Stand-Up Guy Jason King Brings Joy To ‘New Normal’
Photo by Sam Ray-Johnson.
If it’s one thing Reno does well, it’s small music. The Battle Born, independent spirit is apparent in many areas of the Biggest Little City, from the locally-owned businesses lining the streets of Midtown to the generations of hard working frontiersmen and women living in rural counties and along the slopes of the Sierra. Behind every guitarist there’s a community of friends ready to support, behind every bar owner there’s a family rooting them on. That’s the beauty of the solo acts in Reno: it’s never truly alone.
Jason King reminded me about why I love Reno musicians so much, as I sipped on a Pigeon Head Brewery Pilsner inside Midtown Wine Bar one evening. Making his rounds throughout the bar, he was greeted by groups of old friends, hugs and plenty of laughter. His charismatic personality could light up the room and that carried into his music.
You can tell King has been playing for a long time; not a single note was missed. Melodic with a heavy blues influence, his riffs feel nostalgic, romantic but funky, which is the perfect combination in my opinion. There’s a free-flow of creativity with blues while maintaining the aesthetics of the genre and that’s something King did well — very well.
To top it all off, King’s vocals are spot-on. Seamlessly flowing from fun, upbeat tracks to serene ballads, his voice rang out through the night like a cozy campfire, a wonderful mixture of smoky and sweet. His cover of ‘I Melt With You,’ from Modern English had me remembering good times, something only a good cover does. He calls his music ‘soul stew,’ a mish mash influenced by blues, R&B, Americana and more.
“I love playing everything,” King said. “I wouldn’t know how to describe it.”
King says one of his biggest inspirations is his teenage son, who gives him a new perspective even on his old favorites.
“He still sees the world with fresh eyes,” King said. “He’ll spark my interest and renew it. Being a dad is my favorite thing.”
He garners patronage from more than just family — there were friends from grade school and high school there for him, and he even made new friends that night. He says although the pandemic had a big impact on his pocketbook as a musician, he says there were positive effects of the lockdown as well.
“I think people realize that they kind of developed a new appreciation for music and the arts because they were so starved for it,” King said. “People are very receptive and kind about it and supportive.”
You can tell a lot about an artist from the people who show up for them and that kindness was obvious for King. Besides his jolly nature, everyone who came into contact with him left with smiles on their faces. Jason King is a damn good musician, but you can tell from observing his interactions with others that he’s a down-to-earth guy too — and of course, that makes the show that much more enjoyable. For one of the first shows I attended in Reno under this ‘new normal,’ coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was refreshing, rejuvenating and inspires me to keep going back to the thing I love most: small, local music.
To listen to Jason King, visit his ReverbNation profile here.
To follow him on Facebook, like his page here.
