Jason Lytle

All Music Guide:

Indie rock singer/songwriter Jason Lytle made his solo album debut in 2009, following a decade-long recording career as the frontman of Grandaddy. While his former group failed to find mainstream success before disbanding in 2006, Grandaddy nevertheless garnered critical acclaim in the indie rock underground, with particular attention focused on their first two albums. Lytle moved to Montana after the band's split, where he assimilated the state's geography into his songwriting and made his solo debut in association with the Anti- label.

Born on March 26, 1969, in Modesto, California, Lytle founded Grandaddy in 1992. Comprised originally of bassist Kevin Garcia and drummer Aaron Burtch in addition to Lytle (who handled vocals, guitar, and keyboards), the band expanded its lineup in 1995 to include guitarist Jim Fairchild and keyboardist Tim Dryden. Following a series of self-released albums, Grandaddy made their independent label debut in 1996 with A Pretty Mess by This One Band, a mini-LP released on the Will Records label. The full-length album Under the Western Freeway followed in 1997, and in addition to garnering significant critical notice (especially the song "Summer Here Kids"), the album resulted in a recording contract with V2 Records. The four-song EP Signal to Snow Ratio (1999) and second album The Sophtware Slump (2000) were also critically acclaimed, though the accolades didn't lead to mainstream success for the band.

In addition to a variety of compilations and EPs, Grandaddy released two more full-length albums, 2003's Sumday and 2006's Just Like the Fambly Cat, and broke up in the process of recording the latter, which ended up being something of a solo project by Lytle. In the aftermath of Grandaddy's dissolution, Lytle relocated from California to Montana and began translating his electro soundscapes to a solo context. He resurfaced in 2009 with his first proper solo release, Yours Truly, the Commuter, on Anti- records. After releasing an album of improvised piano pieces titled Merry X-Mas 2009 at the end of the year, Lytle's next move was to form Admiral Radley with former Grandaddy bandmate Burtch, plus Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray of Earlimart. Their first album, I Heart California, was released on Espinoza's The Ship label in July of 2010. Lytle next returned to his own songs and began recording his second album. Meanwhile he was recruited by Fairchild to put Grandaddy back together for some 2012 festival appearances. The group played the U.K.'s End of the Road Festival, San Francisco's Outside Lands, and Paris' Rock en Seine Festival, as well as some warmup dates. Plans for an album were kicked around, but before that could happen, Lytle released Dept. of Disappearance in October of 2012, again for the Anti- label.

Wikipedia:

Jason Lytle (born March 26, 1969) is an American musician best known for his work in the indie rock group Grandaddy between 1992 and 2005. Since the group split, he has continued to release music as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Grandaddy reformed in 2012 for a series of live shows.

Biography [edit]

Lytle was born in Modesto, California with an older sister, three younger brothers, and a stepsister. His father was in the grocery business, and his mother a housewife; They divorced when Lytle was aged five. A fan of music at an early age, he played drums as a child. Skateboarding, however, captured his interest. By his late teens, Lytle was a sponsored amateur. While laid up with a career-ending ACL injury, he started to play music again, writing songs and eventually setting up a home studio. Grandaddy came together gradually, signed to V2 Records, put out albums, and toured the world.

After spending years on the road, Lytle grew tired of the rock and roll lifestyle and recorded much of the band's final album, Just Like the Fambly Cat, on his own. In December 2005, six months prior to the release of Just Like the Fambly Cat, the band decided to break up: the reasons included elusive mainstream success, despite widespread critical acclaim, and lack of money. Early in 2006, Lytle moved to Montana from Modesto, California, where he had lived his whole life.

Mid-2006 saw Lytle briefly touring the U.S. in support of The Fambly Cat, playing new arrangements of Grandaddy songs as a duo with Rusty Miller of Jackpot. The tour was brokered as part of a deal to get V2 to agree to releasing a Grandaddy DVD that Lytle has in the works.

Lytle's debut solo album, Yours Truly, the Commuter, was released on May 19, 2009 on the ANTI- label.

He appears in the music video for I Am Lost (And The Moment Cannot Last) from the album. The video was shot in Sylmar, CA on December 9, 2008 and directed by The General Assembly.

On December 7, 2009, Lytle independently released an EP of seven improvised piano recordings as a "Merry X-mas" gift to fans through his website on bandcamp.com. He also announced that he was currently working on a new album.

Lytle later joined with Aaron Burtch, a former Grandaddy bandmate, and Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray, of the band Earlimart, to form a new band called Admiral Radley. Their debut CD, entitled I Heart California, was released in the USA on July 13, 2010, on Espinoza's The Ship label. Lytle's latest solo album, Dept. of Disappearance was released October 16, 2012.