Jason Bieler is a delight, to hear him tell it. And after chatting with him for a half hour, it can be confirmed. “I’ve actually spread that rumor myself, so I am glad it is getting around,” he laughs. You may have heard his name come up from any of his multitude of projects, from Saigon Kick to Super Transatlantic to Owl Stretching. He is also kind of a big deal in the world of solo musicians, with his wildly successful Bandcamp page. With his Bandcamp page, he is working on creating a new and innovative way for fans to receive his music – directly from him, with no middle man or complications, usually within a day or two of its creation.
A chat with Jason Bieler reminds me of one of my favorite lyrics from one of my favorite bands, Against Me!: “Sometimes the party takes you places that you didn’t really plan on going.” Bieler’s areas of interest and expertise are so diverse, and his mind is a wonderous thing, so to catch him on one topic for too long is not going to happen. With the energy and excitement of a four-year-old a Christmas, Bieler captivated me, and that’s why he is so good at what he does – he really makes everyday, normal things sound like adventures.
He says that he decided to go his own way for one simple reason: only having himself to blame. “Long story short, I spent a lifetime dealing with other musicians and other band members just dealing with logistics and stuff, tours and rehearsals. So I said, ‘Why don’t I just try to take this to the most basic and raw way of doing it and also be able tell stories and use my acoustic set to reinvent the old stuff. I’d have no one to blame but me if it fails.’ I see it as a coward’s way to stand-up comedy. If it flops, I do more music, and if it doesn’t, I do more comedy.”
For an artist with as much time in the business as he has, this makes sense. “I just think I want to do this exercise in creativity and just write music. I don’t want to talk to anyone about what I am writing, and I don’t want to explain why I am writing what I am writing. And I especially do not want to spend month in the studio crafting a single.” From creative control to potential self-sabotage, Bieler knows what’s at stake. “My goal was to have a concept and get it out to consistently sharpen the writing tools,” he says. “What I am releasing is usually written and released in 24-36 hours.”
While that may seem like a really chaotic and haphazard way of doing things, it’s the only way Bieler sees his success coming on his own terms. “When you spend years trying, when you just stop and allow yourself to do what you do and be who you are, things fall into place and come together magically.” He says he doesn’t care what people think, as he’s survived the stages of self-doubt and concern in his 20’s and 30’s, wondering if anyone thought he was cool. “I know who I am, and what I do. And that’s a beautiful place to be.”
He warns us all to not take it as an L.L. Cool J, “Don’t call it a comeback” moment. “I am not anti-industry. I just don’t want to go to dinner with people who I don’t have anything to talk about with and try to convince them to like me,” he laughs. “It’s not in my wheelhouse anymore. It doesn’t make me cool or smart; it just makes me in tune with who I am and what I want. And it’s not what it used to be for me anymore.”
For Bieler, that’s why the music is so much more authentic and honest. That world of industry stuff does not appeal to him anymore. “I am happy doing what I am doing. I have a following that grows over time. If you do that, and it’s under your control, it is what makes me happiest. I can only blame myself when I screw up, which is motivation enough to stay aware and prepared.”
When it comes to live shows, he says he does prepare quite a lot. He says that staying present and in the moment is really the key to making sure it all goes off without a hitch. “If I am not present and looking at the people in the audience and paying attention to the song, I can go off in this moment of, ‘Well, I wonder if the dog ate today?’ It happens in my head, and that is where I snap back into the realistic moment where I have no idea what is happening next.” Mistakes, when they happen, either need to be completely rolled over, or the train needs stopped and righted. “I promise I will play one or two songs between the endless string of fuck-ups,” he chuckles. “After all, a mistake is an original piece of content!”
With no one else to rely on and no time to refine his work as he rolls along, he says things are imperfect, raw, and real. Audiences today tend to turn toward the raw, gritty sound of bands like ’68, and something like what Bieler does allows for that to happen. Creating music on the fly and landing on his feet in the moment, he says, “I am always trying not to fall.”
Jason Bieler is taking his solo act on the road far from his Charlotte roots, and his first stop is American Beauty in New York City on December 8th, 2017. “American Beauty is a nice venue. You can dress up a little, have a drink, enjoy an acoustic show,” he laughs. “If you’re going to destroy your career in one night, what better place to do it than NYC?”
Through the process of self-discovery and learning who he is and how he chooses to perform nowadays has led him to the perfect storm of creativity and self-control. “The way I create doesn’t lend itself to sitting down and working with a bunch of people, holding hands, and singing Kumbayah. I needed to spend time figuring out what I wanted and pursuing what I am interested in and doing what I need to do. In the beginning, I had no interest in telling a story, but people are paying attention, so it’s become a thing. At the end of the day, you realize that a lot of the time, no one has any idea what they’re doing. So, if you’re going to create, you may as well do it the way you want to do it.”
He acknowledges that tickets are selling faster now than they have before and the movement he has created is growing. Being unknown by the vast majority but having a following and amplifying what he does is what makes him the happiest. “The thing I walk away with is, at the end of the day, I just want to make music. And some days are better than others, and I work hard and stay humble and be grateful for all of it,” he says with a small sigh. “And in the grand scheme of things, I am pretty damn lucky.”
Check out Jason Bieler at one of the following live show dates, and be sure to check out his Bandcamp page for all of the latest news, music, and merch as the Jason Bieler movement steams on!
Tour Dates
Friday, December 8 NYC, NY American Beauty
Saturday, January 6 LA, CA The Hotel Café
Friday, January 12 Tampa, FL Rock Brothers Brewing
Friday, February 9 Miami, FL Magic City Casino
