Hanging Out in Jersey with Jason Didner
Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with New Jersey singer-songwriter Jason Didner!
Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with New Jersey singer-songwriter Jason Didner! Together we discussed comedy, New Jersey, patient portals, their recent album “Side Effects”, and so much more!
1. Mustard is grateful to have you join them at On The Shelf. How are you doing today?
I'm grateful to be in the company of Mustard! My big pretzel tastes even better with Mustard in the mix!
2. According to your Spotify biography you use your sense of humor to connect with your audience. What was your relationship with comedy growing up? How does comedy help you better understand your relationship with human society?
Weird Al was an early influence. I couldn't get enough of his parodies of not only the songs, but the images in source videos. My friends and I would write our own Weird Al style parodies during homeroom in school.
3. In 2001 you had a breakthrough when NPR's Car Talk Program played "You Can't Get There from Here in Jersey." Could you share what it was like to have your song played on NPR? Did they notify you ahead of time?
I started getting emails from people asking where they could get the song - so I missed that first airing, but it was nice learning that it struck a bit of a nerve. Later, NPR released a CD containing their favorite songs from Car Talk and "Jersey" was on it, so listeners who donated to the network could play it back to their hearts' content. It was great to be included on that disc and to hear the other artists with their funny songs about driving.
4. If you could record a jingle for any NPR program which would it be and why?
The moment I read that question I started to form a melodic hook for "Wait, Wait, Don't tell me!" If you're reading this, NPR, let's do this!
5. You shared with us your relationship to comedy. When did you know you wanted to become a musician?
When I was about 12 I declared I wanted to be a part-time musician, part-time computer programmer and part time bowler.
Fast forward 41 years and I'm a full-time IT manager and a part-time musician.
At 12 I visited a friend's house who had a professional-level synthesizer and he really knew how to get all the latest and greatest sounds out of it. My mom got me a little Casio keyboard and my heart was set on playing rock and pop. I didn't last too much longer in classical piano lessons after that.
A Van Halen concert when I was 15 made me throw myself into playing guitar and trying to shred like Eddie.
6. Some of your influences are Bruce Springsteen, U2, and BB King. Which album from each do you consider essential listening?
The Bruce album I keep coming back to is Born to Run. It's opening track "Thunder Road" contains multitudes and I've love covering it live since my 20s. The songs are just so epic, so many moments give me chills, like Clarence's epic sax solo on "Jungle Land."
For U2, I'd go with "All that you Can't Leave Behind." After they spent most of the 90s running away from the stadium anthems that put them in the map, this beautiful album was a return to form, but with a maturity and a running theme through the album's tracks. That's my go-to for U2.
The B.B. King record you might start with is "Why I Sing the Blues." His phrasing on the guitar is just so tasty. He was a big influence on how I play "Molasses Blues."
7. Mustard wonders what is your creative process?
Many of my song ideas flow from my conversations with my wife Amy at the kitchen table. We talk with a sense of humor and irony that can take us to some interesting places. Every now and then, one of us will say "That should be a song!" I'm generally a lyrics-first writer. I'll then come up with music to convey the mood of the lyric. As I'm writing lyrics, the words come to me with a rhythm and phrasing that will translate to the melody and backing tracks.
Lately, I've been writing instrumental music and using Voice Memos on my phone to record short bursts of melodic ideas I then come back to and develop further.
8. Mustard has observed that exercise keeps you sane. How do you like to exercise? Do you think condiments should exercise as well?
I'm mostly a runner. To preserve my joints between runs I'll ride my bike and lift weights on alternating days.
Condiments definitely need to exercise. For Mustard I'd suggest those upside-down yoga poses to prevent those embarrassing air bubbles that come out when you squeeze the bottle.
9. You are a self-proclaimed Kidney Donor athlete. You donated your kidney to your wife (and co-lyricist) in 2015. How did this medical miracle help strengthen your foundation as a couple and songwriters?
Most importantly, the kidney transplant kept Amy from having to start dialysis. That process of artificially cleaning the blood when the kidneys no longer function takes several hours, 3 days a week and leaves the patient fatigued. I'd say the transplant afforded Amy more energy than she would have had on dialysis.
This let us be more connected to each other and more creative. Soon after the transplant we went on a run of live shows for kids, including a mini-tour of the Jersey Shore.
10. In addition to your solo work you also also lead two bands: Jason Didner and the Drive along with Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam. How do you balance each of these projects?
I'm always open to taking a gig for either band (or solo acoustic) as the situation calls for, as long as I'm available. My musical focus was on Jungle Gym Jam kids music until the pandemic, when the gigs had to stop and I had to be physically separated from the band.
Then I got into multi-track recording and really got hyper-focused on my music that wasn't necessarily for kids, and I've mostly been there since. This is the music I play with my band Jason Didner and the Drive.
11. Mustard wonders what makes a fun Jungle Gym? If Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam could perform at any Jungle Gym which would it be and why?
My daughter taught me that the most important element of a good jungle gym is a flat surface that can be used as a pretend snack bar. This is my fondest memory of the playground, ever.
