“Let there be songs to fill the air”

Jason Berk is a Los Angeles-based musician, producer, and freelance writer.

His work has been featured in films, television programs, and on radio stations worldwide.

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A New Jersey native by way of the San Francisco Bay Area, Jason Berk has been performing for the last twenty years in venues across the country, both under his own name and with an absolute “who’s-who” of rock and roll history.

Jason received his degree in Music Media Composition from California State University, Northridge, where he developed the arrangement and production skills to complement his already considerable stage experience. In 2012 he released his debut record, Real Love, followed by 2014’s Laurel Canyon-influenced Coming Home, which led to the first of several invitations to perform at the Los Angeles and San Francisco editions of the long-running International Pop Overthrow festival. 2016 saw the release of Everything Old Is New Again, his most ambitious and personal record yet, which featured a vocal appearance from Keith Slettedahl of The 88.

Berk took a break from his own music to develop a reputation as one of the most talented session players and sidemen on the scene, performing and appearing on records with Micky Dolenz, Rick Wakeman, Matthew Sweet, members of R.E.M., The Beach Boys, X, and more. In early 2020, Jason was featured with the Wild Honey Orchestra in a special all-star tribute to the music of The Lovin’ Spoonful, which included a performance by all surviving members of the band for the first time in twenty years. 2022 saw him take the stage at the legendary Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood, playing guitar and singing alongside founding Wings drummer Denny Seiwell in a full performance of Paul & Linda McCartney’s iconic RAM album, as well as joining Susan James in her first performance in five years, opening for Stereolab at San Francisco’s iconic Fillmore.

In the midst of the 2020 lockdown, Berk released his fourth album, the critically-acclaimed Strangers. The record featured appearances from Teresa Cowles (Love & Mercy), Nick Vincent (Frank Black, Art Garfunkel), and the legendary Evie Sands, of whose band Jason has been a member since 2017. In 2022 Berk began freelance writing for publications such as HITS Daily Double, Relix Magazine and Buzzbands.LA, which allowed him to combine his passion for music with his knack for written communication. Berk returned to the Troubadour in 2023 for a celebration of the 50th anniversary of John Lennon’s “Lost Weekend,” which was an all-star concert featuring members of The Bangles, The Cowsills, The Cars, Oingo Boingo, and more. Spring 2024 saw Berk playing bass for Cat Power on the European leg of her Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert tour, culminating in a sold-out performance at the famed London Palladium.

He continues to write, record and perform, as well as teaching music and music production to students of all ages.

Jason has appeared on stage or on record with:

  • Curtis Armstrong (Revenge of the Nerds)

  • Ronnie Barnett (The Muffs)

  • Steve Bartek (Oingo Boingo)

  • Cindy Lee Berryhill

  • D.J. Bonebrake (X)

  • Bow Wow Wow

  • Peter Buck (R.E.M.)

  • Isobel Campbell (Belle & Sebastian)

  • Peter Case (Plimsouls)

  • Cat Power

  • Teresa Cowles (Love & Mercy)

  • Bob Cowsill (The Cowsills)

  • John Cowsill (The Cowsills, The Beach Boys)

  • Susan Cowsill (The Cowsills, Continental Drifters)

  • Marshall Crenshaw

  • Dennis Diken (The Smithereens)

  • Don Dixon (R.E.M., The Smithereens)

  • Micky Dolenz (The Monkees)

  • Eric Dover (Jellyfish, Slash’s Snakepit)

  • Jamie Drake

  • John Easdale (Dramarama)

  • Elliot Easton (The Cars)

  • Bernard Fowler (Rolling Stones)

  • Grant Geissman

  • Louise Goffin

  • Probyn Gregory (Brian Wilson Band, Wondermints)

  • Skylar Gudasz

  • Tim Heidecker

  • Susan James

  • Alphonso Johnson (Weather Report)

  • Severo Jornacion (The Smithereens)

  • Stephen Kalinich (Beach Boys lyricist)

  • Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group)

  • Tom Kenny (SpongeBob Squarepants, Adventure Time)

  • Rob Laufer (Fiona Apple, Frank Black)

  • Claudia Lennear (Ike & Tina, George Harrison)

  • Marky Lennon (Venice, Roger Waters)

  • Sondre Lerche

  • Peter Lewis (Moby Grape)

  • Kenny Loggins

  • Bill Lloyd (Foster & Lloyd)

  • The Lovin’ Spoonful

  • David Marks (The Beach Boys)

  • Adam Marsland

  • Iain Matthews (Fairport Convention)

  • Durga McBroom (Pink Floyd)

  • Danny McGough (Tom Waits, Social Distortion)

  • Scott McCaughey (The Minus 5, R.E.M.)

  • Mike Mills (R.E.M.)

  • Zak Nilsson

  • May Pang (John Lennon’s “Lost Weekend”)

  • Erik Paparozzi (Cat Power, Lana Del Rey)

  • Fernando Perdomo (Emitt Rhodes, Echo In The Canyon)

  • Vicki Peterson (The Bangles, Continental Drifters)

  • Chris Price (Emitt Rhodes, Bebopalula)

  • The Rembrandts

  • Robbie Rist (The Brady Bunch, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

  • Richie “LaBamba” Rosenberg (Conan O’Brien)

  • Neil Rosengarden (Aretha Franklin, Guster)

  • Dan Rothchild (Heart, Shakira, Echo In The Canyon)

  • Mike Ruekberg (Rex Daisy, The Red Button)

  • Darian Sahanaja (Brian Wilson Band, Wondermints)

  • Johanna Samuels

  • Evie Sands

  • Joey Santiago (Pixies)

  • Tom Scott (Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, George Harrison)

  • John Sebastian

  • Denny Seiwell (Wings)

  • Paul Shaffer

  • Keith Slettedahl (The 88)

  • Angie Swan (David Byrne, Kylie Minogue)

  • Matthew Sweet

  • James Michael Tyler (Friends)

  • Kathy Valentine (The Go-Gos)

  • Ben Vaughn

  • Nick Vincent (Frank Black, Carole King)

  • Jimmy Vivino (Conan)

  • Rick Wakeman

  • Harry Waters (Roger Waters, Les Claypool, Dean Ween Band)

  • Noël Wells (SNL, Star Trek: Lower Decks)

  • J. Elvis Weinstein (MST3K, Freaks & Geeks)

  • Carnie Wilson (Wilson Phillips)

  • Peter Zaremba (Fleshtones)

  • Annette Zilinskas (The Bangles)

  • and many, many more.

Selected Venues where Jason has performed:

  • Admiralspalast - Berlin, Germany

  • Alex Theater - Glendale, CA

  • Alte Oper - Frankfurt, Germany

  • Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges - Bourges, France

  • Cirkus Arena - Stockholm, Sweden

  • Cité des Congrès de Nantes - Nantes, France

  • The Cutting Room - New York, NY

  • The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA

  • Hotel Cafe - Hollywood, CA

  • Hotel Utah - San Francisco, CA

  • House of Blues - Anaheim, CA

  • Largo at the Coronet - Beverly Hills, CA

  • Lodge Room - Highland Park, CA

  • London Palladium - London, England

  • The Mint - Los Angeles, CA

  • Oslo Konserthus - Oslo, Norway

  • Sweetwater - Mill Valley, CA

  • Teragram Ballroom - Los Angeles, CA

  • The Troubadour - West Hollywood, CA

  • Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY

  • Village Recorders - Los Angeles, CA

  • Viper Room - West Hollywood, CA

  • Whisky A Go-Go - West Hollywood, CA