Jason Perry (born 29 December 1969) is an English record producer and singer/songwriter. He is the lead vocalist of the
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
based band
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
'A'. He has an identical twin brother,
Adam
Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
, and a younger brother, Giles, both of whom are also members of the band. Recently, Perry has produced albums by Greywind,
Fatherson
Fatherson are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Kilmarnock, consisting of Ross Leighton (guitar, lead vocals), Marc Strain (bass) and Greg Walkinshaw (drums). They have toured with the bands Biffy Clyro, Frightened Rabbit, Panic! at ...
,
Don Broco
Don Broco are a British rock band formed in Bedford, England, in 2008. The band consists of Rob Damiani (lead vocals), Simon Delaney (guitar), Tom Doyle (bass and programming) and Matt Donnelly (drums, lead and backing vocals). The band have rel ...
,
Molotov,
McBusted
McBusted were an English pop-punk supergroup composed of members from bands McFly (Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd) and Busted (James Bourne and Matt Willis). The only member of the original groups not participating ...
, Matthew P,
Ivyrise
Ivyrise is a British rock band originating in Portsmouth, England formed by Ben Falinski in 2009.
Career
Ivyrise was formed in 2009 by singer and songwriter Ben Falinski. and toured the UK as main support for Kula Shaker before working with pr ...
,
the Blackout,
Kids in Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff. The band's name was inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from the Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender". The band achieved success on the strength of the singles " Gi ...
,
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Sam Duckworth (born 1986) is an English musician who performs as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. He is also sometimes referred to as ''Get Cape'', ''Cape'', ''GCWCF'' and ''Slam Dunkworth'' (the latter title apparently first coined by Emmy the Great ...
,
Futures
Futures may mean:
Finance
*Futures contract, a tradable financial derivatives contract
*Futures exchange, a financial market where futures contracts are traded
* ''Futures'' (magazine), an American finance magazine
Music
* ''Futures'' (album), a ...
,
Matt Willis
Mathew James Willis (born 8 May 1983), also previously known as Mattie Jay, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He is known as co-founder, bassist and the co-vocalist of the pop rock band, Busted. Will ...
and
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...
.
Musical career
A was formed in the late 1980s, as Grand Designs, and changed its name to A in 1993. The band cited their influences as:
Rush
Rush(es) may refer to:
Places
United States
* Rush, Colorado
* Rush, Kentucky
* Rush, New York
* Rush City, Minnesota
* Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois
* Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream
* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
,
the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
,
Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
and the
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
. At the time, Perry had a job creating music for TV ads. He bought a studio, which he also used to produce some demos for the band. A landed a deal with
London Records
London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...
in 1996, and released records under their own Tycoon Records subsidiary. In 1997, they recorded their debut album ''
How Ace Are Buildings
''How Ace Are Buildings'' is the debut album by British alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ...
'' over three months in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. Perry co-produced the album with
Thom Wilson
Thom Wilson (died February 8, 2015) was an American punk rock record producer and engineer.
Career
Wilson began his musical career in the mid-1970s, engineering recordings by soft rock artists Burton Cummings and Seals & Crofts. He began working ...
, most famous for producing
the Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guita ...
's "Smash". A began to build up a loyal following in the UK, touring with the likes of the
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
,
Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones are a British alternative rock band from Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire, formed in late 1988, who continue to record and perform, as of 2021. Their track " Right Here, Right Now" was an international hit, and was subsequently globall ...
and their heroes
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...
. After the album was released, bassist Stevie Swindon parted ways with the band and was replaced by their friend
Daniel P Carter
Daniel Philip Carter (born 16 November 1972) is a British musician and radio DJ. He is the former singer and guitarist for hardcore punk band Hexes, the former bassist for A, the former lead guitarist for alternative rock band Bloodhound Gang ...
. In 1998, ''How Ace Are Buildings'' was re-released on ltd edition vinyl, with a bonus record featuring live tracks, remixes, clips from interviews, answering machine messages and general silliness. The record was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Perry.
In 1999, they released their second album ''
'A' vs. Monkey Kong'', which had a more mature sound than their debut, and is regarded by many as their finest hour. With its release, they began touring internationally for the first time. The single "I Love Lake Tahoe", about their love of snowboarding
at
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevad ...
was a big hit in Germany, and in 2000 the band embarked on a worldwide tour with the
Bloodhound Gang
The Bloodhound Gang was an American rap rock band from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1988 by rappers Jimmy Pop and Daddy Long Legs (now in Wolfpac) as a hip-hop group, before branching out into other genres as their career pro ...
