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Jason Schneider Male Waterloo, Ontario Canada: Share Twitter

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Heartbreak Trail

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heartbreaktrail.wordpress.com

Heartbreak Trail is a blog that offers news and commentary on the Americana scene from a Canadian perspective. Created by Jason Schneider, roots music editor for Canada's national music monthly, Exclaim! Magazine, and author of Whispering Pines: the Northern Roots of American Music, it provides fresh content on a weekly basis, including record reviews, interviews with prominent Americana artists, and insightful opinion pieces.

Please visit Heartbreak Trail

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Jason Schneider commented on Adam Sheets's blog post 'Is the mainstream officially out of ideas or have we been validated?'

I should also clarify that there are loads of amazing American artists I love, that I feel sadly don't get the same national exposure that they probably would if they (and their labels) had the same access to a Canadian-style arts grants to…

Nov 26, 2010

Jason Schneider commented on Adam Sheets's blog post 'Is the mainstream officially out of ideas or have we been validated?'

What I can suggest is that I don't think it's an "us vs. them" situation as you insinuate. Musicians, despite how much they will deny it, want to make money. That money buys artistic freedom, hence Kid Rock's new partnership…

Nov 26, 2010

Jason Schneider commented on Paul Cantin's blog post 'Record Review: Come On, Feel Le Noise'

Paul, Long time no see. Very insightful review and I agree with you completely. I'm sure both Neil and Dan were party conscious of fans' expectations to do a "Wrecking Ball," which probably would have been a disaster. Yes,…

Oct 5, 2010

Jason Schneider commented on Adam Sheets's blog post 'A rant on the commercialization of bullshit in the culture of American Idol'

Oh, and Bryan Cranston is the star of Breaking Bad, another awesome AMC series along with Mad Men.

Sep 27, 2010

Jason Schneider commented on Adam Sheets's blog post 'A rant on the commercialization of bullshit in the culture of American Idol'

Dude, it's an argument you can't win. For you see, you and I are middle aged white men working in (forgive me for presuming) relatively low-paying careers. Where once we were the target market for record labels peddling double gatefold…

Sep 27, 2010

Jason Schneider commented on Jason Schneider's blog post 'Listening further to Van Morrison...'

Twangster, I agree. I wasn't that blown away by "CSM" when I finally heard it. The problem is that Van has totally clamped down on ANY of his music being posted online without his approval, that it's made it almost impossible for…

Jun 9, 2010

twangster commented on Jason Schneider's blog post 'Listening further to Van Morrison...'

The 1971 radio broadcast is pretty easy to find if you make an effort to track it down. That being said, I don't see what the fuss is over "Caledonia Soul Music" ... it's just a 2-chord vamp that gets old pretty quick. "Just…

Jun 9, 2010

eli xul commented on Jason Schneider's blog post 'Listening further to Van Morrison...'

marcus is one of these writers whose intelligence and analytic skills are wonderful, but I can't stand his taste

Jun 9, 2010

greasepaint commented on Jason Schneider's blog post 'Listening further to Van Morrison...'

Grant Alden's ND cover piece on Billy Joe Shaver kicks major butt. One of my favorite pieces of music journalism. That having been said, a key question for any music writer who wants to entertain as well as inform remains: What would Lester…

Jun 9, 2010

sluggo commented on Jason Schneider's blog post 'Listening further to Van Morrison...'

the basement tapes are easier to find than the head of bp.

Jun 8, 2010

Richard commented on Jason Schneider's blog post 'Listening further to Van Morrison...'

The problem I continually have with Marcus is his reliance on recordings that are simply unavailable to his readership. Lipstick Traces was full of references to unissued demos and the book on the Basement Tapes was mostly about the dozens of…

Jun 8, 2010

Jack Wallingford commented on Jason Schneider's blog post 'Listening further to Van Morrison...'

I have not read either treatise on Van the man, but I have had a long relationship with the artist since the 60's. Van always struck me as a capable blues and soul singer, but his venture into the mystic with Astral Weeks, initially had me…

Jun 8, 2010

sluggo commented on Jason Schneider's blog post 'Listening further to Van Morrison...'

someone here praising the written virtues of Lester and yes even though he had his finger on the pulse sometime cough medicine makes you think funny.

Jun 8, 2010

sluggo commented on Jason Schneider's blog post 'Listening further to Van Morrison...'

somewhere along the way Van became not unlike Willie, singing damn near anything with anyone and it ain`t right.

Jun 8, 2010

Adam Sheets commented on Jason Schneider's blog post 'Listening further to Van Morrison...'

Yeah, I was reluctant to add Grant to my favorite music writers, but he certainly would be in my top five as would Mark Kemp, who wrote the excellent Dixie Lullaby about Southern rock and the experience of being the first generation to grow up in an…

Jun 7, 2010

eD cAMPBELL commented on Jason Schneider's blog post 'Listening further to Van Morrison...'

