February was BUSY!  I had shows in AZ and Las Vegas in the first week of the month, re-wrote my ENTIRE Show for a very unique request the 2nd week (a show that will never be seen again, although I have implemented parts of it into my current show), then a FUN SOLD-OUT event at Desert Star in SLC, UT the next week where I tried out 20 NEW Impressions to rave reviews! 

Gnarls Barkley 

MIKA 

Blink-182

Owl City

Josh Groban singing Rap

Simon & Garfunkel

The Supremes

The 4 Tops

Lou Rawls

The Kingsmen

James Taylor

Stephen Still

CSNY

Snow ("Informer")

Elvis 

...and Many More! 

March has me running all over, including an exciting trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, then a show in Los Angeles, and fill in the blanks with corporate dates in Utah.  

March started out with one of the most rare of opportunities in my career ~ I had the privelege of performing at a Bar Mitzvah for a friend's son.  I figured it would be like most little private parties; kind of cute, kind of pathetic set-up, but my goodness was I surprised to show up and find a world-class sound system, stage, 3 big screens, lighting galore, and about the nicest set up I've seen for an event outside of a corporate event with a million dollar budget.  This family went all out and it was awesome.  I just love when events are done right, done well, and turn out beautifully.  So congrats to my new buddy, Evan Welsh, on his special day! 

It's a wonderful time to be an Entertainer, I look forward to entertaining you and your friends at your next event!  

Ahhh, the sound of a Standing Ovation after a Show is music to my ears after an hour of giving my best performance with literally thousands of hours of practice, preparation, and years of creation leading up to that one moment!  (Click HERE to watch my New Promo)

Yes, one hour's work took me almost 25 years to create.  So it's always a bittersweet thing when you receive the standing ovation and everyone is thrilled but then the inevitable questions begin, "Hey, why don't you do....(fill in the Blank) Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Teletubbies (yes that's a real request), Cyndi Lauper, Britney Spears..."

The most painful part is when people ask me why I don't do impressions I just did in the show.  Me: "Did you have a good time?" Audience Member: "Oh yeah, it was great, but why didn't you do some of my favorites, like sing as Michael Jackson, or play "Piano Man" by Billy Joel?  That would be really cool if you put those in because it seems like you could do both".  I don't have the heart to tell them I did both and wonder if I'm in a time-warp or if they are meaning to insult me... It would be like me asking them if they were really standing in front of me at that moment or if it is just their annoying brother.  Actually worse than that is when they say, "But I loved your impression of Neil Diamond (whom I don't do)" and I just stand there and say, "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed...whatever show you just saw". 

This week has been a busy one, I haven't stopped working, traveling, eating beef and cheese sticks from vending machines in motels because it's the healthiest choice.  All the while I'm coming up with new material.  It's tough to know what to add, when, what to take out, trying out new material in front of a high paying client's audience doesn't seem fair but sometimes I'll try it out if I'm feeling confident (like the Journey parody I added last year that has turned into one of the favorites WATCH here).

Right now I am working feverishly on Beach Boys, James Taylor, more Motown such as the Supremes, Four Tops, as well as today's hits by Gnarls Barkley, Owl City, and others.  I don't know if I can even pull these voices off, but I'm working at it.  The most requested is Elvis, I have a whole thing worked up with his cousin Pelvis Resley and am not sure when or where I should debut it.  So keep an eye out, you will see more from me, it just takes a while when you run the whole Show as well as every aspect of the business as well.   But I love the creative process, drives me crazy and keeps me polished.  Now if only I can convince that audience member that I already did his favorite impression.

Happy New Year friends!  I hope 2010 is treating you well and is better than that year we just finished!  

For whatever reason I thought things would slow down in January but luckily for me they have not.  JHE has been inundated with gig requests worldwide, including a gig in Cabo San Lucas that will be my first gig in that beautiful part of the world for March.  2010 is booking up fast, I already have a few dates booked for December and at least one gig booked every month of this year so far!  What a blessing! 

I am in Helena, MT this week, I perform for their 120th Annual Banquet tonight as a part of a new experiment involving Chambers of Commerce and changing things up for their annual shindigs...no more keynote speakers, now it's about the fun show for the public and these things are awesome!  If you want me to come to your town and do this please let us know.  We expect over 1,000 people and at $20 a ticket for the show or $65 per ticket for dinner and show, that makes for a pretty great night for the Chamber's fundraising efforts! 

