TheSymbols 
Jasco and bass player David B. were rehearsing as a jazz trio in a cafe` in Fort Collins with drummer Ikaika Pekalo when vocalist Mer Sal was invited to come watch by David. She told them she knew most of the tunes they were playing, and skeptically, Jasco invited her onto the stage.
She blew him away with her musicality, her vast education of musical material, her work ethic, her attitude, and her vocal talent. He decided to form a band and a business partnership with Mer Sal on lead vocals, Becher on the bass, and Ryan Sapp on the drums.
Since the band's formation in July of 2010, they have played over 80 shows together in Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma, recorded three five-song EPs of original tunes by Mer Sal and Jasco, performed on Live At Lunch on KRFC 88.9FM, headlined Tulsa Mayfest as members of Phil Brown's Guitar Army, headlined Rides For Realities (biker rally to end child abuse), been accepted for radio play on KRFC, Pongid Radio, Tots Radio, and Artists on the Rise Radio, and they are finishing editing their first conceptual music video, titled "Shake That Butt", to be released in late June.
The Symbols' music can be described as a wide mix of influences ranging from the 1940's all the way through 2011. Sometimes you'll hear a bit of Ella Fitzgerald coming through, while other times you'll hear Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, or Janis Joplin, or even Deborah Harry (in personality). You never know what you're going to hear for the next song, since every song is vastly different. What remains constant is the whimsical sophistication of Jasco's and Sal's arrangements.
Mer Sal has been writing and producing songs since 2001, and studied privately with Berklee Music grad Andrew Rechnitz in songwriting and arrangement, before studying the Alexander Method and healthy belting usage of the voice with Broadway veteran Alex Ryer (Pure Piaf, Menopause the Musical, Little Shop of Horrors). She attended Colorado State University for three years as an Acting/Directing major, but decided to drop out to pursue her music dreams. Sal is a fan of Eric Whitacre's cluster note formations and song development, and is the second person in history to have researched his process of Dynamic Minimalism in his compositions. Mer is influenced by a variety of singers but her favorites are Billy Holiday, Tata Vega, Robert Plant, Beth Hart, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin.
Jasco is a seasoned professional. Many people fondly remember his days with Blind Dog, but he has also been in a number of projects in Colorado, and in Oklahoma, he was the man who decided to first record Dorothy Ellis--Miss Blues, and played guitar on her first four albums. He has always played music for a living, and he forever will. In addition to playing with The Symbols' whimsical sophistication, he plays many other styles including flamenco, jazz, classical guitar, reggae, blues, and zydeco. Jasco is interested in guitar players Jeff Beck, Django Reinhardt, and Phil Brown, to name a few.
A friend of the band, Michael Olson, has been playing the bass his entire life, but is now having difficulty moving around due to a debilitating disease known as Multiple Sclerosis. Since the formation of the band, The Symbols have donated 25% of all physical CD sales and 50% of all download profit to a fund set up at the National MS Society. When you buy CDs and merchandise from The Symbols, you benefit the Michael Raymond Olson MS Fund.
We've set up a fund at the National MS Society for Michael Olson that you can find here: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Events/HOM-General?pxfid=224366&fr_id=7540&pg=fund
About Me
Look no further; The Symbols' whimsical-yet-sophisticated sound is found nowhere else. Guitarist Jasco left the funky-blues band Blind Dog Smokin' in 2006 after having been with them for 12 years of solid touring. He played in several bands over the next five years but none seemed to work out quite like The Symbols.Jasco and bass player David B. were rehearsing as a jazz trio in a cafe` in Fort Collins with drummer Ikaika Pekalo when vocalist Mer Sal was invited to come watch by David. She told them she knew most of the tunes they were playing, and skeptically, Jasco invited her onto the stage.
She blew him away with her musicality, her vast education of musical material, her work ethic, her attitude, and her vocal talent. He decided to form a band and a business partnership with Mer Sal on lead vocals, Becher on the bass, and Ryan Sapp on the drums.
Since the band's formation in July of 2010, they have played over 80 shows together in Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma, recorded three five-song EPs of original tunes by Mer Sal and Jasco, performed on Live At Lunch on KRFC 88.9FM, headlined Tulsa Mayfest as members of Phil Brown's Guitar Army, headlined Rides For Realities (biker rally to end child abuse), been accepted for radio play on KRFC, Pongid Radio, Tots Radio, and Artists on the Rise Radio, and they are finishing editing their first conceptual music video, titled "Shake That Butt", to be released in late June.
The Symbols' music can be described as a wide mix of influences ranging from the 1940's all the way through 2011. Sometimes you'll hear a bit of Ella Fitzgerald coming through, while other times you'll hear Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, or Janis Joplin, or even Deborah Harry (in personality). You never know what you're going to hear for the next song, since every song is vastly different. What remains constant is the whimsical sophistication of Jasco's and Sal's arrangements.
Mer Sal has been writing and producing songs since 2001, and studied privately with Berklee Music grad Andrew Rechnitz in songwriting and arrangement, before studying the Alexander Method and healthy belting usage of the voice with Broadway veteran Alex Ryer (Pure Piaf, Menopause the Musical, Little Shop of Horrors). She attended Colorado State University for three years as an Acting/Directing major, but decided to drop out to pursue her music dreams. Sal is a fan of Eric Whitacre's cluster note formations and song development, and is the second person in history to have researched his process of Dynamic Minimalism in his compositions. Mer is influenced by a variety of singers but her favorites are Billy Holiday, Tata Vega, Robert Plant, Beth Hart, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin.
Jasco is a seasoned professional. Many people fondly remember his days with Blind Dog, but he has also been in a number of projects in Colorado, and in Oklahoma, he was the man who decided to first record Dorothy Ellis--Miss Blues, and played guitar on her first four albums. He has always played music for a living, and he forever will. In addition to playing with The Symbols' whimsical sophistication, he plays many other styles including flamenco, jazz, classical guitar, reggae, blues, and zydeco. Jasco is interested in guitar players Jeff Beck, Django Reinhardt, and Phil Brown, to name a few.
A friend of the band, Michael Olson, has been playing the bass his entire life, but is now having difficulty moving around due to a debilitating disease known as Multiple Sclerosis. Since the formation of the band, The Symbols have donated 25% of all physical CD sales and 50% of all download profit to a fund set up at the National MS Society. When you buy CDs and merchandise from The Symbols, you benefit the Michael Raymond Olson MS Fund.
We've set up a fund at the National MS Society for Michael Olson that you can find here: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Events/HOM-General?pxfid=224366&fr_id=7540&pg=fund
