Both jobs involve elements of performance; only, one is seen and the other is unseen. One is on a grand stage with musicians and amps surrounding you, the other in a control room with knobs, tape machines, turntables, microphones and headphones. On the stage, looks and image are paramount; on the air, well, the joke goes, you could do a radio show in the nude.
Jason McCoy does both jobs – most likely, fully-clothed – and finds each venue equally a home.
The Minesing product and frontman with the prominent Canadian country band The Road Hammers, tells BarrieToday how that came about.
“When I started touring as a recording artist, I was quite stiff on stage, but then, I realized how much fun I had just talking to and with the audience. This experience of interacting with the audience led to hosting several different events over the years, which, in turn, led to sitting in for a few DJ friends I made along the way.”
McCoy adds both situations are ‘win-win’.
“The reality is, I came to the country music industry the way all singers do --as a fan first -- so I get to play, and talk about my favourite thing -- country music -- and I get to talk a lot. So for me, it’s not a departure, it’s an extension of what I do.”
McCoy can be heard these days on Orillia’s KICX 106 FM, a station with which he became connected quite naturally.
“(KICX) owner Paul Larche is very engaged in community, and very proactive in supporting Canadian talent on all levels. They’ve supported me from the beginning, and I’ve always considered KICX my radio home. When the opportunity came up to make it more official (as an announcer), I jumped at it!”
McCoy especially enjoys being with the morning pair of Jack Latimer and Carey Moran, whom he calls “great fun,” and the sense of being up on events in Simcoe County, “we live in an awesome area!”
And the awesome country singers who inspired Jason McCoy were those who didn’t fit in with the mainstream -- firstly, George Jones.
“He was my favourite from the beginning I was too young to understand all the demons he sang about, and lived through, but for some reason, I completely fell in love with the honesty and soul in his voice. (Jones) was flawed, he knew it, and he sang about it.”
Put Waylon Jennings high up there on the list, too; his status among country’s “outlaws” made a huge impression on Jason, even when he wasn’t singing about the Dukes of Hazzard.
“Waylon just pushed through, didn’t worry about trends, and did his own thing; great lessons to be learned there.”
(Sidebar: Waylon had a brief career as a DJ, too, as did Willie Nelson and Alabama’s Jeff Cook)
Meanwhile, this proud Canadian artist is gearing up to do what Road Hammers do best; hit the road, soon after Canada Day, for four weeks of touring out west, before marching home on the August long weekend to play Kempenfest.
“When you get to play a waterfront as beautiful as Barrie,” says Jason, “it makes for an amazing night. I’ve been to going to Kempenfest since I was little, and I’ve watched it grow over the years, so to be able to bring our band and our music this year is extra cool for me… and I get to show off Barrie to the fellas in the band.
“I’m really pumped to play the new songs from The Squeeze for my hometown crowd!
To be among that crowd, simply click here.
