Music Maker

For as long as I can remember i have always poured over the liner notes and credits in albums that I got… checking out the names of studios and mastering gurus. Looking back, it was a really weird thing to do—I had no idea who any of these people were really. I never knew what a producer was or what an engineer did—much less did I even think it was a remote career possibility for a kid like me.

And here I am now—I’ve been making albums for the past 18 years. What a crazy ride.

Having a place where artists can come and stay, while working on a project, was a long time dream. Pinch me. Protection Island is the name of my rural recording studio approximately 1 hour from downtown Vancouver, BC.

background

Music began for Jonathan as a young child in piano lessons, and on through school choirs, high school jazz band (first on trombone, then guitar) and to his first official band, paisley suitcase, with whom he spent 5 years and had his first forays into recording (mostly live off the floor – quickly made cassettes).

Since those early days, he’s released several albums and EPs of his own songs (Jonathan Inc.) and has had his songs placed in various tv shows such as SCRUBS, DEGRASSI and FALCON BEACH. He’s also performed live around the country and Europe with his own projects and as a part of various bands.

Coming at recording as an artist and musician first has given Jonathan a unique understanding of the process and has made him an adept and creative collaborator. An advocate for making recordings out of “real-time” collaborations, he values inspired performances over sterile perfection. Working without the desire to use the computer as merely a compensating tool (ie: “that sucked, come on in”) allows for greater emphasis on capturing a truly magical performance of a great song. That is what great albums are all about.

Aside from his own music he’s contributed his notable multi-instrumentalist abilities to recordings by Radiogram, Great Aunt Ida, Kevin House, John Bottomley, Lily Frost, Jack Harlan, Carolyn Arends and numerous other solo artists and bands. He’s sat in on live performances by the Great Lake Swimmers, the Microphones/Mount Eerie, International Falls, Joel r.l. Phelps and the Secret Three, and Kevin Kane (Grapes of Wrath) among numerous others. Having had a significant amount of experience, he’s diverse as an accompaniest and producer and where is it wanted, he’s also adept at arranging and co-writing.