I hope to see you at the next show, please follow me on my Social Networks like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube where I always update where I will be next.  New Shows are being posted for the public to attend as you read, including my return to the beautiful Desert Star Theatre in SLC, UT in Feb and in the works are some shows there in April as well.  So please come out!  You are the BEST, thank you for your support and keep laughing til it hurts! 

I'm in the middle of my craziest time of the year, running from venue to venue in my home State of Utah where I am performing for Holiday parties galore!  It has been very fun with most of the companies, a couple were a bit stale but that's just what you get on cold wintery nights, but all in all it's been incredibly fun, and so far I've received standing ovations at all but one. 

Here is my NEW Happy Holidays video - please click here and Rate, Comment, and Share with your friends to spread the joy and laughter of this unedited video by yours truly. 

Also, enjoy my 2010 NEW Promo Video and let me know what you think - it's a quick 4.5 minutes compared to the old 8 minute one from 2007.  

People ask me how I stay healthy during this time of year when I'm performing multiple times a day sometimes, as well as keeping my throat and voice from giving out on me.  It's simple, I eat a strict diet of chocolate and candy canes topped with In-N-Out burgers Animal Style after every show :) Actually, this is my healthiest time of the year, as it is so busy I have to pack food with me, veggies, fruits, only drink water, etc.  It's a fun time and I'm grateful to be so busy.  

2010 is coming up fast, the companies are calling for their events and bookings are steady.  We have also received much interest in Public Events which will be posted on the Events page of the site as they come along.  I look forward to seeing you at the next event and entertaining you and your friends!  

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas!

This year, 2009, will go down as one of those years that I can look at right now and say this year changed my whole life!  Outside of the struggles we experienced during the "downturn/recession/scary-time" during the first part of this year it pales in comparison to the reality check of LIFE that knocked me into a new dimension in my thinking this calendar season & for the remainder of my life. 

"Change can be Good..."

Friends:
If you are a guy you have a good amount of associates, a bunch of pals, and a smaller circle of people you call Friends.  My circle of Best Friends is so small people wonder if I have any friends at all sometimes... but it's a rare thing to bring someone into that Best Friends circle. For women it's a whole different thing, NO attempt to explain their friend circles!

Heroes:
As a boy you have Heroes, usually your Dad, Grandpa, Brothers, sometimes Athletes, Church Leaders, a Coach, Teacher, maybe a great Scout Master or cool Neighbor.  When I first saw a guy named Danny Gans perform in Las Vegas in August 2000 my whole life changed in an instant - my NEW Hero - the Standard to which I hoped to become as a Performer.  Obviously my dream never materialized because Gans was the Greatest Performer I've ever seen LIVE, and no one will be able to impersonate him.  I never met the man, but I idolized his incredible gifts turned to strengths through hard work and the way he lived his good life.   Danny Gans, along with others I never met but tried to emulate (Michael Jackson as a Performer) passed away in 2009 and it has been a pain to my soul.  

My Cousin Kyle: 3 months ago my dear cousin, in perfect health and vibrant life, Kyle Redford, fell and hit his head skateboarding and died instantly.  In the prime of his young life it was a shock to us all.  I had the privilege of sharing special experiences with this young man and a very close bond of friendship.  He played his guitar and wrote music in his room, while I was 2,500 miles away doing the same on my piano.  We were blood.  He had that light that lights up every room and every memory he entered.  Such a tragic passing, yet in his hour of ending he changed many lives by doing a simple thing: He put YES on his license for Organ Donation.  He gave sight to the blind, a heart to the dying, organs and blood and perfect everything to those in need...throughout the country!  He changed lives while he was here and changed more in death by giving LIFE! What a gift my cousin Kyle is as well as being one of my Heroes!

My Best Friend Paul:

Paul Berg was not the first friend I had in his family...it was his incredible wife, Tiffany.  She is amazing.  Here is a woman that can do, and has done, pretty much everything!  We met at an Alzheimer's Association charity event and clicked right away.  Next thing I know she and I are writing my book, "Signature Moves" together and she made a major contribution to my career with her outstanding work.   And THEN I met Paul...

