Oh Santa! New and Used Holiday Classics from Yep Roc Records:
Yep Roc is one of the coolest labels in the business at the moment. Th' Legendary Shackshakers, Los Straightjackets, The Apples in stereo, Reverend Horton Heat and other artists offer mostly new songs. A favorite? Jason Ringenberg and Kristi Rose giving the holiday pros and cons on "Lovely Christmas."

- Wayne Bledsoe, Knoxville News-Sentinel

Two more album launch parties have been confirmed; in Raleigh, NC on February 8 (with Two Dollar Pistols) and at The Basement in Nashville on March 29. All the 'Best Tracks & Side Tracks' launch shows will feature a free signed poster give-away so get on down.

Jason will be back in Germany for most of February supporting the release of 'Best Tracks' with further European dates in the pipeline for later in the spring. Stay tuned for further news as and when we have it.

Not to be left out Farmer Jason is back at Nashville's Belcourt Theatre on March 29, which if it's anything like his last visit will be a pre-k riot!

For full details visit the dates page.

October 20
JASON RINGENBERG BEST OF ALBUM
Jason Ringenberg’s new album BEST TRACKS AND SIDE TRACKS 1979-2007 will be released on January 22 in the US on Yep Roc Records.

The double CD set is a complete overview of Jason’s solo career to-date including his pre-Scorchers band Shakespeare’s Riot and new versions of Farmer Jason and Jason & The Scorchers favorites.

Disc one features the best of Jason’s solo recordings, largely focusing on the Pocketful Of Soul, All Over Creation and Empire Builders album, plus three new recordings. Disc two rounds up a clutch of previously unheard rarities including the thought to be lost version of Jimmie Rogers Last Blue Yodel that Jason recorded in London, England with The Wildhearts.

The full track listing is as follows -

Disc One - Best Tracks

Shop It Around (new lyrics and recording)
The Life Of The Party (new recording)
Bible And A Gun (with Steve Earle)
Camille (with Swan Dive)
Punk Rock Skunk (rawk remix)
One Less Heartache (with The Wildhearts)
She Hung The Moon Until It Died
Rainbow Stew
For Addie Rose
Born To Run
The Price Of Progress
Prosperity Train
A Pocketful Of Soul
Eddie Rode The Orphan Train
Link Wray
Tuskegee Pride
Half The Man
Chief Joseph’s Last Dream
Broken Whiskey Glass (new recording with The Woodbox Gang)
The Last Train To Memphis

Disc Two – Side Tracks

Lovely Christmas! (with Kristi Rose)
Moose On The Loose (with exended Webb Wilder outro)
The Sailor’s Eyes
Cappuccino Rosie (live country version with Arty Hill)
Moms 70th Birthday Song
Help There’s A Fire (Shakespeare’s Riot version)
Buckminster Fuller We Need You Now
Who’s Gonna Feed Them Hogs
Paradise (with R.B. Morris, Tom Roznowski and Janas Hoyt)
Jimmie Rogers Last Blue Yodel (with The Wildhearts)

The albums release party takes place on January 19 at The Liberty Theater in Murphysboro, llinois. Helping raise the roof are Carbondale’s mighty Woodbox Gang who are one of Jason’s favorite American bands, so much so that they guest on a new version of the old Scorchers standard Broken Whiskey Glass especially recorded for the new album.   

In away this show brings Jason full circle as he started his musical career in Southern Illinois in 1978 and several of the songs on BEST TRACKS & SIDE TRACKS originated in the Murphysboro-Carbondale area.

Both Jason and The Woodbox Gang will be playing full sets, with the The Woodbox Gang closing out the night. The action kicks off at 7.30 with tickets available on the door. Don’t miss this one fight fans ‘cause it’s going to get rowdy!

October 20
When Fallen Angels Fly
At the giant Stage Coach Festival October 13 and 14 in College Station Texas, I had the pleasure of catching Billy Joe Shaver’s set. Without a doubt, it was the most compelling show I have seen in ages. Without coming off maudlin, he bared his soul for all to see, and every word he sang or spoke was physically tangible, and purely honest. As the sun set behind him, you could see those words float into space, propelled by his giant mannerisms and transfigured raw beauty.

