blues as a fundamental artform, or any other type of music for that matter, means to not only preserve its history and traditions.  It should also mean to preserve the creative spirit and vitality of new approaches to the music that all of the old masters had in their times.  Many "blues snobs" are so bent on categories and tradition that it closes their minds to newer artists and sounds.  In other words "If it ain't black and from Mississippi or Chicago, then it ain't blues."  (No discriminatory intent with that statement folks, just an opinion)  Of course, for some people, if it isn't a white Strat-slinging Stevie Ray Vaughan wannabe, then it shouldn't be called blues either.

On a more personal note, I've encountered the consequences of categorization first-hand.  I've played in my share of blues-based cover bands which have performed the obligatory list of barroom staples and Stevie Ray Vaughan songs the crowds inevitably clamor for.  I've learned a lot from these experiences but have always desired to exploit more of my originality.  In these blues environments, I've been kidded about "using too many effects pedals" or not being "traditional enough" by some blues enthusiasts.  Then again, in other environments, some people think I'm too bluesy.  Well, which is it?  There comes a time to say "Damn the categories, I'm just gonna turn it up and play, and you can like it or not!"

About ten years ago, I went to Nashville to visit someone who is well-connected to the scene there.  He routinely sings backup vocals with superstar artists and has done so for years.  I didn't really have a concrete goal in mind upon embarking on the trip other than to just see what was going on behind the scenes.  I got to see some great musicians work in the studio and also meet some famous personalities, including Garth Brooks.  It was also interesting to visit people backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and watch as legendary performers belted out their music onstage.  I watched the guitarists closely as I stood behind them in the wings and gained a tremendous amount of respect for their abilities, especially the acoustic rhythm players who largely go unrecognized.

During this trip, I got to visit a songwriter who had written approximately seven top ten hits at the time, if my memory serves me correctly.  I was told that Wayne Newton would be dropping in to pick up a batch of songs he would be taking to his theater in Branson, Missouri.  This writer had a comfortable project studio in his home, as well as some plaques commemorating his success.  I didn't really have songs to present to him, but I was very interested in getting his thoughts on the process of writing and how he was able to get established in Music City.

We sat down and he said "The first thing we do is figure out our market demographics."  To this day, that term screams out in my mind.  I will never lose memory of "market demographics".  He continued "Most of our audience today is comprised of females between the ages of such and such and we have to write with their needs and experiences in mind."  Make no mistake that this person definitely had writing skills and was capable of turning trendy little lyrical hooks with the best of them.  Some of his song titles made me think "Why didn't I think of that?"  (That Doug Stone tune now plays relentlessly in my mind)  Of course, he couldn't play the guitar worth a lick, but that's what your writing partner is for!  Yes!  He said he couldn't write songs apart from his writing partner.  In Nashville, you will see many hit songs written by two writers.  They need that extra person to keep "productivity" up.  It is very much a business.  That second partner helps out when the other person's brain locks up and they can't find the right hook.  Seriously, my point here is not to criticize these gifted writers, but to lament the business side of things that makes the creative process so premeditated and formulized.  I bet you anything that Bob Dylan never pulled out his market demographics data when he wrote his songs.  He sure kept on playing the electric guitar after the market demographics disapproved.

As evidenced by the extent of this Web site, I enjoy music tremendously.  I love to play and write songs.  There's a fine line between using this forum as a method for me to stand up and yell "This is the way things should be" and as a place for introspection, simply because to claim to be an authority on something with no room to change my mind as I grow would be foolish.  I do believe that there is a sense of complacency in music today, whether it's in the mainstream industry or in the approaches many casual and professional guitarists take towards their craft.  To create and be able to play an instrument is a great privilege and honor.  While nothing should be so sacred that we can't laugh at ourselves about it, I must say that I am perplexed by the lack of nurturing of artists and original music by the industry, performing venues (nightclubs), schools, and society in general.  We have become so market-conscious and intent on shoehorning artists into neat little boxes and categories.  Music is not only marketable and ultimately expendable product these days, but it is confined to the compartments assigned by those in charge of distributing and promoting it.

Additionally, many musicians are very judgmental of each other and we haven't even started to discuss the relevance of music critics yet, though that is another article for another time.  Guitarists need to maintain a respect for each other and everyone's different  musical pursuits, even if we might disagree with them or not like them.  So as I offer my opinions here, I realize that there will be those with different views on musical matters.  Variety is the spice of life and makes the world go around!

Pick up your guitar and simply play.  Play the song you hear in your head.  Get your own Web site and say "This is who I am and the way I want things to be."  Shamelessly promote yourself on your site if you desire.  Just play.  Write the songs you want to and play things the way you want them to be played, critics be damned.  Don't worry about how people will classify what you play, because they will find a way to pigeonhole you in some manner regardless of what you do.  Tell the "market demographics" to take a walk.  And the next time you drop in to Jason's Corner and read some thoughts by this Steelbender guy, remember that you are entitled to his opinion.... even if you disagree with it!    :-)

NOTE:  Check out the song "No One Owns The Blues" on Bugs Henderson's Have Blues Must Rock CD.  The message is clear.  Also dig his interpretation of the oft-done Freddie King classic "Hideaway" for a great example of doing somebody else's thing your own way.

Jason