Today we’d like to introduce you to Jorion Dawson.
Jorion, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a musician (Saxophonist, Synth Player and Vocalist) coming up from San Antonio and Texas State in San Marcos. I have been playing music since middle school and once I reached college, I decided to become a full-time musician. I played in San Antonio pretty much up until 2021 when I decided to take my music to Austin. It’s always tough starting over. However, the band Michael Hale Trio and Mac (Michael Hale, Jimmy Blazer, Dayne Reliford and Mac Macintosh) were kind enough to let me share the stage with them during one of their Tuesday night shows. Making a great enough impression allowed me the opportunity to share the stage with them many more times and even to this day. This exposure kickstarted everything for me in the Austin music scene. As a result, I now have my own group, 8VA, who has now landed a residency at the Firehouse Lounge. I am also working on two projects that will be released later this year. Needless to say, I am just getting started and ready for what lies ahead.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
We are always taught that nothing in this life that we want comes easy. There are always going to be obstacles in our journey. I do believe that it is always with good reason and helps make you stronger. Knowing this and knowing that God won’t ever give me more than I can handle has helped me get through many obstacles. However, the toughest obstacles I have had to get through would be what I have experienced in the last three years. Three years ago, I started my new journey of battling depression and anxiety. The first year was the toughest for me and it led me to thoughts of suicide. However, I was saved by my mother. I am forever in her debt for giving the exact love I needed at the right time. This gave me just one extra night that I needed to realize that not only am I not alone as I originally thought, but that I also had something to offer the world. There were many other hardships after such as the pandemic that took a huge toll on everyone globally, but the most recent one that has taken a huge toll on me has been the loss of my uncle. He was a second father figure that I was so blessed to have. Losing him was very hard for me. Many of the things that he wanted for me I have accomplished. Yet, he is not around to see them. I have been working my way through this pain through music and still accomplishing the goals we made together.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a saxophonist who is now a band leader for the new group in Austin, 8VA. We have just landed our first residency at FireHouse Lounge. Later this year and in the beginning of 2023 we will be working on our first ever project. I also have the pleasure of playing saxophone and synth with various artists such as Shannon Sionna who is a vocalist. Just recently we released a single titled “Fantasy” in which I am playing synth. I also work with the amazing hip hop group MC2 who have also just released a project titled Ego where I make an appearance. We are also working on a new project coming soon titled Mars.
Not only are there many amazing musicians in Austin, there are plenty of saxophone players in the city. What sets me apart from them though is my unique dark tone. I also do not play just acoustic saxophone in my shows. I have added an effects pedal that I use to give my saxophone many different electronic sounds. On top of this, I use a unique instrument called a Vocoder. This piece of equipment allows me to talk into the instrument while pressing a key on a keyboard and that gives me an electronic voice for “singing”. I can also sing, but as I stated earlier I really enjoy the electronic tones. This was all heavily inspired by two of my saxophone heroes, Casey Benjamin and Terrace Martin. Using these instruments in this way can give you so much range as well as the challenge of what else you can create sonically.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I guess the obvious thing that I love about this city is the music scene but it’s the way Austin proudly wears this badge. If you think about it, technically every city has a music scene. However, none are like Austin. The diversity of music and support you receive is like no other. Not to mention it is home of the festival ACL and SXSW. I recently met and have been playing with an amazing drummer from Miami, FL named Rodney “Ruckus” and each time he comes to Austin to play his desire to move here grows more and more. Along with the support from the city, the local musicians here are all amazing and have their own unique voices to offer. There is inspiration all around you as a musician. The thing I like the least about Austin is probably the cost of living. With the prices going up, it is almost as if it gets tougher each year to maintain a great living situation. This may be a factor in the growing number of homeless people in the city.
Pricing:
- Booking 8VA for a Show: $750-$1500
- Booking Me for a Show: $250-$500
- Recording: $400-$800 (day rate)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jd_music25/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063766950321
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jd_music25
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC61Q4vI9ss97PCW_qg0OHOA
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jdmusic25
- Other: https://linktr.ee/jdmusic25
Image Credits
A.Lee Studios Dee Dawson Trent Owens
