Jason Marsh has been playing the guitar and writing songs for years but it was only after he landed a job as a college professor in Minnesota in 2012 that he got serious about recording music. During his summers Marsh rounded up some of his favorite musicians and vocalists from the United States and Canada (including present or past members of 'The Tea Party', 'Big Sugar', 'Last Call', and 'Screwtape') to record a debut album of rock, blues, country, and even a bit of Spanish-classical. The album was titled 'Try' to depict the importance of taking risks in one’s personal projects, such as releasing an album with various genres and vocalists—the title track 'Try' itself emphasizes the importance of taking risks early on in one's relationships.
As for the music, ‘Heart of Stone’, ‘Try’, ‘Karma’, and ‘Light it Up’ present the album's most radio-friendly hooks and choruses. Those who prefer a more relaxed vibe, however, might gravitate toward 'The Reason for Lying' or 'Fade.' As for the lyrical themes, like the music, these move from the extremely simple ('Light it Up' is a southern flavored revenge fantasy that the protagonist is too vulnerable to actually carry out) to the relatively complex (‘Luminosity' is based on Matthew Arnold's 'Dover Beach' and explores the inner turmoil facing those with skeptical dispositions and a capacity for religious experience. Happiness is a Game is about the temporary but sweet victories in subjective wellbeing that we experience while living our lives on the so-called hedonic treadmill).
A note for the guitar lover is also in order. Although the album is primarily about the songs, it is also unashamedly guitar orientated. In addition to the Fender-based tones of the bluesier tracks, where influences such as Bonamassa, Clapton, Gilmour, Mayer, and Vaughan are apparent, the listener also encounters forms of virtuosity not often found among blues players. For example, the album’s one instrumental and stylistic outlier, ‘Asturias’ Daughter / The Gift of Life’, begins as a classical guitar piece that turns gypsy jazz and ends with a solo that combines elements of John Petrucci and Slash. In addition, by the end of 'Luminosity' the listener will have encountered stylistic traces of Muse, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Zakk Wylde.
Finally, the list of performers besides Marsh (who plays the guitar, banjo, organ, and occasionally the bass and keyboard) is as follows: vocal performances are by Matt Doige (tracks 2, 7, 10), Ben Graham (tracks 3, 6), Mike Green (tracks 5, 8, 11), Shade Stone (track 11), and Bob Zubkoff Jr. (tracks 1, 4). Drum performances are by Jeff Burrows (tracks 4, 5, 9, 11), Joel Carrier (tracks 1, 2, 3, 7, 10), Adam Doige (track 8), and Jared John (track 6). Bass performances are by Andrew J. M. Bain (track 8) and Keith Wilkinson (all tracks except 3, 6, 8). Harmonica performances are by Mr. Chill (track 2). Keyboard performances are by Steve Golac (tracks 1, 8). Some members of the band, in particular Jason and Matt, were previously in a New Brunswick based group called A.D., which toured the east coast of Canada from 1999 to 2002. The album was recorded by Marty Bak in Windsor, Ontario.
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