Growing up, influenced by punk, metal, and various other 80’s genres, Jason found inspiration in a wide range of music at a young age. Finally getting his first guitar out of a cheap mail-order catalog, he was instantly hooked.
Some of Jason’s biggest influences, when it comes to guitar players, are Rocky George (Suicidal Tendencies), Spike Cassidy (D.R.I.), and Jeff Hanneman (Slayer) just to name a few.
Jason is also heavily influenced by old-school NYC hardcore and British metal bands such as Carcass and Bolt Thrower as well as various metal bands like Life of Agony, At the Gates, Fear Factory, The Haunted, and In Flames.
Jason’s first serious band, ASCENSION, was a metal band that infiltrated the hardcore scene and grew a huge following. Jason and his friend Mark Hunter then went on to form CHIMAIRA, his most well-known band. Currently, Jason is working on a new album Years Of Fire. This promises to be some of the heaviest, most punishing music he’s written to date.
“I’m a completely self-taught guitarist. I don’t follow the ‘rules’. I’ve just always written and played what I thought felt and sounded good to me, and I’m just grateful that people enjoy what I play. It truly is the release of all the anger, depression, and anxiety that I, as well as so many other people, deal with daily.”
