Jason Collett
Toronto native Jason Collett has earned accolades for his solo albums and tenure with several different bands -- most notably Broken Social Scene -- but it was his association with fellow songwriter Andrew Cash that first garnered him critical acclaim. After performing in the Andrew Cash Band during the late '80s and early '90s, Collett joined up with Ursula, an alternative rock spinoff of Cash's previous group. The band toured Canada and opened up for acts such as the Odds, but after several years in the music business, Collett decided to give the profession up for several years.
By the mid-'90s, however, the music bug was still in his system, and Collett teamed up with Cash and Hawksley Workman to form the alternative country outfit Bird. The group's sole album, Chrome Reflection, borrowed heavily from pop, rock, and country traditions, all of which would later resurface in Collett's solo work. Before launching his own songwriting career, though, Collett first began hosting a series of singer/songwriter performances that featured members of Blue Rodeo, 54-40, and Skydiggers, among others. A popular meeting place for local musicians, the events helped cement the growing popularity of Toronto's indie music scene.
In 2001, Jason Collett released his debut album, Bitter Beauty, and continued hosting the Flood Family songwriters' forum. He also joined the Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene, which found him playing alongside a number of his Toronto peers. Collett took a break from the band in 2005 to focus on his solo career; he issued his sophomore effort, Idols of Exile, soon after. Buoyed by the album's critical acclaim, Collett (now a father of three) found time to work on a third release, whittling down the catalog of 40-plus tunes he had amassed over the previous years. Here's to Being Here was recorded in two quick sessions during the winter of 2007, and the Toronto-based Arts & Crafts label issued the disc in early 2008. He remained with Arts & Crafts for the following album, Rat A Tat Tat, which appeared in March 2010. Pony Tricks, an all-acoustic, 11-track set of reworked songs, arrived later that year. The anxieties of an election year seeped into 2012's Reckon, which addressed the troubling state of the world and a more personal sort. After his longest gap between solo albums yet, the songwriter returned in 2016 with Song & Dance Man, named after a Bob Dylan comment in a 1965 interview ("I think of myself more as a song and dance man"). It was produced by Afie Jurvanen of Bahamas, who added a breezy touch to Collett's reflective set.
© Jason MacNeil /TiVo
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Song And Dance Man
Pop - Released by Arts & Crafts on Feb 5, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Head Full Of Wonder
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions Inc. on Nov 4, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Everyday Sunflower
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions Inc. on Sep 20, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Here's To Being Here
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions, Inc. on Feb 5, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Idols Of Exile
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions Inc. on Jun 14, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Reckon
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions, Inc. on Sep 25, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best Of
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions Inc. on Mar 19, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Idols Of Exile
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions, Inc. on Jun 14, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rat A Tat Tat
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions, Inc. on Mar 9, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Crab Walking Home In The Rain
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions Inc. on Mar 10, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Motor Motel Love Songs
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions, Inc. on May 20, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Song And Dance Man
Pop - Released by Arts & Crafts on Nov 13, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pony Tricks
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions, Inc. on Oct 12, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dark Times
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions Inc. on Aug 18, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Here's To Being Here
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions Inc. on Feb 5, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Right On Woman
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions Inc. on Oct 25, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
To Wit To Woo
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions, Inc. on Mar 9, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Motor Motel Love Song
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions Inc. on May 20, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Forever Young Is Getting Old
Pop - Released by Arts & Crafts on Jan 15, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Head Full Of Wonder
Alternative & Indie - Released by Arts & Crafts Productions Inc. on Nov 4, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo