Jon Brion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jon Brion
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Brion in 2004
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| Born | December 11, 1963 Glen Ridge, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1982–present |
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Jon Brion (born December 11, 1963) is an American musician who does many things! He is a singer, songwriter, and plays many instruments. He also produces music for other artists and composes music for movies.
Before becoming a well-known producer and film composer, Jon Brion played in bands like The Excerpts, The Bats, 'Til Tuesday, and The Grays. He has produced music for many famous artists, including Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Kanye West, and Mac Miller. His work on Aimee Mann's early solo albums helped create a unique sound for many alternative bands around the year 2000.
Jon Brion has composed music for many movies. ..... He released his first solo album, Meaningless, in 2001.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Jon Brion was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, on December 11, 1963. Music was a big part of his family. His mother, LaRue, was a singer, and his father, Keith Brion, directed bands at Yale University. His brother became a composer, and his sister became a violinist.
Jon grew up in Connecticut. He decided to leave Hamden High School at age 17 to focus on playing music professionally. From 1980 to 1985, Jon was part of a band called The Excerpts.
Jon Brion's Music Career
Early Bands and Collaborations
In the early 1980s, Jon Brion started writing music with Bill Murphy in New Haven, Connecticut. They formed a band called The Bats with bassist Don "Riff" Fertman. The Bats released a single called "Popgun" and an album titled How Pop Can You Get? in 1982. Even though critics liked their music, it didn't sell very well, and the band eventually broke up.
In 1987, Brion moved to Boston. There, he played solo shows and joined the band 'Til Tuesday, led by Aimee Mann. He also played guitar on Jellyfish's 1993 album Spilt Milk. In 1994, he joined another pop band called The Grays. He even played guitar on the Wallflowers' famous song "One Headlight" using a screwdriver as a slide!
Becoming a Music Producer
Jon Brion became known as a talented musician who could play many instruments. He then started producing music for other artists. His first production work was on his then-girlfriend Aimee Mann's solo albums, Whatever (1993) and I'm With Stupid.
He has produced albums for many artists, including Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright, Rhett Miller, and Robyn Hitchcock. He also helped produce Kanye West's album Late Registration in 2005.
In 2002, Brion started producing Fiona Apple's album Extraordinary Machine. However, other producers later finished the album. Brion's original versions of the songs were shared online and became very popular with fans even before the album was officially released.
Jon Brion also worked on Sean Lennon's 2006 album Friendly Fire. Sean Lennon said working with Brion was like working with a "weird alien prodigy." Brion has also produced music for Dido, Spoon, Keane, and of Montreal. He worked on Mac Miller's album Swimming (2018) and finished producing Miller's album Circles (2020) after Miller's passing.
His Solo Album: Meaningless
Jon Brion signed with Lava/Atlantic Records in 1997. He recorded his first solo album, Meaningless, but the record label decided not to release it. So, he released it independently in 2001. In 2022, the album was re-released after being updated.
People often wonder if Jon Brion will release another solo album. Aimee Mann once said that he has enough material for "at least 10 albums" but that he is a "perfectionist" and finds it hard to say when a song is truly finished.
Composing for Movies
Jon Brion is a very talented film composer. He often works with director Paul Thomas Anderson, and he even had a small role in Anderson's movie Boogie Nights.
He is known for using older electronic instruments like the Chamberlin and Optigan in his movie scores. These instruments can create sounds that are almost like real instruments.
He has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for his work on Magnolia (1999) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).
..... He also wrote the music for the Disney/Pixar short film, The Blue Umbrella.
Live Performances
Jon Brion is famous for his regular Friday-night shows at a club in Los Angeles called Largo. At these shows, he plays cover songs and his own music. He uses many different instruments and sometimes has guest musicians or comedians join him.
He doesn't use a set list. Instead, he asks the audience for suggestions and builds songs on the spot. He uses looping systems to record himself playing different instruments, starting with drums, then adding piano, bass, guitar, and vocals. Many famous musicians have made surprise appearances at his shows over the years, including Jackson Browne, Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann, and Elliott Smith.
In 2006, Jon had to cancel some shows because of a hand injury. He even played one show using only his left hand! He started playing regularly at Largo again later that year. In 2016, he changed to monthly shows, which continued until the COVID-19 pandemic. He started performing at Largo again in September 2023.
Jon Brion once explained his approach to these shows: "I taught my hands to follow whatever was coming into my head... Performing without a set list: That was special."
..... In 2018, he opened for comedian John Mulaney in New York City, playing classic rock songs on a huge Wurlitzer pipe organ.
Personal Life
Jon Brion lives and works in Los Angeles.
Discography
Solo Albums
- Meaningless (2001)
Albums with Bands
- The Bats – How Pop Can You Get? (1982)
- The Grays – Ro Sham Bo (1994)
Film Scores
- Hard Eight (with Michael Penn) (1996)
- Magnolia (1999)
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
- I Heart Huckabees (2004)
- The Break-Up (2006)
- Synecdoche, New York (2008)
- Step Brothers (2008)
- Glago's Guest (2008)
- The Other Guys (2010)
- Stone (2010) (Main Theme Composer)
- The Future (2011)
- ParaNorman (2012)
- This Is 40 (2012)
- The Blue Umbrella (2013)
- Delivery Man (2013)
- The Gambler (2014)
- Trainwreck (2015)
- John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid (2015)
- Curmudgeons (2016)
- Wilson (2017)
- Lady Bird (2017)
- Sink or Swim (2018)
- Christopher Robin (2018) (with Geoff Zanelli)
- Fool's Paradise (2023)
- Beating Hearts (2024)
Images for kids
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Jon Brion in 2004
See also
In Spanish: Jon Brion para niños
