Thursday, February 5, 2015

Dallas-based songwriter returns home from Los Angeles, overcomes addiction, writes the most powerful song of his career.

Taking its title from a New Year’s resolution of Woody Guthrie’s, Gaston Light’s “Wake Up and Fight” single out Feb. 17th.

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Jason Corcoran of Gaston Light as photographed by Dustin Bath. Cover art by Tim Rogers.

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“Wake Up and Fight” is the latest song from Gaston Light. Hear it now via Diffuser or at the links below!





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“An amazingly powerful track.” – Diffuser

“Vulnerable. Compelling. Corcoran writes as though he’s felt the ebbs and flows of a man twice his age.” – Dallas Observer

Dallas-based artist Jason Corcoran started writing his new single “Wake Up and Fight” with nothing more than the song title in mind. “It’s taken from a list of Woody Guthrie’s New Year’s resolutions,” he explains. “As a song title, it felt ridiculously huge to me. I thought that with such an overtly optimistic sentiment, I might be setting myself up to fail.”

He didn’t.

As Corcoran explains it, the challenge of rising to meet the hugeness of the sentiment actually brought him some much needed salvation.

“I wanted to write a self–fulfilling prophecy,” he says. “I wanted to force hope into my life. I wanted a good life, or at least a better one. The song is me telling myself that I have things to be grateful for and to just keep going.” As it plays, “Wake Up and Fight” goes from a personal affirmation to an unforgettable rallying cry.

“Forcing hope into one’s life,” as Corcoran’s puts it, sounds like an action taken by someone who has played too many losing hands for too damn long. With lyrics as world-weary but authentically wise as Corcoran’s, it’s surprising to learn that he’s only 26-years-old, which leads one to believe he’s ether full of it, he’s oversensitive, or maybe he’s the real deal.

We’d only be talking about him here if the latter were true, of course. So, what’s up? Corcoran started writing songs on a daily basis at the age of 13, was performing in clubs at 15, and had signed with a manager and hit the studio by 17. Then his progress towards a promising career came to an abrupt stop.

“By the time I was 18 I was in the throes of a serious drug and alcohol addiction,” Corcoran confesses. He moved to L.A. to get professional help, but was unable to get clean. Psych wards, county jail, and a revolving door of treatment centers left him an even bigger mess than when he got there. Through the blinders of addition, Corcoran managed to keep writing and recording, and eventually headed back to Dallas with the woman who is now his wife. Unfortunately, Corcoran’s problems followed him.

Dallas-based label, Idol Records, released a batch of his L.A. recordings as the debut Gaston Light album, and suddenly, Corcoran was getting noticed by the local press and establishing a regional fan base. Demons die hard, however, and even with another chance to put a career together in the offing, Corcoran’s drug and alcohol use raged on. “On tour, at home, all the time,” he says, painting an ugly picture with just a few words.

Then, as things we’re getting even darker, Corcoran’s girlfriend announced she was pregnant. It was news that began to bring about changes for the better.

“It saved my life,” Corcoran says. “I got clean, and became a husband and a father.” Now, back in the game and healthy, Corcoran is recording the more than 40 songs he wrote while getting his life in order. The latest, “Wake Up and Fight” is streaming now.

Jason Corcoran of Gaston Light is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Gaston Light Links


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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion


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