Note to Self is: Jason Schrader - guitar, vocals Ben Erickson - guitar, vocals things you might not know... about Jason It's no surprise that Jason is writing songs. Even the earliest pictures of Jason are of him wearing headphones, jamming out to Pink Floyd, and singing into whatever microphone shaped object he could find. "Music pulls me into a different world. It helps me to center myself, find myself, and express myself. I don't think my life would make sense without music." Jason has been playing and performing music since second grade when he started taking piano and keyboard lessons. Early in his sophomore year of high school Jason's love for guitar and vocals eclipsed all other musical passions, and he has been addicted to songwriting ever since. "I'm a songwriter. I like to pull together themes & ideas, and work with the repetition and general direction of a song. Without Ben, my songs would be pretty boring, but I like to think that without me Ben would get hung up in the details and never finish a song. Together, I think we come up with some pretty amazing stuff. I know I have fun!". about Ben Ben has always had music in his life. Whether taking private lessons on the piano, trumpet, or guitar; being involved in a choir; or just writing songs on his own, he's always been involved in some sort of musical endeavor. "I think I do music because I can't NOT do it. It's therapy. It gets to the core of what you're trying to say better than words alone could ever do. And by doing music, I think I'm just being true to who I am." Ben contributes with his voice and electric guitar, creating complex harmonies and dynamic guitar riffs, but what he likes using best is his mind. "I love coming up with a harmony or a rhythm pattern that's like 90% what you expected, but that other 10% catches you off guard. And the best is being able to perform it live and hit those parts together, right on beat." Right on, Ben. Right on. about Note to Self Ben and Jason have been working together since they were sophomores in college in 1999. Seeing them perform live, it's clear that they have a musical chemistry that can only be achieved through time. "We just seem to know what the other is going to do. Lots of times, when we're practicing, we'll just do the same thing that we've never done before, and look at each other like 'yeah, that's what we should do there'." Both Jason and Ben write songs, but their writing has developed much more depth and complexity through working together. With influences from the likes of Coldplay, Guster, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Alice in Chains, Keane, Death Cab for Cutie, Jars of Clay, Dave Matthews, Mae, U2, Dashboard Confessional, and Radiohead, they have developed a unique sound. And with lyrics like journal entries, Note to Self's songs cut right to the heart of what they are trying to communicate.