Sabrina

89 BPM heavy rock influenced thrash. :49 straight to the point with the metal message

Cruiser

Kore Values

OrchidMed

Master Weiner

Hip Check

Mayday, Mayday

Just a heavy little groove to get the blood pumping

Daddio Days

Cornfields & Coal

“The last few years have really been a blur,” laughs Jason Sturgeon.  A ruggedly handsome and unassuming guy born and raised, in the small Indiana town of Petersburg, to a family of coal miners, oilmen and farmers who literally made their living off the land, and still do to this day.  Sturgeon has an appreciation of the land. He is an outdoorsman, a Champion Youth AQHA competitor as well as an entrepreneur and businessman. His creative side collectively balances his practical side and he lives life full-out at any cost. And he can also fix any engine or machine that you can put in front of him.

We’ve been busy on the road and my songwriting always tends to mirror my life. During a time when Jason and his band were hitting the road hard, rarely seeing the sun, when the view for the day was mostly the back entrance to a venue somewhere with access to a stage, thus came the lyrics to “Time Bomb,” the preview of Sturgeon’s sophomore effort,  CORNFIELS AND COAL.  “It just kind of spilled out of me,” says Sturgeon.  “The song doesn’t really have a deep message… it’s just, ‘Hey, I like going fast and breaking stuff.’  It’s pretty much about doing everything by the seat of your pants!

All that time spent in motion definitely impacts a person and Jason is the first to admit he has needed to slow down and get a different perspective on himself and life.  With plenty more to write about after all he’s seen and experienced that past two years, he’s delivered new music that is thought provoking.   His days spent at home are rare and treasured now and he definitely doesn’t take them for granted anymore. “My lifestyle has certainly changed - I cherish my days at home and try really hard to get home as much as I possibly can. I love the road but I also love being home and seeing my family and friends.  I must admit though, road life is great and I do enjoy it. You don’t really understand that until you get out there and do it, it changes a person. When you’re in it all the time, it’s a different world for sure. We did 200 shows last year, and we’re on pace to do even more this year,” says Sturgeon.  Sturgeon has opened for artists such as Gary Allan, Brooks & Dunn, Rodney Atkins, Luke Bryan, and Dierks Bentley, among others.

That perpetual motion seeps into Sturgeon’s writing, as he is found out when he began the process of putting together CORNFIELDS AND COAL.   Though he is constantly writing new songs, he’s also been reaching back into the vault on this project and pulling out some gems he penned long ago – songs that reflect deeper emotions and sides of him not often revealed. He’s ready now to share those more vulnerable sides.  Along with his own songs, Sturgeon also sought out some of the songs that have inspired him over the years.

The new CD includes a late 80’s favorite, reworked with a Traditional country flair, “Angel Eyes.” Jason puts a laid-back, comfortable-as-your-worn-out jeans spin on the Jeff Healey rock classic, using some steel guitar and just the right amount of country soul to give it new life. Penned by Fred Koller and John Hiatt, the tune has always been a personal favorite of Jason’s and one he loves performing live, so now seemed like the perfect time to record a version and include it on a record.

“When I wrote that first album, I had time on my side to sit down and think about things. It’s challenging to find time to write now; I have the other responsibility that comes with a touring artist.  I have to make myself sit down in a quiet spot with my guitar, take a deep breath and find time to put my thoughts down,” says Jason. Because of this, Jason is reaching back into his catalogue for material he wrote before his first release.

The Indiana native’s small-town roots have always been a big part of who he is, and they definitely inspired several of the songs on this latest CD, Cornfields & Coal. From the first few strains of the nostalgic-feeling, Appalachian-tinged title track -- a tribute to the coal-mining communities and the men who toil in the mines to earn their keep -- Jason keys listeners in on a bit of what he stands for and who he is, singing about the flagpoles and steeples that faithfully keep watch over those cornfields and coal across the country.

On the edgy rocker “Lost Our Minds,” Jason voices many of the emotions Americans are currently feeling as we read the headlines and watch things slipping further and further out of control in today’s times, strains of frustration and dismay ring in every line as he questions the chaos and destruction currently tearing our world apart. Penned by Jason himself, the tune is a powerful, relevant wake up call for today’s world and the climate of uncertainty and fear we are all living in.  

Jason tackles an inconceivably difficult subject in  “I Never Got To Be Your Dad,” channeling the unbearable pain of the loss of a child. The heartbreaking tune perfectly echoes a grief-stricken parent’s dull, constant ache when thinking about all the special moments he’ll never have with his child who passed away. Co-written with producer Greg Archilla, the ballad balances the CD’s grittier rockers perfectly and displays the country boy’s softer side.  

The songs Sturgeon has compiled on this new record seem to reflect a new found willingness to open up and reveal some deeper thoughts and feelings.  He hopes his fans will enjoy the candor and spirit he’s bringing to his music this time around.

Cornfields & Coal

jasonsturgeon

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