. Perry produced many of the B-sides from this period.
The third album was ''
Hi-Fi Serious
''Hi-Fi Serious'' is the third studio album by British alternative rock band A, released in 2002.
The name "Hi-Fi Serious" was derived from the name of the hi-fi electronics store Alan Partridge buys a Bang & Olufsen stereo from in the last ep ...
'', recorded in Germany with producer Al Clay in 2001. The first single, "Nothing", was the heaviest thing the band had recorded to date, and went crashing into the UK top 10. This was followed by top 20 hit "Starbucks". The band spent 2002 touring worldwide, appearing at many of the world's major festivals, and won a ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' award for best British band. This was the band's most successful period to date.
After a brief delay, the fourth studio album was recorded in early 2004 in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, with producer
Terry Date
Terry Date (born January 31, 1956) is an American record producer and audio engineer specializing in rock genres, especially heavy metal. He is well known for his work with Metal Church, Dream Theater, Soundgarden, Overkill, Pantera, Dark Ange ...
. Again, the album marked a more mature sound for the band, and was regarded as containing the band's strongest material. Around the time the album was completed, the band's UK label, London Records, was bought out by
Warner Music
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
. Unfortunately this meant the album was shelved for the rest of the year.
The band made a brief return in August, at the Reading and Leeds festivals, headlining the Concrete Jungle stage. At the end of the year, the new A album was given a release date of April 2005.
A returned with a four night residency at the Metro Club in London, followed by a tour of Germany and a 19 date UK tour. First single "Rush Song" was released in May, but due to their two-year absence, coupled with the re-emergence of Britpop, with bands such as
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 2000 as Parva, releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their current name that same year. Since their formation the band h ...
and
Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I.
F ...
dominating the airwaves, the single inevitably received little airplay, TV coverage or press, as well as little promotion from their label. The single entered the charts at number 35, giving them a fourth top 40 hit. The album ''
Teen Dance Ordinance
The Teen Dance Ordinance was a controversial Seattle law which severely curtailed the ability of concert and club promoters to hold events for underaged patrons. The organization Parents in Arms advocated for its creation.
During its existence fr ...
'' was finally released on 18 July 2005. The album was well received amongst fans, and received positive reviews in the press, but after a main stage appearance at the
Download Festival
Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...
in the UK, and some dates with
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
in Germany, it was announced that the band was being dropped by their label, Warner Music, due to poor record sales, and that the band was going into hiatus, stating that they would be unable to continue financially.
A returned in 2007 to play a one off festival in
Rochford
Rochford is a town in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford, the county town. At the 2011 census, the Civil parishes in England, civil parish, which includes the town and London Southend Airport, had a popu ...
, and have been touring sporadically ever since. Perry revealed that a fifth A studio album is in the works. As of August 2013, there is no further news on a potential fifth album.
Record producer
In 2004, Perry moved to
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
and built a new studio, and also spent time on the road with
the Bloodhound Gang
The Bloodhound Gang was an American rap rock band from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1988 by rappers Jimmy Pop and Daddy Long Legs (now in Wolfpac) as a hip hop music, hip-hop group, before branching out into other genres as thei ...
, as part of their crew.
Perry's work as a record producer began in 2005, initially as part of Collective, a songwriting and production team, also featuring established songwriter
Julian Emery
Julian Emery is a British musician, producer and songwriter, best known for his work with McFly,Sowden, Steve (15 May 2007).Anna is 'bang on' with the drums, ''Yeovil Express''. Retrieved on 2009-09-12. Nothing But Thieves and Lissie.
Early li ...
and
A bassist
Daniel P Carter
Daniel Philip Carter (born 16 November 1972) is a British musician and radio DJ. He is the former singer and guitarist for hardcore punk band Hexes, the former bassist for A, the former lead guitarist for alternative rock band Bloodhound Gang ...
.
The team's first project was co-writing and producing the debut album from
Matt Willis
Mathew James Willis (born 8 May 1983), also previously known as Mattie Jay, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He is known as co-founder, bassist and the co-vocalist of the pop rock band, Busted. Will ...
entitled ''
Don't Let It Go to Waste
''Don't Let It Go to Waste'' is the debut album from Matt Willis, released on 20 November 2006. The track "Who You Gonna Run To" features Imogen Heap on vocals.
Track listing
Personnel
*Alex Clarke - Pro Tools
*Brio Taliaferro - Additiona ...
''. The album reached gold status and spawned three top 40 singles in the UK.
The team then worked with
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...
on their third album, ''
Motion in the Ocean
''Motion in the Ocean'' is the third studio album released by English pop rock band McFly. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 6 November 2006. The album has sold more than 300,000 copies in the UK since its release, being certified ...
''. The album was a huge success reaching the top 10 and spawning three number 1 singles in the UK. Perry also produced the band's fourth album
Radio:Active, released in July 2008 as a
Mail on Sunday
''The Mail on Sunday'' is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. It is the biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK and was launched in 1982 by Lord Rothermere. Its sister paper, the ''Daily Mail'', was first pub ...
supplement, followed by a full release in September 2008. More recently, Perry has produced albums by
Don Broco
Don Broco are a British rock band formed in Bedford, England, in 2008. The band consists of Rob Damiani (lead vocals), Simon Delaney (guitar), Tom Doyle (bass and programming) and Matt Donnelly (drums, lead and backing vocals). The band have rel ...
,
Molotov,
McBusted
McBusted were an English pop-punk supergroup composed of members from bands McFly (Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter, and Harry Judd) and Busted (James Bourne and Matt Willis). The only member of the original groups not participating ...
,
Ivyrise
Ivyrise is a British rock band originating in Portsmouth, England formed by Ben Falinski in 2009.
Career
Ivyrise was formed in 2009 by singer and songwriter Ben Falinski. and toured the UK as main support for Kula Shaker before working with pr ...
,
the Blackout,
Kids in Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff. The band's name was inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from the Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender". The band achieved success on the strength of the singles " Gi ...
,
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Sam Duckworth (born 1986) is an English musician who performs as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. He is also sometimes referred to as ''Get Cape'', ''Cape'', ''GCWCF'' and ''Slam Dunkworth'' (the latter title apparently first coined by Emmy the Great ...
,
Futures
Futures may mean:
Finance
*Futures contract, a tradable financial derivatives contract
*Futures exchange, a financial market where futures contracts are traded
* ''Futures'' (magazine), an American finance magazine
Music
* ''Futures'' (album), a ...
, and
Matt Willis
Mathew James Willis (born 8 May 1983), also previously known as Mattie Jay, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He is known as co-founder, bassist and the co-vocalist of the pop rock band, Busted. Will ...
.
Perry was awarded a
Latin Grammy
The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...
in
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
for Molotov's ''
Agua Maldita'' in the "best rock album" category. The record was also nominated for a
Grammy at the 2015 awards in the "
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album" category.
Personal life
Perry spent his childhood in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
, before moving to
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
with his family at the age of 13. He attended Reydon High School, where he met guitarist Mark Chapman and bassist
Stevie Swindon. Together they formed the band Grand Designs, with Jason's twin brother Adam on drums, and by the late 1980s they were playing regular gigs in and around
Lowestoft
Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...
. The band had a prog rock inspired sound, similar to that of
It Bites
It Bites are an English progressive rock and pop fusion band, formed in Egremont, Cumbria, Egremont, Cumbria, in 1982 and best known for their 1986 single "Calling All the Heroes", which gained them a Top 40, Top 10 UK Singles Chart hit. Initial ...
,
Yes and
Rush
Rush(es) may refer to:
Places
United States
* Rush, Colorado
* Rush, Kentucky
* Rush, New York
* Rush City, Minnesota
* Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois
* Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream
* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
. After finishing high school, Perry attended Suffolk College where he studied graphic design. In 1991, he moved to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
where he shared a flat with Adam, Stevie and
Dan Hawkins
Danny Clarence Hawkins (born November 10, 1960) is an American football coach at UC Davis. A former player and sportscaster, he served as the head football coach at Willamette University (1993–1997), Boise State University (2001–2005), and ...
, who later went on to be in
the Darkness. Perry married his longtime girlfriend Holly in 2000, the couple have four children Zac 2003, Joshua 2004, Louie 2010 and Primrose Violette 2015.
Discography
Producer and writer
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Jason
1969 births
British identical twins
English male singer-songwriters
English record producers
English rock singers
English songwriters
Grammy Award winners
Living people
Musicians from Leeds