Jonathon Newby
| Jonathon Newby | |
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Jonathon Newby
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jonathon Christopher Newby |
| Genres | Progressive rock, Experimental rock, Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Ambient, Dream Pop, Soundtracks |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Songwriter, Singer, Designer |
| Instruments | Vocals, Drums, Piano, Bass |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels |
Young Tobacco, Previously: Immortal, Fearless Records, |
| Associated acts | Brazil, JC Autobody, City Water, Poorly Built Men, JC XMAS |
| Website | http://www.youngtobacco.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Piano | |
Young Tobacco,
Jonathon Newby was the lead singer of the post-hardcore/progressive rock band Brazil from its inception in 2000 until August 2007. Jonathon and his brother Nic Newby were two of the founding members. On earlier Brazil recordings, Jonathon played drums but eventually became the lead singer. Newby left the band in 2007, resulting in its break-up.
In 2010 Newby formed JC Autobody, for which he continues to perform, write and produce. In 2014 he formed the studio projects City Water and Poorly Built Men with his brother Nic. He currently works as a designer while retaining full ownership of and running the labels Young Tobacco and Oleta Publishing Company.
Newby has been formally trained on the piano, on which he wrote most of Brazil's songs, as well as on drums. He is self-taught in guitar, bass and orchestral arrangements.
Newby's vocal range has been compared to that of Cedric Bixler-Zavala of At the Drive-In/Mars Volta.
Newby is known for his complex, layered and often deliberately cryptic lyrics, drawing in from disparate sources, such as literature, pop culture and film
“After more or less nine years of living out of a suitcase I started to become enamored with the concept of absurdity because I had seen and experienced so much of it in my life already. Absurdity became the order of the day in writing and recording the new record. Absurd subject matter, absurd lyrics, absurd volume.”
Before founding Brazil, Newby lived in the Arab quarter of Kortrijk, Belgium, from 1999-2000, where he worked for punk record label Goodlife Recordings.
When returning to the U.S., Newby moved into the chapel of an abandoned church. While living there, Newby and his brother Nic created the concept of Brazil. Brazil's first demos were recorded in the church's basement.[3] The original band lineup consisted of Benjamin Hunt, Aaron Smith and Johnny Richardson, current member of Brooklyn-based band Aquadora.
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Wikipedia