To be honest, three times during the show I was moved to real tears, even surrounded by all the drunken frat boys. The Holy Spirit is strong in that man, truly.

September 17
Eeeek Gremlins!
Some of you may have noticed that farmerjason.com was off line for a while at the begining of the month due to unforseen technical difficulties. Although everything is now back to normal Farmer Jason was without email during that time. If you sent an important message between the 1st and 13th of September and have not had a reply, please resend your message. Thanks.

September 17
New shirts now available
Farmer Jason and daughters Camille and Addie Rose modeling the new crop of Farmer Jason tee-shirts. Pick yours here, they're home grown and farm fresh!

I stayed with my friends Bruce, Vickie, Liam and Connor Hilton. Bruce has a great band called the Digbees www.digbees.com and had arranged a great little Maine/New Hampshire mini tour of FJ and JR dates culminating in a JR/Digbees concert in Rochester. We had a marvelous time. My favorite show was the FJ show at MY LITTLE FRIENDS DAY CARE, which Vickie owns and operates. The kids were big FJ fans, and knew the cds backwards and forwards, singing along and requesting their favorite songs. In fact we did an encore concert the next day to do some of the songs I didn’t do the first day that they wanted to hear.

Maine is a lovely part of this world- mellow folks, temperate weather, and lots of abundant unspoiled nature. At the end of the run we had an old fashioned Maine lobster feast. (They call lobsters “sea bugs” and they are “wicked good”.) Shopping for them is half the fun, and half the price you pay outside of Maine! Nothing tops fresh Maine lobster.

Check out The Digbees "Stinky Blackwater" cds. You won’t be disappointed. Bruce has created an entire schitck based around the idea that The Beatles ripped off all their best ideas from a Liverpool policeman named Stinky Blackwater (in real life SB was the one who ran over John Lennons mum). As the “real” story unfolds, we all find out that Bruce in fact is the only surviving kin of Stinky Blackwater and has made 2 cds based on Stinky’s original ideas that the Beatles stole from him. Its genius.

Best

To his cost Farmer Jason discovers that you can't hypnotise lobsters!

August 19
Ellapolooza
Farmer Jason played Ella Williamson’s 3rd Birthday party. Her parents Rob and Sandra Williamson, used to listen to Farmer Jason’s brother’s band Jason and the Scorchers since the FERVOR days! There were 4 generations of the family at the party, and Farmer Jason did end up doing a few Scorchers songs, and a version on Guadalcanal Diary’s TRAIL OF TEARS. (Guadalcanal Diary was from Marietta and The Scorchers used to play their club THE STRAND back in the 80’s. Farmer Jason is still a huge fan of theirs.)
 
While the show was being booked, for a while it looked like it might not happen. This conversation occurred between father Rob and daughter Ella:
 
Dad: Ella, I am sorry to say that Farmer Jason may not be able to make it to your party.
 
Ella: Well, can we get Johnny Cash instead?


Farmer Jason with Ella and Hunter

Farmer Jason with Ella and her great grandma Bena Arvella Williamson, 93 years old.



Farmer Jason frantically tries to recall a Johnny Cash song or two.

It has been a marvelous summer. June started with the enormously successful Perry Baggs benefit concerts. All total, we raised close to 20k for his medical bills. The main Jason and the Scorchers reunion show June 2 was without a doubt one of the top five concerts we ever did. To see Perry up there again playing drums and singing his heart out, when we all knew he had been in the intensive care ward most of February and March, was totally inspiring in the best sense of that word. I’ll never forget it.

The next week I had the great pleasure of doing my third tour of Alaska. That place is Jason heaven. I loved every single moment of it. My favorite shows were well attended outdoor Farmer Jason concerts in Fairbanks and Homer. It sure is nice having real mountains and glaciers for a backdrop!!! After one show, since it is essentially light all “night”, I decided to climb a 6500 foot mountain north of Anchorage called Goat Mountain. I made it to the top at 1.00am, but I can tell you it took everything I had! Once at the top there wasn’t a sign of humanity to be seen. It was gorgeous. Somehow I made it back down in the gray semi-twilight, but I was sore for about a week!!!

On June 30 I played the Route 33 Rhythm and Brews 10 Year Anniversary Party in Wapakoneta Ohio. The Terri and Ron Lininger family have miraculously built up a fantastic live venue in rural Ohio, with a loyal audience for original music. As it happens Warner Hodges was there with his bands, so “spontaneously” (wink wink) we did a Jason and the Scorchers set. Fenner Castner played drums and Al Collins (Stacie Collins husband and bassist) filled in on bass. He rocked as an honorary Scorcher. Speaking of Stacie Collins, she is a fantastic live performer and harmonica player. I felt humbled. We should expect to see a lot more from her. Dan Baird, Terry Anderson, and The Drams also played and everyone delivered stellar sets, or maybe it was the perfect crowd that drove us all to our performance peak. They rocked from 7.00pm-4.00am, and gave every performer complete attention and respect.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of playing 2 shows sponsored by the Fairview Church in Yoder, Indiana. I grew up with their pastor Dan Horwedel, who was in my brother’s class. His Dad was our high school principal. It’s a true country church, bordered by corn and bean fields. Many in the audience were real farmers. To sing Oh Lonesome Prairie, actually looking out over a real prairie, was a religious experience for me. To top it off, many old fans came in from Ft Wayne and Indianapolis which created a really interesting chemistry. That is how Preacher Dan is; he brings folks together without pretense or judgment. Everyone got along perfectly and had a great time. The Farmer Jason show absolutely rocked, and afterwards we all got to take pony cart rides!!!

All the best

Farmer Jason with Jane the pony at Fairview Church, Yonder, Indiana

As the leader of Jason & The Scorchers, Jason Ringenberg created an unprecedented blend of country and punk. The Scorchers have been retired, but Jason's "twin brother" (wink, wink) has a record deal, goes by the name Farmer Jason, wears red Converse sneakers and overalls, and sings for children. Saturday afternoon, a tough-to-tune guitar didn't keep him from delighting kids as he sang of a "punk-rock skunk" and of a "guitar-pickin' chicken" who moves to Music City, "where the chicks are pretty."

	Famer Jason serenades the kids at What's Cookin' Jr in London, England. click image to view full gallery
	Farmer Jason & Boer Piet conspire at Rotown in Rotterdam, Holland click image to view full gallery

Stagecoach Festival offers Half-Pint Hootenanny
Farmer Jason joins friends Buck Howdy, the Bummkinn Band and more at the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, CA May 5 and 6. This is the first year for this country music version of Coachella, the renown music and arts festival created by Goldenvoice, and features the biggest names in country music and activities for the entire family. The "Half-Pint Hootenanny" makes Stagecoach the first festival to showcase a lineup of "country music for kids," demonstrating that pop isn't the only appealing kid's music genre.

MySpace.com/farmerjason
Farmer Jason has joined social networking site MySpace to provide an additional method of interaction with other artists and fans. The official Farmer Jason website remains www.farmerjason.com and is the best resource for all news and information, but if you have joined MySpace then please add Farmer Jason to your friends! Spread the seeds!

Rockin' The Awards!
"Rockin' In The Forest With Farmer Jason" is winner of two prestigious awards, a 2007 Parents' Choice Approved Award and The National Parenting Center's 2007 Seal of Approval. Go to http://www.tnpc.com to read the review.

dear farmr jason!

My name is Ebba and I am 7 years old. I currently live in Sweden. We are moving back to the USA this summer. My mom is Swedish and my dad is American. My dad and I saw your show in 2004 at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis. I am in first grade. I like school. My favorite thing to do is drawing and to play music. I play the violin. In the USA I also played the piano. I hope I can continue when we come back. I have a good piano teacher, her name is Fern. I love horses. I take riding lessons here. That's fun. Can you come to may school? And to my little brother's daycare? I like your music!

From Ebba.

Dear Farmer Jason

My name is August, I am almost 4 years old(in april). My Grandpa used to be a farmer. When we play "Whoa there pony!" from your CD my sister Ebba and I gallop around the house pretending to be horses. I go to daycare some days of the week and I like Robin Hood. I have a bow and arrow. I like your music!
From August.