Jason Darling

Jason Darling grew up near Woodstock, NY, and began playing guitar at a young age. After bouncing through a next-generation Deadhead phase, Darling ended up in Greenwich Village, retracing Bob Dylan's footsteps, digging on slide guitar and folk-blues, and scraping by with handyman work at local recording studios. Casual collaborations with pal Leona Naess started paying the bills when she signed with MCA. Darling contributed guitar to 2000's Comatised and participated in the resulting world tour. In between dates he signed with L.A. indie Surprise Truck, wrote and recorded his debut album, and issued it in early 2001. Underground was a literate yet rootsy affair that showcased Darling's expressive slide guitar work. In October 2003, he returned with Night Like My Head (Yep Roc). The effort featured broader arrangements that were filled out with keys and drum programming, and drew comparisons to the work of Shawn Mullins and Jeb Loy Nichols. Darling supported the album with numerous dates, mostly on the East Coast. ~ Johnny Loftus