The Grand Rapids singer-songwriter and performer boasts a dynamic voice and a passionate drive to entertain audiences, often accompanied by his wife, Robin.
Getting That Spiritual Feeling From Music: Jason Eller (Photo/Local Spins)
By David Specht
LocalSpins.com
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
The call to play music professionally came to Jason Eller during his eighth-grade science class – not a class he was enrolled in, but rather the one he was instructing.
Jason and Robin Eller (Photo/Anna Sink)
During his six-year teaching stint in Grant in the late 1990s, Eller and his friend Rick Boyd formed AfterNine, a cover band so-named because it couldn’t begin rehearsals until the two members’ children hit the hay.
The duo frequently performed at West Michigan watering holes before Eller eventually withdrew from his teaching position to pursue music as a solo artist. He touches on that risky decision to follow his “musical passion” in the opening lines of an original acoustic tune, “Run Child Run.”
“Sometimes there are things that our parents don’t tell us that might make our lives happy,” the Grand Rapids-area guitarist, singer and songwriter says. “My father is all about the security, which I completely understand for his time. But that was his time.”
After landing a spot on what was dubbed the Freedom Rocks Tour, Eller journeyed west for what would be a life-altering gig.
Official Sponsor of The local Spins Artist Spotlight
“I tried to get a year sabbatical, to take a year off to ‘sow my wild oats’ as they say, but the superintendent didn’t go for that,” Eller explains.
Eller in the radio studio. (Photo/Anna Sink)
“But I was star-struck. I felt that this was my big chance. I had to take the chance because I’d never had this type of opportunity before. At first I thought, ‘I’m going to go out there and then come back to teaching.’”
Eller eventually cut his losses as a musician on the West Coast after that less-than-successful tour and headed back to the Grand Rapids area to “take matters into my own hands to try and make things happen.” But he still believes that everything ties into his years as a teacher.
“I’m still a teacher. I’ll forever be a learner. It’s just that the subject matter constantly changes, and that keeps life exciting for me.”
FROM CHRISTIAN CAMPFIRES TO CLASSIC COVERS
With a voice comparable to that of Eddie Vedder, with a dash of Rob Thomas, Eller recalls ’90s alt-rock through which he touches on an array of affairs, from tales of a heedless adolescence in his hometown of Alpena to insightful messages written for his children.
Earlier this week, Eller brought that head-turning voice to the studios of News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW) to perform his song, “Pipe Road,” on Local Spins Live along with his wife and singer, Robin, aka “Bird.” Listen to the podcast here, with a video of their performance below.
Years ago, Eller spent time at Camp Mahn-Go-Tah-See in Hale, Mich., where he got his beginning singing tunes of a different kind.
“I always wanted to play guitar, so we were playing songs like ‘Shine Jesus Shine,’ ‘Lord I Lift Your Name on High,’ ‘As the Deer Panteth for the Water,” recalls Eller. “It was for these 12- to 15-year-old kids. We start a campfire, we would all sing a long. And then I started writing music for the Lord at that time. As I started growing up, growing in my ability to write songs and just growing in my experiences, I was writing more music.”
Eller performing “Piper Road” on Local Spins Live. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Eller later attended Grand Valley State University where he played rhythm guitar in various campus ministries and also in the Christian praise band JoE (Jesus or Else). Eventually, he realized the “connection to God” he had experienced through his worship could just as easily be accessed through performing other genres of music.
“Sometimes I would sing a classic rock song, like ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and would get that same kind of feeling,” he says. “I finally realized that I just have to play and sing, and I get that spiritual feeling, if you will. It’s just enjoying the simple fact that the music gives me a different medium to feel that way.”
LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT CROWD
Eller is as straightforward as they come and will be the first to tell you that he would rather perform original tracks than “play ‘Margaritaville’ for a $2 tip.”
“I’d rather play to an enlightened crowd that wants to hear, wants to listen,” he says. “And that’s really my ultimate goal, to play for a crowd that really listens. I want to give people an experience they can’t get anywhere else. I’m essentially a musician looking for the right crowd.”
The Ellers during Local Spins Live. (Photo/Local Spins)
With his debut album in the works, which incorporates Robin and a full band, along with the rebirth of his band AfterNine, he hopes to gravitate more toward sharing his own sound with the West Michigan music scene. And with a full schedule consisting of everything from house shows to brew pubs, he’ll have no problem spreading his message.
Today (Saturday), fans will get a chance to catch Eller and his wife twice – first at 1 p.m. at The DeltaPlex Arena in Walker as part of the West Michigan Freedom Cruise’s Car and Bike Expo, and again at 10 p.m. at New Holland Brewing Co. in Holland.
He also plays the open-mic night at the Ritz Koney in Grand Rapids at 9 p.m. Thursday, then returns to his hometown in Alpena for a couple of Fourth of July weekend shows.
See a full list of upcoming concerts and listen to his recorded work at his ReverbNation page and official website.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music