"The Gift of Change"

Paul changed my whole life.  I don't know what else to say, except for the fact that I considered but 2 people my best friends through my whole life to that point, 2 guys I'd grown up with and were friends for life, and Paul somehow weaseled his way into that impenetrable circle in a very short amount of time.  I think about 50 different people considered Paul their best friend, too, and that's understandable.  The guy just made a difference everywhere he went.  His sense of humor, his attitude and perspective, this Peace he had with God, even with this curse of cancer ravaging his body...who could be so positive?  Paul was always positive, amidst the greatest of affliction. 

Paul pushed me to write better songs, helped me to find my own voice, made me laugh when I should have been his shoulder to cry on.  We went on "man dates", out to listen to unknown musicians, to hear his band play in scary bars in cities named after ancient prophets (Lehi), and caused a raucous wherever we went with our quips and comedy.  The greatest show I've ever performed was the time he and I shared the stage together - what an honor - he came out and ended my set and I couldn't have asked for that show to end any other way.  Sick, energy depleted, time ticking away, there he was - laughing, smiling, joking, loving his family, giving his all - while building a 1965 Shelby Cobra from scratch as a hobby and tuning pianos to support his family, all self taught!  

He wrote a few songs before he passed into the next life.  Here is something that might change your perspective as it's changed mine.  Tumors pressing into his vocal chords the man made one of the great songs ever written on his death bed, and his legacy and memory lives on in all of us.   Tonight I watched a video of Paul with his wife and some friends as we sat and laughed, cried, and shook our heads at the answers to life's questions this great man so candidly and philosophically answered with the sun possibly not rising for him the following day... Yes, Paul is my Hero. 

2009 has made me change a lot of things.  I live my life fuller, I feel relationships deeper, I hug my children tighter.  It has been a sad and tough year, one that has seen more tears from these eyes than ever before shed, but that's not a bad thing.  Change is Good, Change is a Gift. I believe that and hope you do too.  But Change must start within us, in our own hearts, and to close I quote the saint of a man himself, Ghandi: 

"We must be the change we wish to see in the world"

Peace Be Unto You My Dear Friends~ 

jason

October has been such a busy month!  We have made some extreme changes to the business as well as the web site and I am very pleased with where everything is headed.  I would also like to welcome back Robert Stewart to our SLC offices as the head Event Planner for JHE, he has jumped back into the swing of things without missing a beat!   To contact him for information on having me perform for your event please email him at Robert@jasonhewlett.com 

This month I will perform 20 times.  I've performed in Dallas, TX and Albuquerque, NM for the first time and will be in Atlanta, GA and Butte, MT next week.  Filling in the empty spaces have been numerous shows in the Salt Lake City, UT area, mostly launches of new MLM/Direct Selling Companies, which thrive in Utah, and I am grateful to be on their list of performers to entertain their enthusiastic audiences.  The companies that I've done launches for this month alone are: 

Syntek Global   Maakoa   Genesis Pure       

The Holiday Season is booking up quickly now.  I will have some more posts of public events on my Events Page, with a reminder that events posted are for the public only in order to keep the privacy of corporate events separate.  

Please check out the new and improved sections of The Speaker, The Entertainer, and The Singer/Songwriter.  We have re-branded each aspect of my career and you can see that this web site is a living, breathing, ever-evolving project!  Thank you for visiting and please join me on my social networks where I will keep you up to date on the daily whereabouts of the corporate performing life.  Have an excellent week! 

~ jason

And now it is that time... the season of booking Holiday parties for December.  

In years past companies would call us a year in advance to make sure they could secure my Show for their preferred December date event and planned the entire year to make sure it came off without a hitch.  In 2008, after the economic financial crisis, a majority of companies pulled the plug on their parties and it was a scary time for most industries, including entertainment.  

This year has been a little different.  We had a few reserve the Show a year out, which is great, and others that have waited until a month ago.  As of today the month of December is quite full on my Calendar, but I still have a few dates left for Holiday parties, whereas in years past have had between 15-20 dates booked between Dec.1-Dec. 23, amazing!  I expect I will be this busy again :) 

So, if you are interested in inquiring about a Holiday party date, rates, etc please click here to look into having me entertain at your event and do so right away!  We will have a memorable, exciting, and unique experience together.  Until then, Happy October, and I hope you'll come back to visit my web site often.  

