Jason Didner

We independent musicians live at the edge of an ever-changing world, accelerated by technology that, in theory, gives us access to audiences around the world without relying on gatekeepers. In practice, industry gatekeepers find ways to use their money, power…

Yom Kippur is a day where those of us of the Jewish faith acknowledge our mistakes, especially those who affected others, and atone for them. 

A few years ago, I was planning a concert in my hometown featuring a local…

It was a day to work from home, writing a user manual for the United Nations' new email system. On a break from combining instructions and screenshots, I put on the TV while folding some laundry. There it was in…

Amy and I are steady listeners to Tom Cunningham's weekly radio program Springsteen on Sunday, where the DJ often takes us on a deep dive into Bruce rarities and live performances of E Street classics. We enjoy hearing interviews with…

McCann's Tavern in Lake Como, NJ

I love the songwriters' round format, especially those moments where the performer next to me just played a song that connects in a meaningful way to a song in my catalog, so I switch…

For me as an independent artist and bandleader, I've learned we're not going to anticipate and prevent every plot twist that comes with the territory. We're going to experience unpredictable complications that can shake us up. 

Yesterday evening I was…

The raging debate about the opening lines of Thunder Road would seemingly be settled among Bruce Springsteen's fanbase. The fact that it roars on speaks mostly to the passion and ownership we fans feel over the music of The Boss…

Having just seen the final season of FX's The Bear, I've observed that the acclaimed TV series and the film Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere have a lot more in common besides the same star actor Jeremy Allen White…

Yesterday was one of those full circle moments that satisfies my sense of purpose for my music. I do this for connection, conversation and storytelling above all else, and it all came full circle when I joined Michele Amabile on…

Early Impressions

I first became aware of Clarence Clemons through MTV as a teenager. First came the videos from Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA album, the one that made him a household name. The slow burn of a solo…

On Friday night, my one band Jason Didner and the GSPs became two bands in one. We took on an alter ego as the Nick Clemons Band. It was concrete proof for me that two things can be true at…

Edited by Jason Didner

These didn't come from me — they came from you. (Well, almost. I'll confess to one: "I'm alive, I can hear the blood sugar in my veins" from Ghosts. We all have our moments.)

Yesterday I…

Jason Didner and the GSPs launch Asbury Heart Album in a Room Where It Happened

The feeling in the room was warm and welcoming, as our families, friends and fans eagerly prepared to absorb the 10 songs that make up…

Looking at Asbury Park today, you would be hard-pressed to imagine what the city resembled just a few short decades ago. The once vibrant boardwalk where I visited as a child had deteriorated into a sadly forgotten place: a city…

Ah, yes. The dreaded “blue dot fever.” The phenomenon where Ticketmaster seating charts show available blue dots throughout the venue as the show date approaches. The sign of audiences facing reality of limited funds - paying higher prices for gas…

Land of Hope and Dreams Tour Delivers Criticism and Uplift

In Bruce Springsteen's autobiography “Born to Run,” The Boss wrote about doing a “magic trick” that connects him to his audience and builds community around him. After last night's show…

I was a young musician caught up in the hype

In 1996 I was the keyboardist for singer/songwriter Jim Kilby's band. We had a gig opening for Nils Lofgren at Metro Lounge in Long Branch, NJ. Now, around this particular…

Note: The album containing this song doesn't drop until May 15, but if you're reading this, you found it early. Here's the song.

I wasn't there. I want to be upfront about that.

…

ASBURY PARK, NJ — Bruce Springsteen described the night in his memoir Born to Run: a nor'easter had emptied the streets, Ocean Avenue and Kingsley Street were a windswept ghost town, and he and his band were playing for…

Photo by Jay Lustig, NJ Arts

"Shut up and sing!" We've heard that line spoken by people on the opposing side of the political spectrum from the offending artist. When I hear it now in Bruce Springsteen's deeply political moment…

It was winter of 2022 and I was introduced virtually to a teenaged singer/songwriter who was surprisingly mature in his lyrical approach, his vocal delivery and his feel for the guitar. 16-year-old Jake Thistle and I were in a live…

USA women’s figure skater Alysa Liu recently turned conventional thinking about competition and creativity on its head — and succeeded wildly because of it.

After competing in the 2022 Olympics and finishing 8th, Liu retired from competitive skating at just…

Themes of Surrender Mark this Introspective Debut Album 

Themes of Surrender Mark an Introspective Debut

by Jason Didner

Singer/songwriter/keyboardist Vanna Pacella has assembled a collection of songs that together explore surrender in the face of overwhelming emotion. “What’s the point…

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I’ll say it plainly: I do not feel guilty for being white. I also recognize that my race comes with built-in privileges — and that privileges for some should be transmuted into rights…