Every now and then I like to take the blog on a detour and go back to the days when I had dreams of becoming a singer songwriter in Nashville Tennessee, but today we won’t detour to far away from nature or even farming. In short, when I began crafting songs there were four very talented songwriters that influenced my writing; Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, and Jason Ringenberg. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the late Townes Van Zandt twice (Townes is often referred to as one of the best songwriter ever), as well as Guy Clark and Steve Earle. I never had the opportunity to meet Jason Ringenberg, the brainchild behind the legendary band Jason and the Scorchers – the best country band in Nashville. Jason is also an Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award winner and is also considered to be one of the pioneers of the modern Americana and alt-country genres.
You may be thinking by now “what does all this have to do with nature?” Well in 2002 Jason Ringenberg created Farmer Jason to educate and entertain children with songs about farm life and the wonders of nature. The Farmer Jason character is based on Mr. Ringenberg’s own farming background and love of the great outdoors. Farmer Jason has released 3 records (A Day at the Farm with Farmer Jason, Rocking in the Forest, and Nature Jams) and a DVD “It’s A Farmer Jason.” He has starred in the “It’s a Farmer Jason” video interstitial program which airs on several PBS stations around the United States, earning 3 Emmy nominations and one Emmy Award win for Best Children’s Program. Farmer Jason’s records have also won numerous awards, including the Parents’ Choice Gold Award and the Los Angeles Times’ Children’s Record of the Year list.
Farmer Jason’s highly acclaimed live show involve sing-alongs, dancing, and discussions about appreciating nature, ecology, and farm animals. Farmer Jason performs solo with only his acoustic guitar (no fancy gimmickry). He is a true showman whose performances are spontaneous and high energy in nature. Even though the shows are aimed at children ages 2 to 8, everyone gets involved.
So folks, if you have children, nephews, nieces, or grandchildren and want to introduce them to some good clean fun, be sure to check out the Farmer Jason records by clicking here. I guarantee that you’ll be singing along too. Follow along and Like the Farmer Jason Facebook page here.
Check out these links for a sample: Punk Rock Skunk & Moose On The Loose.
For the above photo (do click on the photo to see the larger, sharper version) I grabbed my old 1970’s Gibson J200 and placed it on the back deck along with my three Farmer Jason CDs, which my 7 year old daughter Ava absolutely loves. When we go for long drives these records travel along for sing-alongs down the highway. Ava is a big fan of Jason and the Scorchers too 🙂
Andrew McLachlan 