Award-winning singer-songwriter Jeremy Dion released his fourth full-length studio album, ‘Bend In the Middle,’ on October 18th with the title track/lead single arrived August 30th.
The 11-song project, recorded at Cinder Sound Studios in Longmont, CO with engineer Kyle Donovan, sees Dion embracing the collaborative nature of making music utilizing some of Colorado’s finest musicians including Kyle Donovan (guitars), John McVey (guitars), Taylor Sims (guitars), Greg Schochet (guitars), Eric Moon (keyboards), Daniel Herman (piano), Christian Teele (percussion), Bradley Morse (bass), Peter Sharpe (mandolin), Enion Pelta-Tiller (fiddle), Beth Wilberger (fiddle) and cellist Courtlyn Carpenter from the band Sturtz.
“Bend In the Middle” marks the first new music since last year’s single, “Joe Neguse” about the respected Congressman from Colorado’s 2nd district, and his first album since 2021’s collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Peter Sharpe (The Railsplitters) on ‘Sharpe & Dion.’
Of the buoyant album and its title track, Dion offers, “The theme song to my life as a therapist. This song embodies so much of what I talk to clients about on a regular basis - learning how to love the parts of us that don’t seem to fit the mold, that we tried to hide or cut-off in our upbringing. Healing and integration are one and the same, and getting our eyes off of what others are doing and what they think about what we are doing is vital.”
Additional singles include the duet “All I See Is You, a breezy, top-of-the-mountain love song that features fellow Denver native Kate Farmer and “Lovin’ Our Friends,” with its omnipresent feel of late 60s Neil Diamond during his “Solitary Man” era.
“It’s often so much easier to love our friends than to love ourselves. These three verses evolve from the replaying of a particular relationship, to the broader ways our minds play with regret, to the forward looking plans for what’s yet to come. Lovin’ Our Friends is my favorite song on the album, the chorus pops, I really dig the bridge, and it's the most enjoyable song to perform live,” says Dion.
A licensed therapist by day and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Dion grew up on John Denver, James Taylor, and Paul Simon as the foundation for developing his own unique mix of bluegrass, folk, poetry and rock ’n’ roll. With a present voice, open heart, and versatile guitar skills and a couple psychology degrees, a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology and Music Therapy from Naropa University (founded by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa and named after the 11th-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa), it all leads to a wealth of experience and education to draw from as he continues his journey as a welcoming force and a formidable storyteller with a simple but engaging mission, to provide music therapy for late bloomers.
According to his mother, Jeremy came into the world singing. He started with the piano at age seven, and began writing songs after his father gifted him a guitar for his 18th birthday. Educated in the hippie hotbed of progressive idealism at UC Berkeley in the Bay Area, he fell in love with the music of Jerry Garcia while teaching himself guitar and pursuing his degree.
Fast forward a generation and now Dion’s bending in the middle so audiences can sizzle. With soaring harmonies and technical riffs reminiscent of Noah Kahan, Benson Boone or John Mayer, Dion has brought his musical dynamism to stages ranging from the Boulder Theater to Edinburgh’s famed Fringe Festival.
So whether you’re feeling up, down or just want a night on the town, Dion’s soul-nourishing words will leave you feeling connected, hopeful, and content — no medication required, just an open-heart.
Jeremy Dion
Bend in the Middle
Tracklist
All I See Is You (feat. Kate Farmer)
Bend In the Middle
Lovin’ Our Friends
Second Hand
Sweet June
It Happened So Fast
Avery
Constant
Better You Know My Name
You & I
The Haunting