I will never forget the jolt I received when I read Lester Bang's piece on Astral Weeks. Van never sounded the same. Great music writers can take you into the music in ways you never expected. I loved the Band but Greil Marcus' writing in…

Jun 7, 2010

Comment Wall (6 comments)

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At 4:44am on April 27, 2011, Steve Hatch said…: Hi Jason

      As a featured contributor to No Depression, I’m particularly keen on getting your feedback for the following – Please forgive the intrusion if you don’t have the time or inclination to reply.

      I’ve posted the following to the No Depression discussion board – you can either respond there or alternatively drop me a line at shatchsurvey1@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks very much for your time

Kind regards,

Steve

My name is Steve Hatch and I’m currently conducting research for my Master’s in Songwriting at Bath Spa University in Bath, England (though I happen to be an ex-pat Georgia boy). I would be extremely grateful if you could find the time to listen to the track (link below) and answer the 2 accompanying questions. The more detail, the better of course (more to say in my final analysis) – but all feedback will be useful and very much appreciated.

Sadly, as this is an academic pursuit, there is a deadline. Please reply by May 20^th if at all possible so that I can have time to chew over your response and include it in my final write-up.

            The track: http://soundcloud.com/stevehatch

1)     Which artist/band(s) would you say the track is most similar to and why?

2)     Which genre(s) would you say the track belongs to and why?

At 8:49am on December 9, 2009, Jay Harris said…: Hi Jason, Will do. If you're in Toronto tomorrow (Thur 10/09) im playing as part of Oh Susanna's annual event: Oh Susanna and Friends @Hugh's Room.

Michael Ondaatje - NEW!
Jim Cuddy
Justin Rutledge
Wayne Petti
David Celia
Joan Bessen
David Baxter
Ruth Moody
Jay Harris
Treasa Lavasseur

All the best, JJ

At 11:16am on November 16, 2009, Marion Lewis said…: Would you like a media release from Canadian Icon Mendelson Joe? He is releasing a new CD on Valentines Day. I am helping with PR.
Let me know your email address if you are interested.

Marion Lewis

At 3:57pm on October 2, 2009, Forthesakeofthesong said…: Thanks so much Jason (you have no idea how much that means)!
Jenny

At 9:40am on September 23, 2009, No Depression said…: Hi Jason - Welcome to the No Depression community! We hope you're finding everything okay. Please let us know if you have any questions or feedback (here are some FAQs in case anything's confusing). Thanks for joining. Cheers!
Kim

At 8:01am on September 23, 2009, Jason Schneider said…: Hi everyone,
After meeting the wonderful Kyla Fairchild this past weekend in Nashville, I'm happy to now be a long-overdue ND member.
Some observant readers might recognize my name from Paul Cantin's review of my new book, Whispering Pines: the Northern Roots of American Music, from Hank Snow to The Band, which he posted a few weeks ago.
While I will hopefully be posting my own work here on a regular basis, I encourage anyone interested to check out my blog, heartbreaktrail.wordpress.com (see RSS feed on the left).
Thanks, and I look forward to joining the discussions!
Jason

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Jason Schneider's Blog

Listening further to Van Morrison...

It's always an event for me when the esteemed pop culture historian and critic Greil Marcus produces a new book, and I was especially eager to dig into his latest work, When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening To Van Morrison (PublicAffairs Press). My own love of Morrison's music in large part stems from reading Lester Bangs's illuminating essay on Astral Weeks, included in his posthumous 1987 anthology Psychotic Reactions And… Continue

Posted on June 5, 2010 at 9:01am — 13 Comments

On The Line With... Roky Erickson

It’s easy to believe Roky Erickson when, in his jovial Texas drawl, he describes himself as a lucky man. Through the support of family and fans around the world, he has brought a 40-year battle with mental illness under control in the past decade, and restored his reputation as one of America’s most influential rock and roll musicians.

On the other hand, Erickson’s clipped, but unwaveringly positive, manner of speaking just barely masks the… Continue

Posted on May 14, 2010 at 3:08pm — 1 Comment

On The Line With... Merle Haggard

Keith Richards has got nothing on the Hag. At 73, and recently beating lung cancer, Merle just keeps doing what he’s always done, making great records. And as the title of this latest effort suggests, he isn’t about to change the formula that’s maintained his status as a country music icon for over four decades.

Musically, his longtime band the Strangers is as solid as ever, with the addition of his 17-year-old son Ben on guitar adding just… Continue

Posted on April 30, 2010 at 1:58pm — 1 Comment

On The Line With... T-Bone Burnett

When Hollywood wants to do something country-themed, it almost inevitably turns to T-Bone Burnett to get the music right. The Oscar-nominated and multiple Grammy Award-winning producer …

Continue

Posted on February 10, 2010 at 8:57am — 13 Comments