12. What are your thoughts on the wood chips sometimes found at Jungle Gyms?
The wood chips make for great play money at the "snack bar!" But it's not much fun getting them stuck in your shoe - especially when wearing sandals!
13. In 2003 you released your album "American Road." Could you describe a typical American road? Did a specific American Road inspire the album name?
The title track came from a road actually named "American Road" in Morris Plains, New Jersey. I'd go there for work sometimes, and as I approached my client's office, there'd be this giant American flag. This was in the year the U.S. invaded Iraq and our unity post-9/11 was continuing its slide into controversy. All this informed my thoughts of what it was like to ride this American road.
New Jersey is chock full of quintessentially American roads, lined with big box stores and chain restaurants, like Route 22, Route 46, Route 10, and Route 3.
14. Jason Didner is regulated to work inside a cubicle. How do you decorate your cubicle?
There'd be a picture of my wife and daughter, a flyer for my upcoming gig, and a rotation of good memes. Gotta have a good meme, y'know?
15. Mustard wonders what are some quintessential Jersey things?
A Taylor Ham sandwich comes to mind (in northern NJ we call it Taylor Ham. In south Jersey they call it Pork Roll). I don't like eggs and cheese, but the combo - taylor ham, egg and cheese is quintessentially Jersey. And the place you get it - diners! Lots of diners! All on the wrong side of the road where you can't get to 'em without these goofy turnarounds called jug handles.
16. The New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway are undergoing an advertising campaign to get new drivers on it. They reach out to you to create an anthem to travel on the turnpike. What does this anthem sound like?
Wow! I guess I'd have to write an alternate version of my most well-known tune - maybe "You Can Get There from Here in Jersey" - I don't know - is that selling out?
Or maybe "Drive on the Parkway, then Park in your Driveway?"
"I Like the Pike?"
It's fun to brainstorm with you here.
17. Your most recent album is "Side Effects." Could you share what it was like to put this album together? Did your creative process change at all with this release compared to your previous releases?
"Side Effects" is my most self-contained of all my albums. It's the only one where I sing and play every note that you hear on it. And it contains songs I wrote in my early singer/songwriter days in the 90s, alongside new numbers. I'd say the advances in technology and my gear had a big impact on the album.
During the pandemic I learned to play drums and by this album I had an electronic kit, which enabled me to spend more time perfecting drum parts without rattling my wife and daughter's teeth at all hours of the night! By this album I had a much better handle on home production and I felt I could do my early songs justice, recording them and mixing them the way I've heard them in my head all these years.
18. Mustard wonders if you are still stuck in a patient portal?
Always - and there are different portals for each doctor we see, each with a different password and quadruple authentication methods. The existence of hackers is why we can't have nice things and everything's so secure you can't use it!
Just this week, the patient portal asked me to upload images of my driver's license and Amy's. Then we arrive at the doctor's office and they ask us for our licenses. I guess uploading them to the portal didn't count...
19. Someone invites their friend to see Jason Didner. How would you describe your live performances?
A local radio host described me as a "firecracker" on stage, which I really appreciate. I strive to make my live shows dynamic experiences filled with moments to share with an audience. If you come to my show, be prepared to sing some responses to my lines and to howl like a caged animal! My shows aren't all about me! They're about you too! Yes, Mustard, that means you!
And when I play with the band, look for lots of interactivity between us onstage. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts when we play together.
20. Do you have any upcoming shows?
I'm booked for Friday, January 5 at the Fine Grind Coffee Bar in Little Falls. I'm hoping the band will join me. I'll also get to share the stage with my neighbor Leslie Masuzzo, who also happens to have a golden voice. We'll play a few songs together.
21. What is next for Jason Didner?
I'm currently in pre-production to record the first single with Jason Didner and the Drive. We're using BandLab to capture the demo, which saves everyone a car ride; Amelia and Leah can just record their parts right into the app and I can mix it - in my browser. No uploading and downloading huge files every time there's a new take.
I'm also creating tracks on BandLab that anyone can jam along with and add their parts. Doing this I made a friend in Tokyo, Japan who plays a great blues guitar and is a multi-instrumentalist like me. It's a new way of interacting with people's musical creations that's a step above listening passively on a streaming service. And more people are finding my music this way than any other way at this time.
22. Where can readers listen to your music?
My first hope is that you'll spend some time on my web site: jasondidner.com. Here, you'll get more acquainted with my story, hear my tracks, and see my videos. If you like what you see, sign up for my emails. You'll be among the first to catch my new song ideas, demos and videos. And you won't be stuck with some social algorithm deciding whether or not to show you what I'm up to. If I send you an email you'll get that email.
Also on my site, you'll find my store where you can order Zoom-based guitar or keyboard lessons with me, CD's, T-shirts, handwritten lyrics and giftware with my album artwork on it. All my album-based products come with digital downloads.
I'm also on Bandcamp (I appreciate all the support there!), Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube and wherever you enjoy streaming music.
You can socialize with me at Threads, BandLab and Mastodon. I'm most active on those platforms. And if you’re a musician (any skill level) let's jam on Bandlab!