Toronto tunesmith Jason Collett worked classic-rock influences into Here’s to Being Here

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MARCH 19, 2008

By Steve Newton

Every year around this time, the music world gets all jiggy about what’s happening down in Austin, Texas. The annual South by Southwest festival is one of the primo events in rock ’n’ roll, and Toronto’s Jason Collett is an enthusiastic supporter.

When I ring him up, he’s already been at the festival for three days, performing daily showcases to support his new CD, Here’s to Being Here. But it’s not all about his own music. The previous night Collett went out to see the Black Keys, and on the evening in question, he’s got his sights set on My Morning Jacket.

“The place is just crawling with great bands,” he declares, “and Austin is a really wonderful town, it truly is. It’s very liberal, particularly being in the middle of Texas, and it has a very rich musical history, so it’s the place to be.”

It’s no surprise that songs from Collett’s latest album are winning over the rock-loving hordes who’ve descended on the Lone Star State; rollicking tracks like “Papercut Hearts” and “Through the Night These Days” provide an ideal soundtrack for beer-soaked Texas hoedowns.

“It’s definitely band-focused,” notes Collett of his current sound. “We’re really trying to capture some of the chemistry and energy of what we’ve been doing live for the last year or so.”

The singer-songwriter-guitarist and Broken Social Scene member is accompanied on the CD by two talented pickers, New York session ace Tony Scherr—who’s played with the likes of Norah Jones and Bill Frisell—and Afie Jurvanen, who’s currently touring with alt-pop sensation Feist.

The guitar-heavy tunes carry a strong ’70s vibe, helped along by Collett’s warbly, Marc Bolan–style vocals on “Henry’s Song” and the unmistakably Stones-y chorus of “Out of Time”.

“I was a child growin’ up at that time,” relates the 40-year-old rocker, “so that era really got under my skin. I think those formative years are hugely influential, whether you like it or not.”

The exceptional material on Here’s to Being Here is delivered through smart packaging that includes an 18-page booklet boasting several nostalgic-looking black-and-white photos and printed lyrics that, for a change, don’t require the aid of a magnifying glass. Apparently the folks at Collett’s Toronto-based label, Arts & Crafts, make an effort to live up to their name.

“They do,” he says, “and I do appreciate that. They allow me to indulge myself that way, so it needs to be somewhat tangible, and give you a bit of a sense, textually, of what the record is about.”

The title of Here’s to Being Here comes from a line in an anthology by avant-garde jazz poet Paul Haines, father of Collett’s friend Emily Haines, who’s the lead singer of the band Metric. The phrase will no doubt come in handy while he’s toasting crowds on his upcoming tour, which includes a stop at Vancouver’s Plaza Club on Saturday (March 22).

“It is kind of a nice ‘Cheers’,” he agrees, “and that’s the sorta sentiment that really attracted me to the title. Making a record is very much about just being present in the moment, you know, when what you’re trying to do is just capture some of those happy accidents.”