Omby Amby is a rock and roll project hand-crafted with love by singer/songwriter/producer Jason Logan in the mossy enclave of Portland OR. It is named after the pacifist general who guards the queen of the Emerald City in L. Frank Baum’s famous Oz books.
Jason spent his early years writing, playing, recording and touring with rock bands in Minneapolis, MN (basically the Midwestern version of Portland), which gave him ample room to explore and grow as a young artist. A cassette EP led to a 7-inch single on Ed Ackerson’s Susstones label, which led to a deal with Twin/Tone Records. Twin/Tone was one of the most infamous indie labels in the US, and home to early work from Soul Asylum, The Replacements, The Mekons, Ween, The Jayhawks, and many other rock icons. Logan’s band Beyond Zebra released two full length CDs on the label during the magical, grungy early nineties.
The Austin Chronicle, The Minnesota Daily, and CMJ had good things to say about the band and Logan’s songwriting. They toured relentlessly, playing festivals such as SxSW in Austin and CMJ in New York. They could be seen at First Avenue/7th Street Entry, Emo’s, The Metro, the 930 Club and The Bottleneck. At Mabel’s in Champaign Illinois, Logan nearly ended his career prematurely by falling from the 4-foot stage after tripping over a power cord. At CBGB the band took the stage at 1 a.m., playing their guts out to a bartender and a gaggle of roaches, while outside the club some professionals removed the entire contents of their van. Adventures were had, rock was played, beer was swilled, and teeth were cut.
Meanwhile, the band’s publicity and record sales suffered as they were lost between the cracks during the Restless Records acquisition of Twin/Tone, and despite Logan’s continued optimism and hard work, the band splintered. Still, the strength of the songs remained.
Jason released one self-produced CD in 2000. The album chronicled an evolutionary leap, drawing on more melodic, vulnerable songs that pushed away from his previous overdriven hard rock sound. Brien Lilja (Slim Dunlap, Rank Strangers, Draghounds) supplied the rich, driving drums and Eric Heywood (Son Volt, Freakwater, Joe Henry, The Pretenders) added a beautiful weeping pedal steel. Jason played the remainder of the instruments himself, laying down sharp harmonies and well placed riffs to complement the distilled, open voice that leads the songs. The record was not promoted and was received with little acclaim, but fans drew some flattering comparisons — The Faces, Big Star, and Tom Petty among others.
After that, the songwriter took a long hiatus from writing, recording and touring. During the break, he started a family, moved a couple times, and worked hard to find a sense of balance in his life. He now operates a small studio where he writes, performs, and produces music in Portland, Oregon.
We hope you dig Omby Amby as much as we do, because there’s more to come.