Jonathon Newby was the lead singer of the post-hardcore/progressive rock band Brazil from its inception in 2000 until August 2007. Jonathon and his brother Nic newly were two of the founding members. On earlier Brazil recordings, Jonathon played drums but eventually became the lead singer. Newby left the band in 2007, resulting in its break-up. In 2010 Newby formed , for which he continues to perform, write and produce. In 2014 he formed the studio projects and Poorly Built Men with his brother Nic. He currently works as a designer while retaining full ownership of and running the labels and .
Instruments
Newby has been formally trained on the piano, on which he wrote most of Brazil's songs, as well as on drums. His stringed instrument playing ability is self-taught.
Newby is known for his complex, layered and often deliberately cryptic lyrics, drawing in from disparate sources, such as literature, pop culture and film
Pre-Brazil
Before founding Brazil, Newby briefly lived in Kortrijk, Belgium, from 1999-2000, where he worked for punk record labelGoodlife Recordings. When returning to the U.S., Newby moved into the chapel of an abandoned church. While living there, Newby and his brother Nic created the concept of Brazil. Brazil's first demos were recorded in the church's basement. The original band lineup consisted of Benjamin Hunt, Aaron Smith and Johnny Richardson, current member of Brooklyn-based band .
Post Brazil
In December 2012, Newby was asked to curate a playlist for UK radio program Garden of Earthly Delights, joining the ranks of other guest mix curators such as Grimes, Richard Ashcroft, Daddy G, The Streets, M83, Fever Ray, Grinderman and Four Tet. Newby is currently writing, producing and under the names , City Water, JXMAS and Poorly Built Men. In addition to providing the vocals and serving as producer, Newby has played nearly every instrument on the studio recordings for his current projects. Most of the records were originally released as demos and not widely available until released simultaneously on iTunes. He produces a variety of projects in a wide range of styles in a studio in downtown Indianapolis, IN. Newby owns and operates a record label and publishing company called , a micro-label devoted solely to his production work. He also owns and operates Oleta Publishing Company, a legacy country and Americana catalog Newby inherited from his grandfather, the late rockabilly recording artist Jimmie Zack. The catalog features songs covered by Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Willie Nelson. He is represented by Songs Music Publishing as a songwriter and composer, and has worked with Grammy-winning producers Bret “Epic” Mazur and Dave Fridmann, as well as Empire’s Sean Van Vleet and Ghost Beach’s Eric Mendelsohn. Newby currently lives in Indianapolis, IN.
Writing (non-musical)
Newby maintained a blog titled 500 Days of Night chronicling every concert Brazil performed from 2000-2008. Although Newby no longer maintains the blog, he plans to publish it in book form in 2017 under the Young Tobacco label.
Web (non-musical)
Jonathon also has created numerous now-famous avatars for message board patrons.
