Meet Jason & Jonah Howard | Folk/Rock and Newgrass Band (The Cross-Eyed Possum)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason & Jonah Howard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason & Jonah, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Simply because that is the avenue through which we can execute our best work. A combination of creativity/inspiration and a solid work ethic is where anyone’s best work comes from. As a musician it can be easy to fall into the trap of believing that inspiration alone should be enough to drive the entire process without putting in the effort and hard work to realize what the inspiration should/could be. For example, both of us had trouble practicing our instruments when we started pursuing music seriously. There were times when we let the delusion that inspiration should be a constant no matter the circumstance throw us off of the work ethic piece. When we finally decided to push through the procrastination we each got closer to those special moments where we realized that music was an expedition, an exploration of things that we never knew existed before we tried to find them. We took a deep dive into the special relationship between melody and chord progressions and how to augment them to create music that both subtly challenges the listening mind while still holding the balance of being emotionally compelling to listen to. Since there are some big music words in there, this is just a way of saying that because we worked hard, we found some cool stuff(that will sound pretty great on the album we’ve been working on). The inspiration alone has never been enough to evolve our process, which is really what a creative career is all about. That being said it all comes down to that balance. We’ve also had to make time to work hard at lots of things that could never inspire us (like the late nights working on college essays about people that lived over 500 years ago, you know the sort). Even with hard work, time spent on topics like these didn’t produce a good result for us because there wasn’t that spark of interest and fulfillment that comes with making something out of nothing, like when it comes to writing a song.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The Cross-Eyed Possum is the ideal combination of classically popular music (rock, blues, folk) and the niche things we learned in music school (from jazz and classical composition). Our songs our pleasantly out of the ordinary, complimenting the relatable parts of the music with the out of the universe stuff that we learned in college. At our core we’re a duo of identical twin brothers that performs original music, sung and played on the acoustic guitar and yes, the bowed upright bass! This summer we hit the road for a colossal van tour that hit places like Nashville, New Orleans, Austin, and the Denver/Boulder area (and many more). We spent lots of time sleeping in parking lots and forest roads in between gigs. We also played in the Ogden OFOAM festival this September with our friends “Crying Uncle,” and we’re hoping that it leads to a few more festival shows from us soon. We’re getting excited about our newest album, which when released will showcase 13 original songs that detail our evolution in songwriting, technical ability, and our general concept on life for the past four years. Through these experiences so far, we’ve found that the best lesson to learn is to never stop exploring. Whether it be through studious musical practice, touring, or trying to make friends on the road and at festivals, we never know what we’re going to find, and sometimes what we find turns out to be pretty amazing. The details are all a part of our social media and our website at www.crosseyedpossumband.com.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’d spend some time hiking in Boulder and we’d grab lunch at Lindsay’s Deli. We’d catch a show in Denver at Cervantes’ Other Side and book a stay at Juniper Mountain House in Evergreen. We’d also have to see a show over in Red Rocks.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our parents, Jenna and Joe have always been so supportive of our passions as musicians. It is a rare and special gift to have in a parent when it comes to this type of career. Thank you guys!

Website: https://www.crosseyedpossumband.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecrosseyedpossumband/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecrosseyedpossum

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTgukuPqAwdWGzoVaLVityA