One of my favorite artists (local or otherwise) is attempting what I believe is his first tour, so I thought I'd pimp him a bit. Jason Webley is a quirky young songwriter with extremely dry wit and a deep gravelly voice. He comes off as sort of a Tom Waits character (he even has the hat), but his music is verrry different. He plays a fantastic accordion, and percussion is in the form of plastic liquor bottles with pennies inside. He excels at drinking songs, but a palpable rage is never far below the surface. He writes a lot about the tyranny of Time, and even had a show a couple of weeks ago where everyone brought old clocks and watches and we smashed 'em. Audience participation is always encouraged, and things generally get a bit theatrical. He is one of Seattle's consummate buskers, and I actually discovered him in front of Pike Place Market one day several years ago. It continually blows my mind that he remains such a wonderful secret as he's one of the strongest performers I've ever seen. He's also got a song called "Back to the Garden" and he's just about the most fun you can have with an accordion. Pictures, lyrics and audio samples at www.jasonwebley.com Here's the schedule: September 10th - Olympia - Le Voyeur, 8 pm September 11th - Corvallis - Interzone, 8 pm September 13th - Portland - Red and Black Books, 8 pm September 14th - Portland - Reed Campus September 16th - Eugene -Sam Bond's Garage September 17th -Ashland - Green Man Cafe, 8 pm September 21st - San Jose -Los Gatos Outhouse September 25th - San Francisco - Odeon Bar September 26th - Oakland - The Stork September 27th - Anaheim - Chain Reaction September 28th - Ventura - Ventura Garden Cafe September 29th - Santa Barbara - The Living Room October 1st - Santa Anna - Koos October 2nd - San Diego - Che Cafe October 4th - Phoenix - Nita's Hideaway October 13th - Olympia - Olympia World News If you go to a show, bring him a vegetable. He LOVES vegetables. Jenaya NP: "Yesterday" Beatles cover by Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco)
