This week on Air Check we to talk to local electronic musician Jackson Jason about his surprising rise to fame on the internet; Colorado Springs native Miette Hope reflects on her musical career and her time so far studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston; We hear singers from Gaza, a violinist in Rwanda, and more through a portal in front of the Pioneers Museum in downtown Colorado Springs; and we take a minute to talk about some of our favorite local music.
PART ONE: A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE SONGS
Beth Ditto - "Go Baby Go"
Frank Ocean - "Provider"
Grant Sabin - "Bliss and Bane"
PART TWO: JACKSON JASON'S INTERNET FAME
Local musician Jackson Jason leads something of a double life. The 19-year-old lives in Widefield, Colorado, where he grew up, and works as a janitor at Fort Carson. He spends a lot of his free time making music, but says most of his friends and family aren’t too interested the sample-based electronic tracks he produces.
But on the internet, it’s a different story. In online communities dedicated to sharing music – on sites like Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Youtube, and Reddit – he has a huge following. Fans from around the world have flocked to his music, and his tracks have generated more than a million plays on Soundcloud alone.
In this segment, Jason discusses his music, which he releases under the name, I Eat Plants For A Living, and explains the internet subculture he’s a part of.
PART THREE: MIETTE HOPE PHONES HOME
Miette Hope may be familiar to locals from her days as a Palmer High School student performing in the band Edith Makes a Paper Chain. She was raised in Colorado Springs in a musical family and she left town a few years ago to pursue her music and a college degree at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. She has since released a number of recordings both solo and with her band Auva.
Jake Brownell spoke with her by phone during a break from touring with her band in Pennsylvania.
PART FOUR: THE PORTAL TO THE WORLD
As part of the annual What If Festival, the Imagination Celebration has stationed a portal at the Pioneers Museum in downtown Colorado Springs that allows communities around the globe to connect in real time, and, often, find commonality through the magic of music.
Jeff Bieri and Jake Brownell visited the portal and spoke with with Deborah Thornton and Brian Elyo of Imagination Celebration about the creative spirit that the portal fosters between distant cultures.
For more information and to book a time in the Portal, click here.
PART FIVE: KEEPING IT LOCAL ON SPOTIFY
Jake, Jeff and Vicky point out some of the incredible musical talent in the Pikes Peak Region, and provide you a Spotify list to take with you on the go.
