Few original artists appear as a musical guest on Late Show with David Letterman and spend 18 years starring in and producing an award winning Las Vegas Tribute Show before they release their 1st original song. Now, after almost two decades of performing live for audiences from all over the world as the star of Purple Reign, THE Prince Tribute Show, Jason Tenner has released the 1st single, entitled “Shake”, off of his self titled, Summer 2015 EP. “Shake” is available for download now on iTunes and 200 other digital music retailers worldwide.
Tenner’s Neo-Funk/Soul-Rock sound combines driving rhythms, catchy melodies and a poetically lyrical depth that heralds the arrival of a significant new artistic voice carried by a dynamic, veteran live stage performer. Entertainment celebrity reporter Robin Leach gave a description of Tenner on stage in his Las Vegas Sun, August 2014 review of the Vegas Tribute Show when he wrote, “Jason’s unyielding vitality and verve is pure dynamism; if Nevada’s energy ever fails and the Strip neon blacks out, just plug Jason in as a power source. He is electrifying and the height of cool in bantering with the audience and his stage mates.”
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Tenner’s first exposure to the stage was at the age of eleven singing soprano in a production of “The Nutcracker” presented by the Indianapolis Children’s Choir at Butler University. “My time with the choir was short lived because my voice began to change the year after I joined”, recalls Tenner. “Besides, I really wasn’t into the choir boy thing, I wanted to be jumping around and belting onstage next to the dancers, not singing to the Sugar Plum fairy in the orchestra pit!”
Tenner has written and recorded multiple songs over the years and plans to release his catalog over the next few on his independent label, Carnival Cult Records. A live performance showcase and party will be held in Las Vegas in early June to accompany the late spring release. Date and location TBA. Click here to subscribe for news, music and show updates.
After leaving the choir, Jason formed various pretend bands with childhood friends and threw mock rock concerts in back yards with pots, pans and broomsticks. “At the time, only one of us actually had a real instrument, my friends older brother. He was the band leader by virtue of his electric guitar with built in speaker”, chuckles Tenner. “The rest of us just pantomimed and lip-synced to whatever tape we had playing or what was on the radio. It felt real though. We had fans!” It wasn’t until moving to Las Vegas and forming the original funk-rock group, “Uncle Skully” with high school friends however, that Jason’s real music career began to take form. The band recorded a demo, booked gigs in coffee houses, at birthday parties, did a record store grand opening party, and performed in downtown Las Vegas at the USA Underground. “We seemed to be building a following”, recalls Tenner. “But after a couple years, which seemed an eternity to us at the time, we were barely seeing the fruits of our efforts.”
Fresh out of school, wanting nothing more than to make a living playing music and now with a young family, Tenner and Uncle Skully took a gig opening for a disco cover band at the then popular UNLV college club, Tom and Jerry’s. “We saw how they were making money playing covers and it wasn’t long before we had their house gig doing the same as a disco/funk cover band called the Mothership Connection.”
Uncle Skully was moved to the back burner and eventually shelved to pursue larger clubs and casinos to host the dance party show. The addition of Prince songs to the set, birthed what is now the Las Vegas production show Purple Reign. “The goal was to raise my family, be with them as they grew and provide them with a stable life while still pursuing a career in music” says Tenner. “Purple Reign has helped me achieve that and so much more. I’ve never stopped writing though…now it is time for the fans to see behind the "Prince" mask…”
Jason Tenner describes his sound as a mix of Funk, Neo-Soul, Pop and Rock. “Sade, Micheal Jackson and various soul and RnB artists were a mainstay on the home soundtrack” he says. “We lived in a culturally diverse neighborhood though. Outside, there was a lot of Rock-N-Roll!” The 1st single off of the upcoming release entitled , “Shake”, features a guitar solo and rap by Tenner and is a re-recording of an original 2008 song on which Jason performed all of the music. For the current release, Tenner brought in west coast producer, Devinaire Rhymes, to re-make Shake and a few other previously recorded but unreleased tracks. “I felt I needed to get away from just me in the studio. I’m glad I did! I love what we’ve created.” The Shake lyric was inspired by a beautiful, intelligent but disenchanted girl Jason encountered on the Las Vegas strip one night after a show. “It’s called Shake. One guess as to what part of her inspired the title!” he laughs.
Jason describes his writing process as variable depending on the situation, mood or instrument in front of him. “I try to stay as lucid as possible and let the song write itself. Playing multiple instruments makes is easier to express what’s in my head as well. I’ve written entire songs from a drum groove and others from a vocal melody.”
Tenner is currently putting the final touches on the 2015 Summer EP and working on the music video for Shake. Sign up below for the Jason Tenner newsletter and receive show information, news and project updates.
