Jason Bales is one half of the songwriting duo behind Durham, NC Americana/rock and roll band The Yardarm.  With a voice that has been described as somewhere between Roy Orbison and Dwight Yoakam, Jason’s songwriting pulls from a wide variety of influences, such as Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, and early country, blues, and rock and roll. He also occasionally plays with Lansing, MI alt-country stalwarts Flatfoot, which he founded with his brother Aaron in 2000. In his 25+ years playing solo and in bands, he’s shared bills with such artists as Robbie Fulks, Marah, Anders Parker, John Howie Jr., Resse McHenry, Them Coulee Boys, Frontier Ruckus, Rebecca Porter, The High Divers, Old Heavy Hands, and more.

Jason’s first solo EP, Watching the Pines, is a concise four-song set that is nonetheless eclectic, dealing with anger, loss, and the need to move forward through hard times. These four songs were written in 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, but finally recorded properly in 2025. Inspired by stripped-down albums like Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” and Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon”, the spare yet full production by Yardarm bandmate JJ Westfield puts the vocals, guitar playing, and songwriting front and center.