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Videos by Michelle Auer
Four Letter Word:
Bottom of the Bottle:
Adios:
Beautiful:
Angelita:
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After what he describes as a "rabidly indulgent marathon of recording," Jon Auer has completed his first solo full-length CD of original material called Songs from the Year of Our Demise. Although he co-wrote and recorded both a Posies and Big Star album in the interim, Songs is the record Jon says hes been dying to make and release for the last 5 years. And its well worth the wait.
The record is at turns more gritty and more lush, more atmospheric and more immediate, more universal and more personal than anything hes done in the past. It reflects the highs and lows of both a soaring exuberance and a crushing fatalism. Keyboards, cellos, organs, chimes and gizmos come and go while Jons signature guitar work and angelic voice consistently echo the emotional turmoil of a past half decade that has seen him recover from a divorce, marry a reacquainted love, and inherit a daughter through that marriage. The album plays like a very personal and revealing musical journal of a period of difficult change.
When I was working, I kept visualizing the record as a soundtrack to the end of an extremely turbulent era for me says Jon. Id had the title and a loose concept for what I wanted it to be since the late 90s but wasnt sure Id had enough time to redefine myself or move on. It just took me a lot longer to start the process and fill in the blanks than I could have ever anticipated.
Jons musical journey started in the late 80s in Bellingham, WA, where he formed legendary power pop band The Posies. Their first record Failure was recorded and mixed by a teenage Jon in his fathers home studio. Two years later The Posies signed a deal with DGC/Geffen and made four records for them, including the landmark Frosting on the Beater, which includes Jons classic singles Dream all Day and Flavor of the Month as well as his dark and epic Coming Right Along, which was featured on The Basketball Diaries soundtrack. The Posies are still together and to date have released six studio albums, an e.p., two live albums, a 4-CD box set, and a Best Of collection. Theyre now signed to Ryko, who released their most-recent CD Every Kind of Light in 2005.
The Posies success has also led to Jon becoming part of the reformed Big Star with original members Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens. The current lineup played its first show in 1993 and now 13 years later is still touring and has even recorded a new album of originals (In Space), whose focus track Lady Sweet was written and sung by Jon. The album was also released by Ryko last year.
In addition, Jon spent time in Nashville recently playing guitar and singing on the latest William Shatner record, Has Been, with Ben Folds serving as producer.
While all these projects came and went, Jons ongoing core focus has been on writing, recording and mixing this 15-song solo masterwork Songs from the Year of Our Demise, which he called an all-consuming, important-to-me, its-my-baby type of affair.
With few notable exceptions, every bit of writing, recording, and performing was done by Jon with no one else around for miles as he methodically dragged the record into existence. This deeply personal musical statement stretches far beyond the expected boundaries of an artist known as a power pop legend. The sound will be familiar to any Posies fan who expects exceptional songwriting and hummable melodies, but this unique musical journey also takes listeners to sonic and emotional territories far beyond the expected parameters of the pop genre.
Although he has released a solo e.p. in Spain and Japan (The Perfect Size) and an e.p. of radically reworked covers (6 ½) on Pattern 25 Records, this is Jons first solo full-length recording. Songs from the Year of Our Demise truly is the landmark piece of work we all knew Jon had in him.
hey jon! it was wonderful seeing you guys at Nuemos... freakin amazing! can you believe my dad is walking again?? i wish we had more time to talk, but they wanted to leave..
Lady sweet is ...sweet! :-D Would love to see you play live (I'm in the States at the mo.) So disappointed that Cameron and I missed your show last time. Take care, Amy
Jon - Do you still have the Murph Electric 12-String? That used to be mine. That ax has had an interesting history. Get in touch if you ever want to here it.
Hi Jon, just came home from touring an hour ago. First thing I do is put your music in. I´m still a hopeless lover of your songs. Pitty you don´t play anywhere near soon. Hope you´re fine anyway. Best, Frenk.
I saw you playing at zeleste 3, barcelona, ages ago solo (w a band) and it was amazing. i remember how i wanted to get exactly your guitar sound... also with the posies. But when are you coming to play to australia???? we love you around here xxx leti
I'm listening to 'Jon Auer Radio' on Pandora.com today and I swear to God it just went from playing "Bottom of the Bottle" (awesome song btw) to "Lifeline" by...wait for it...David Hasselhoff.
WTF?
Jon, I think you should contact Pandora immediately....
Hello Jon, great songs!! We are super ratones from Argentina and we recorded a Posies song "going going gone" for the tribute album I hope you like it! Regards from Argentina and maybe see you soon lisandro
