Jason P. Woodbury and the Night Bird Singing Quartet :: S/T
Art & Design: D. Norsen
Photo: Vega35mm
When he’s not cruising alongside the cosmic coast of the culturally celebrated Transmissions Podcast over at Aquarium Drunkard in an early 1960s Plymouth, writing, running the cult broadcast Wasteoids, or manning the sails at the Phoenix, AZ-based merch company Hello Merch, Jason P. Woodbury can be found tucked away creating his own music to try and better understand the world around him. Occupied by the spiritual signals picked up by the atmospheric Allah, elaborate essays on extraterrestrials, family, and the vibrations of life’s endless peaks and valleys, the songwriter graciously enters a new phase in his career with the announcements of his third full-length album and first under his own name, label, Always Happening Records, and we’re here for it. Putting together a new band, the Night Bird Singing Quartet, to help push the machine of melody, Woodbury sends a sonic smoke signal calling on local musicians, and creative colleagues such as the multi-instrumentalist and producer Zachary Toporek (Dad Weed), Andrew Bates, Rick Heins, and Rob Kroehler, the group moves through the soundscapes of Arizona’s ancient alchemy and harmonious history, by directly tapping into the mythical memories that lay dormant in the sandy loam beneath. Recorded between 2023-2025, Woodbury and company take the first flight out that is scheduled for a restless redeye towards the tonal threshold where land meets the sky during one of Rod Serling’s infamous nightcaps during his revolutionary reign on the public’s psyche back in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The album’s overall atmosphere and contemporary core truly echo the feelings and emotions of 20th-century culture in this rare retrospect as time continues to move forward, and these artistic artifacts remain behind to remind us of this circular pattern of existential existence.
“There are moments on this album where I’m referencing my earliest memories, or Phoenix UFO lore, or The Upanishads, but there are also parts where I’m just sort of letting the air out of my own self-inflated ego balloons”
Combining the essences of Tom Petty, James, The Feelies, and several others, Woodbury’s particular choice to communicate through the cool climate of the coffee house scene of the 1990s, think Richard Linklater’s 1990 masterpiece “Slacker”, allows the music to stretch across the bar, passing nearby flyers of local acts, and that one magic show, and into the eager ears of listeners who wait patiently for its almighty arrival. Featuring tracks like “All Motion Aglow”, “Thunder Deepens”, the album’s oscillating opener “Birdsong”, and one of the first singles to be released, “When I Get Lonesome (Again)”, Woodbury brings together an irresistible amount of history, reflection, and songwriting, while simultaneously battening down the hatches for the good, bad, and ugly. Set for release on March 13th, Jason P. Woodbury & The Night Bird Singing Quartet is a nocturnal affair that surfs the sun’s radioactive waves in a manner that radiates the familiar feeling of the golden days of youth and Saturday morning rituals.
Photo: Mario Vega