~ jason

Yesterday I drove the 4 hour drive from my home to Rexburg, ID, windows down and sunroof open while singing along to my two current favorite singers: Shaun Barrowes and Chris Merritt. Both have Utah ties, both are brilliant, and they create songs that get stuck in my head, which I love.  Shaun actually opened for me at my Sandy Amphitheater Show last Saturday to a rousing ovation, what a privilege for me to have him there as I believe he'll be BIG enough someday that I'll be doing an impression of him in my show soon enough.  I encourage you to check them both out: 

Shaun Barrowes    Chris Merritt

The BYU-Idaho audience in Rexburg, ID is something of an enigma.  I receive numerous college and university requests each year to come and perform my show of impressions that spans from the 1950's-Today's music.  Over the past 8 years I have done plenty of shows for the college crowd, but in the last 3 years I have noticed a distinct and horrific trend - they're no fun.  I did a show at a university, which will remain nameless, and it was performer suicide.  I was performing to the tops of heads that were looking down and texting the whole stinking show!  No clapping, no laughing, just sitting there, all I could hear was clicking as if someone was dialing a phone number to Tokyo.  it was very offensive but it was the last straw and ever since I have not accepted invitations to return to universities.  Until I got a call from Rexburg...

You see, they know how to do it right up here, and yes, I'm up here not only from last night's show but for tonight's as well.  Last year's show went so well to a SOLD-OUT 1,000 seat theatre that they asked me to return for Back-to-Back shows this year.  Happy to oblige!  But the difference between this place and others is they do something smart: it's not just a student event, it's for families, and that's the only way I will perform for a university.  

So, if you are interested in having me come to your educational institution I would LOVE to!  Just do it right, like BYU-Idaho, and make it open to families and we will give them a Show to remember!  

See you at the next event. 

Today I performed my first show, EVER, for Novell, a Utah company.  

The audience was 30-40 something men, 150 of them, and 5 women.  This is normally a recipe for disaster, especially men working in IT, not the greatest at showing emotion if you know what I mean.  But not today.  Even with the numbers against me (everyone knows an audience with a majority of women is more fun) we had a good time.  After an hour it was over, they responded the loudest to Shakira and also to my comment, “Any Star Trek fans here?  Remember Chewbacca...?” to which about half of them started shrieking that I’d reference a Star Wars character when referring to the Trek world...just checking to see if you’re awake people!  

The gig was outside in 94 degree sweltering heat and no clouds, the audience was covered but someone forgot about me, Powder in the flesh (remember that movie, “Powder”?  That’s me, I’m just a lot hairier and not bald yet.  I’m like Harry Powder and the Prisoner of Can’t Get A Tan), and I didn’t realize I was sunburned until I came home and the kids started screaming.  Actually I think they were screaming before that, but anyway...

It was a great day, I’m so grateful to get work, AND to get my asking price even in the hot sun.  Hey, who cares about the sunburn?  Anyone up for a sizzling skillet at Chile’s?  If it comes from the kitchen medium rare we can put the steak on my forehead tonight!

So I'm assuming a Blog is an online Journal?  Is this correct?  If so I'd better make this interesting - pressure's on!  

People ask me what I do with my time off.  In August I had no time off, I had 20 appearances in 20 different locations in 31 days, literally not home at all and I missed that little crazy family of mine.  As some of you may know my wife and I have 3 kids under 3, no twins, and that is literally crazy.  I suggest anyone considering attempting this lifestyle to space the babies and planning out a little better.  Just my two cents while I'm living through it, but it's fun.  

My time off is with family and the kiddos.  Today we spent time at our cabin in the high Uintah mountains, east of my hometown, Park City, UT.  My kids and I spent the day gathering firewood, smashing spiders, and eating strange berries...the ones we found between our youngest son's fingers.  We watched "Charlie & Lola", jumped in the freezing Provo River, and made Smores.  We hopped on the 4-wheeler, all 5 of us, and drove around until we smelled some "stinkies" and had to return home for diaper changing.  

This is my time off and I relish it.  I love these little things that smell, scream, whine, fuss, cry all night, and then laugh and hug me - then every other inconvenience goes away.  Gigs are great, I love to perform and am grateful for the work, but I really love the time off so I can be with my little babies.