However, my confusion lies in the fact that he has regressed to try and be what he was in his Confessions era rather than move forward and show his fans and the music industry his growth. You know the one the cashed up, booty tappin', colla poppin prince of RnB. Usher has returned to reclaim his crown of old. Ok, so let's get this cleared up straight off the bat. The brief stint with the ska group exposed Jon to life on the road and. ' The songs Suckerboy and Divertido came out of that era."Īfter Friends of Durrutti dissolved, Jon was recruited to play saxophone with the ska band Mustard Plug, where he was reunited with his old friend, drummer Nick Varano. "Most of the FOD songs were written about Grand Rapids girls that Jeff and I were dating. Lars Engstrom played the bass and Chris Nienhuis covered the drums. "In Friends of Durrutti I played guitar and sang a few songs, as well as background vocals." FOD also gave Jon the opportunity to play guitar alongside his younger brother, Josh.
The next group Jon was in was called Friends of Durrutti, named by lead singer Jeff Danielski, a close friend and band mate from Glass Bead Game. Without all three of us involved, it just wasn't the same band." "Ultimately, Shut was really about Nick, Mike and me. The remaining Shut members briefly continued with drummer Bill Hoeks. My tastes were not quite as heavy." After gaining some success, Shut lost Varano to the well-established ska group, Mustard Plug. "In Shut I played with (former GBG drummer) Nick Varano and bassist Mike Peterson, who were very Tool/Nirvana/Primus-influenced. A ton of people showed up to hear us and, athough we sucked and only knew about four songs, I was totally hooked on the experience."Įventually Jon picked up the guitar and formed another band called Shut, playing guitar and singing lead. "Glass Bead Game's first show was in my parents' basement one night while they were out of town. Since I couldn't play any instruments at the time, I sang and wrote lyrics." GBG was influenced by U2, Minor Threat, and Green Day, bands they tried to cover live, with limited success. "In high school some friends and I formed a band called Glass Bead Game. Soon he found himself behind the microphone. Thank you, Beasties!"Īs a teenage skateboarder, Jon discovered punk rock groups like The Clash, Fugazi, and Descendents. "I was the only white boy in my neighborhood, so my first records were by Run DMC, Michael Jackson, and the Beastie Boys, who were solely responsible for me being accepted by my neighborhood friends. Raymond songs While growing in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jon Lee listened to a variety of music. I like lil freak and daddys home and she dont know Great CD he shows alot of emotion on the cd yea the beats might not be like the old usher but you should def listen to lyrics. i would have to say that this is a little bit of a disappointment for him after being gone for 2 years !!!!!!!!!!!! This album is ok, the beats are nothing of the of usher but the lyrics are good. I heard alot about Ushers "Raymond bs Raymond" album that this is gonna be a very sucessful album By Usher himself.
He need to step his game up because he starting to fall off. Its better than HERE I STAND by it could have been better. Usher is my man 100% mkay? This CD is the BOMB DIGITY!!!!! But.