“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.

PHOTO BY STEVO ROOD

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 alongside a “who’s who” of rock and roll history.

He earned a degree in Music Media Composition from California State University, Northridge, where he sharpened his arranging and production skills to complement his extensive stage experience. Jason released his debut record Real Love in 2012, followed by 2014’s Laurel Canyon–inspired Coming Home, leading to invitations to perform at the Los Angeles and San Francisco editions of the International Pop Overthrow festival. His 2016 release Everything Old Is New Again featured Keith Slettedahl of The 88.

Stepping into the role of sideman, Jason quickly became a sought-after session player, performing and recording with Micky Dolenz, Rick Wakeman, Matthew Sweet, members of R.E.M., The Beach Boys, X, and more. Highlights include joining the Wild Honey Orchestra in 2020 for a tribute to The Lovin’ Spoonful (reuniting the surviving band members), and a 2022 performance of Paul & Linda McCartney’s RAM at the Troubadour with Wings drummer Denny Seiwell. That same year, he appeared at San Francisco’s Fillmore with Susan James opening for Stereolab.

During the 2020 lockdown, Jason released his fourth album, Strangers, featuring Teresa Cowles (Love & Mercy), Nick Vincent (Frank Black, Art Garfunkel), and the legendary Evie Sands, whose band Jason has been a member of since 2017. He also began writing for publications like HITS Daily Double, Relix Magazine, and Buzzbands.LA, combining his passion for music with his skills as a writer. In 2023, he returned to the Troubadour for a celebration of John Lennon’s “Lost Weekend,” performing alongside members of The Bangles, The Cars, Oingo Boingo, and The Cowsills.

In 2024, Jason played bass for Cat Power on the European leg of her Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert tour, including a sold-out show at the London Palladium. Later that year, he joined Louise Goffin’s band as lead guitarist, which led to performances at Pappy & Harriet’s, Sweetwater Music Hall, and a live session at the Record Plant in Sausalito.

2025 has been his biggest year yet: first touring California with Evie Sands and psych-folk legend Bridget St. John, then hitting arenas as part of Elliot James Reay’s band opening for Benson Boone, including a sold-out night at Madison Square Garden. Immediately afterward, he found himself recording original material at the legendary Abbey Road Studios for the Goffin & King Foundation under Louise Goffin’s direction. In October, Berk returned to the Wild Honey Orchestra for Join Me in L.A.: The Songs of Warren Zevon, appearing onstage at the United Theater in Los Angeles alongside Inara George, Shooter Jennings, Jackson Browne, and other luminaries, and days later was the featured guitarist with 80s legends Bow Wow Wow.

Jason continues to write, record, and perform while teaching music and production to students of all ages. A fifth album is expected “when things slow down a little bit.”

Jason has appeared on stage or on record with:

  • Vanessa Amorosi

  • Curtis Armstrong (Revenge of the Nerds)

  • Ronnie Barnett (The Muffs)

  • Steve Bartek (Oingo Boingo)

  • Cindy Lee Berryhill

  • D.J. Bonebrake (X)

  • Bow Wow Wow

  • Jackson Browne

  • Margo Buchanan (Tina Turner, Joni Mitchell, David Gilmour)

  • Peter Buck (R.E.M.)

  • Isobel Campbell (Belle & Sebastian)

  • Matt Cartsonis (Warren Zevon, Van Dyke Parks)

  • Peter Case (Plimsouls)

  • Cat Power

  • Blondie Chaplin (The Beach Boys)

  • Jennifer Condos (Stevie Nicks, Tito & Tarantula)

  • 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)

  • Don Gallucci (The Kingsmen)

  • Grant Geissman (Chuck Mangione)

  • Inara George (the bird & the bee)

  • Louise Goffin

  • Probyn Gregory (Brian Wilson Band, Wondermints)

  • Skylar Gudasz

  • Tim Heidecker

  • Wally Ingram (Sheryl Crow, Crowded House)

  • Susan James

  • Shooter Jennings

  • Alphonso Johnson (Weather Report)

  • Davey Johnstone (Elton John)

  • 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)

  • Rick Marotta (Steely Dan, The Jacksons, Jim Croce)

  • Adam Marsland

  • Iain Matthews (Fairport Convention)

  • Durga McBroom (Pink Floyd)

  • Roy McDonald (The Muffs, Red Kross)

  • Danny McGough (Tom Waits, Social Distortion)

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

  • Mike Mills (R.E.M.)

  • Boo Mitchell (Al Green, John Mayer)

  • 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)

  • Steve Porcaro (Toto, Michael Jackson)

  • Chris Price (Emitt Rhodes, Bebopalula)

  • Chuck Prophet

  • Puddles Pity Party

  • 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 B. Sebastian

  • Chris Seefried (Fitz & The Tantrums, Lady Blackbird)

  • Denny Seiwell (Wings)

  • Paul Shaffer

  • Leland Sklar (James Taylor, Phil Collins, Toto)

  • Keith Slettedahl (The 88)

  • Bridget St. John

  • 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)

  • Chris Whitten (Paul McCartney, Dire Straits)

  • 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

  • Bell Centre - Montreal, QC

  • Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges - Bourges, France

  • The Chapel - San Francisco, CA

  • 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

  • Little Caesar’s Arena - Detroit, MI

  • Lodge Room - Highland Park, CA

  • London Palladium - London, England

  • Madison Square Garden - New York, NY

  • The Mint - Los Angeles, CA

  • Oslo Konserthus - Oslo, Norway

  • The Record Plant - Sausalito, CA

  • Rocket Arena - Cleveland, OH

  • Saint Rocke - Redondo Beach, CA

  • Scotiabank Arena - Toronto, ON

  • Sweetwater Music Hall - Mill Valley, CA

  • TD Garden - Boston, MA

  • Teragram Ballroom - Los Angeles, CA

  • The Troubadour - West Hollywood, CA

  • Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY

  • United Center - Chicago, IL

  • United Theater - Los Angeles, CA

  • Village Recorders - Los Angeles, CA

  • Viper Room - West Hollywood, CA

  • Whisky A Go-Go - West Hollywood, CA