Jason Pierce

Jason Pierce
Jason Pierce, 2009
Jason Pierce, 2009
Background information
Also known asJ. Spaceman
Born
Jason Andrew Pierce

(1965-11-19) 19 November 1965 (age 60)
OriginRugby, England
Genres
OccupationsMusician, singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion, banjo, dulcimer, autoharp, harmonica
Years active1982–present

Jason Andrew Pierce (born 19 November 1965 in Rugby) is an English rock musician. He is currently the frontman and sole permanent member of the band Spiritualized, having previously co-fronted Spacemen 3 with Peter Kember from 1982 until 1991. He has worked under the name J. Spaceman.

Music

In between his work with Spiritualized and Spacemen 3, Pierce has been active with a network of free jazz players and improvisers, collaborating with artists, including Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Dr. John, Primal Scream, Daniel Johnston and Yoko Ono.[citation needed]

In 2006, Pierce released his first solo album, Guitar Loops, a limited release on Coxon and Wales's Treader record label. Also in 2006, he composed the original score for an art installation called "Silent Sound" by British artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. The live performance at St. George's Hall in Liverpool was recorded and released as a limited edition signed and numbered CD. A second performance of Silent Sound took place in 2010 as part of the AV Festival, at Middlesbrough Town Hall. A second limited edition, a signed and numbered CD, was released.

Between 6 and 8 February 2007, Pierce performed in a series of benefit concerts for the HOPING Foundation for Palestinian children.

He provided some of the soundtrack for Harmony Korine's 2007 film Mister Lonely.

In July 2008, Pierce sat down for an interview with NPR before a concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. Both the interview and the concert can be heard on the NPR website.

He released a collaboration with Matthew Shipp entitled Spaceshipp on the Treader label in 2008.

His song "Lay It Down Slow" was used for the finale of the hit US drama series Prison Break.

In 2015, he played guitar on the Ariel Pink song "Dayzed Inn Daydreams".

Personal life

Jason lives with his partner and two children in the East End of London.

In the 1990s, Pierce was in a relationship with Kate Radley, who was also a member of Spiritualized. In 1995, Radley married Richard Ashcroft, the then lead singer of the Verve.

Pierce was seriously ill with pneumonia in 2005. Both his lungs had filled with liquid; the 5 foot 11 inches (180 cm)-tall musician's weight plunged to 7 stone (44 kg; 98 lb) and his heart stopped beating twice.

In an early 2012 interview, Pierce mentioned he had been under chemotherapy during the recordings of the 2012 Spiritualized album, Sweet Heart Sweet Light. He did not specify the diagnosis for the treatment.

References

  1. ↑ "Songwriter/Composer: PIERCE JASON ANDREW".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ↑ "Silent Sound". 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Spiritualized in Concert". NPR. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "Ariel Pink – 'Pom Pom'". NME. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "Jason Pierce on drugs and mortality". The Times. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Spiritualized, The Verve, and 1997's Biggest Secret Love Triangle". Vice.com. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  7. ↑ Montgomery, James. "Spiritualized's Pierce Recovering After Brushes With Death". MTV News. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Simpson, Dave (17 November 2006). "Dave Simpson interviews Jason Pierce". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  9. ↑ Pierce, Jason (13 March 2012). "Spiritualized on Embracing Pop, Undergoing Chemo" (Interview). Interviewed by Billy Goodman. Archived from the original on 12 September 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020 – via YouTube.{{cite interview}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)