Jason Falkner

Jason Falkner (born June 2, 1968) is an American songwriter, musician, and guitarist who was a member of the bands Jellyfish, the Three O'Clock, and the Grays. Since 1996, he has released six solo albums, starting with Presents Author Unknown. He is also a session musician and producer who has contributed to dozens of recordings by other bands and musicians.
Early bands
Falkner joined the Three O'Clock, as a guitarist (and composer of one song) on their final album Vermillion, released in 1988 on Prince's Paisley Park Records label. However, the band broke up shortly afterwards." Afterward, Falkner's friend Roger Manning convinced him to move to San Francisco to join his new band, Jellyfish. The band's 1990 debut album, Bellybutton, was a minor chart success and received some radio and MTV play. Falkner, however, had a number of disputes with other band members, primarily concerning his lack of songwriting opportunities, and what he considered the band's over-reliance on its influences instead of cultivating its own image. He left the band shortly after touring the world in support of Bellybutton, vowing never to join another band.
In 1993, Falkner worked with Fabulon as a guest musician. This led to jobs as a session player for several other bands, and he worked in this capacity when he met Jon Brion. Reluctantly breaking his vow against joining another band, he found himself in the Grays with Jon Brion, Buddy Judge, and Dan McCarroll. Composed of three separate songwriters/lead singers/multi-instrumentalists and a drummer, the band fervently disliked the pitfalls and self-imposed politics of most rock bands, and did all in their power to avoid them. In spite of this, musical differences led to a rift between members. They released only one album, 1994's Ro Sham Bo, before disbanding.
Solo career
In 1996, he released the album Jason Falkner Presents Author Unknown, which was produced, written, and performed almost entirely by Falkner (the only exceptions being a string section heard on several songs, and a guitar overdub on one song by Alain Johannes). Although it received strong critical reviews, it was not a commercial success. During that same year, he wrote all the songs on Brendan Benson's albums One Mississippi and played various instruments on Susanna Hoffs second solo album, released in 1996. In 1997, he worked with Eric Matthews on a second album, The Lateness of the Hour, co-producing and assisting on five tracks.
In 1999, Falkner released Can You Still Feel?, another album written and performed as a completely solo effort, aside from the horns and strings. This album was produced with Nigel Godrich. In 2000, Falkner kept busy, touring and contributing to various projects. He recorded a song for a tribute album, and performed on Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Brian Reitzell's album Logan's Sanctuary, conceived as the soundtrack album for an imagined sequel to the film Logan's Run.
In 2001, he worked with Air on their 10 000 Hz Legend album, and toured with the band later on as their bassist. During that time, spinART Records released Necessity: The 4-Track Years, a disc composed of old four-track demos. Falkner's projects that year included an instrumental album of Beatles songs, and he contributed a track ("Do Ya") to a Jeff Lynne tribute album Lynne Me Your Ears. While in France with Air, he worked with Roger Manning and Brian Reitzell again, this time performing under the band name TV Eyes.
Falkner spent the summer of 2002 touring with Air, and contributed on albums for other artists, including Beck, Aimee Mann, and Travis. He also wrote Brendan Benson's 2002 release Lapalco. He began working on his third studio album in June 2003, and worked on albums for Beck and Air. In early 2004 he joined Travis on tour, as their opening act, to debut his Bliss Descending EP. He also contributed guitar parts to two songs on Paul McCartney's 2005 album, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. He is cited as playing assorted instruments on several tracks of Beck's 2006 album, The Information and 2008 album, Modern Guilt.
His third solo album I'm OK, You're OK was released in Japan, on Noise McCartney Records on April 18, 2007. It was released in the U.S. on February 16, 2010 with alternate versions of two tracks, "This Time" and "The Knew". Falkner's second album of instrumental Beatles covers, Bedtime with the Beatles 2, was released on June 17, 2008.
Jason Falkner's fourth solo album, All Quiet on the Noise Floor, was released in Japan on September 2, 2009. During a March 2013 interview, Falkner indicated that he is working on a new solo album and has already written five new songs. He hoped to release the new album in the fall of 2013, shortly after All Quiet on the Noise Floor is finally released in the U.S., perhaps digitally.
Influences
Falkner cited XTC, Elvis Costello, and the Beatles as personal influences.
Discography
Studio albums
Presents Author Unknown (1996)
Can You Still Feel? (1999)
Bedtime with the Beatles: Instrumental Versions of Classic Beatles Songs (2001)
I'm OK, You're OK (2007)
Bedtime with the Beatles, Pt. 2 (2008)
All Quiet on the Noise Floor (2009)
Make It Be (2015) (R. Stevie Moore & Jason Falkner)
Compilations
Everyone Says It's On (2001)
Necessity: The 4-Track Years (2001)
EP
Bliss Descending (2004)
Singles
"I Live" (1996)
"Miracle Medicine" (1996)
"Follow Me" (1997)
"All God's Creatures" (split with Robyn Hitchcock) (1997)
"Holiday" (1998)
"Eloquence" (1999)
"My Lucky Day" (1999)
Appearances
The Three O'Clock – Vermillion (1988)
Jellyfish – Bellybutton (1990)
The Grays – Ro Sham Bo (1994)
Eric Matthews – It's Heavy in Here (1995)
Logan's Sanctuary (2000)
AIR — 10 000 Hz Legend (2001)
Beck — Sea Change (2002)
Beck – The Information (2006)
TV Eyes – TV Eyes (2006)
Ocean's 13 – Soundtrack (2007)
The Informers – Soundtrack (2009)
Cheap Trick - The Latest (2009)
Daniel Johnston - Is and Always Was (2009)
TV GUESTS – Franklin 101 (2010)
Ariel Pink & R. Stevie Moore - Ku Klux Glam (2012)
Beck – Morning Phase (2014)
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – Who Built the Moon? (2017)
Beck - Hyperspace (2019)
Gary Wilson & R. Stevie Moore - Let's Take A Ride Into Outer Space (2019)
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – Council Skies (2023)
References
External links
Official Jason Falkner site
jasonfalkner.net fan site
TV Eyes official website
Official MySpace Site
Live clips from 9.13.07 at The Roxy
American rock musicians
Jellyfish (band) members
Living people
1968 births
Musicians from Los Angeles
The Three O'Clock members
SpinART Records artists