Each story that Ian recounted in The Outlaw Ocean truly mesmerized and captivated me. Everything read so vividly and I felt like I was there along with Ian the whole time. It made the music creation process even more invigorating, as I selected the stories that rang true for me and worked with my producer Ori to sort through the concepts we wanted to convey in each song. 

Music is the perfect mechanism for storytelling. It crosses all borders and boundaries, and has the potential to transport you somewhere mentally within seconds. With my tracks, I wanted them to take listeners skimming along the surface of the ocean before diving deep underwater. I wanted people to almost taste the salt water in their mouth from the splashes of the waves as a boat speeds through the water. I wanted the whole production to feel like a journey and, as I listened to my work “The Next Frontier,” I think that’s exactly how it turned out. 

Jason Stephenson