I grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I first started playing guitar at age 11, after my parents got me Jimi Hendrix’ Smash Hits and Led Zeppelin III for Christmas. I cut my teeth in the early eighties hardcore/punk/rock scene, and spent most of that decade recording, and touring throughout the Midwest and South with folks like Mike Davis (MC5), The Cult Heroes, Scott Morgan, Suicidal Tendencies, JFA, The Misfits, White Zombie, Sub Humans, The GI’s, and many more. I was a founding member of Dog Soldier… someone once called us “the best rock band from Detroit in twenty years” (Alan Goldsmith- Detroit Metro Times). True or not, we had a pretty good run… our 1988 release “Name Your Poison” charted on radio playlists nationwide, and we toured heavily throughout the eastern half of the country in the late eighties.

In 1990, I made my way to San Francisco. After bouncing around with a few different acts, I designed and built my first professional recording studio, The Blue Room. For the next several years we maintained a frenetic recording pace, and I recorded and produced budding superstars like Train, Storm Large, and members of the Four Non-Blondes. I had rappers from the Bayview, indie rockers from The Haight, and international jazz stars come through the studio. It was a pretty amazing time of 16 hour days filled with a colorful variety of different music. All the while, I maintained a touring/performing career as well.”Power Hitter”, a 1997 release with thrash legends Fifty Lashes garnered favorable reviews in CMJ, Flipside, High Times and many more. Songs from “Power Hitter” were also placed in “The Real Thing”, an independent film that featured Rod Steiger and Gary Busey. “Super Gravity”, my 1999 release with UltraGlide, received similar rave reviews in West Coast press, and airplay on college and commercial specialty radio. During these years, I also studied for a Graphic Design Certificate from UC Berkeley extension.

In 2000, burned out on the dot-com madness and city life, I took my young and growing family and moved to an old farm in Charlottesville, VA. I designed and built my second studio, Singleton Studios, in a renovated horse-barn on the property. Again, I divided time between producing local independent artists, and keeping up as a touring musician. I recorded some pretty cool acts in that old barn… Valkyrie, Whitebird, Jay Stolar, and many more. The last album recorded in the old barn was “The Bloody Angle”, my eponymous release with Jason Butler (Skyline Awake, Whitebird) as main collaborator. We got some pretty good reviews and response to that record as well. It was the last record that I recorded to my old Otari 2″ tape machine before finally giving in to the digital age!

During this time, I also studied at the other Berklee- the college of music- completing Master Certificates in Songwriting & Guitar, Music Marketing, and Production Analysis. In the middle of the decade, I was a featured speaker on the conference circuit, appearing on production panels at MMC7 & 8, The Independent Music Conference, and Atlantis. I also volunteered as a mentor to upcoming artists.

After my kids headed off to college, the 100 acre old farm became a bit too much for my wife and I to handle on our own. We sold it in 2016, and found a nice place closer to town on the Rivanna Reservoir. The house had a perfect setup for a smaller basement studio. I now mainly focus on collaborating with folks online, mixing, and commercial music. I am making a  concerted push into composing for film and television. I have also started a small indie record label, SMTM Records, to give me a venue to release my music, and that of artists I am producing. I am currently pushing my main act, The Jason Jones Band to some success, with a small but growing fanbase on most digital channels.