It's impossible to tell the story of Jonathan's musical development without telling the story of Awnings for Eyelids. The seeds of Awnings for Eyelids were sown in 1999, growing out of a regular jam session in West Seattle. Jonathan Epstein, John Arvizu, and Shawn Oram were playing mostly improvised electric music with a cast of many in a cozy basement in West Seattle. These regular sessions moved to North Seattle in a year or two, but ultimately fizzled out.

In 2002, Jonathan and Shawn began playing in a quieter, though no less experimental, setting with acoustic guitar and electric bass. The two honed their skills playing mostly bluegrass standards and bluegrass-influenced originals. While the songs themselves would follow typical forms, the playing did not. Songs were being used as launching pads to play extended improvisations that would weave in and out of the duo's repetoire.

When Jonathan and Shawn felt they were ready for the public after a few months of playing together, they called on the services of Bill Spence to fill in the gaps on drums. As a trio, Awnings for Eyelids made its debut in September, 2002, at the Rachana Retreat Center in Redmond, WA. The first set was just Jonathan and Shawn playing some acoustic numbers for about half an hour. After a brief break, Bill joined in for the second set, and the trio played an eclectic set of originals and covers to a small crowd out in the woods of Redmond, WA.

With the addition of drums to the group, Jonathan started to amplify his acoustic guitar, also adding a couple of effects to the signal. With the addition of these effects, the band started to evolve in a more electronic direction.

Just weeks after their debut, Jonathan and Shawn called upon old friend John Arvizu who had been playing electric guitar in those early days of the West Seattle jam sessions. Shawn had heard that John had more recently taken up the drums, and Jonathan and Shawn wanted to try him out as a possible replacement for Bill, who was otherwise occupied with another band at the time. The connections made at the West Seattle sessions years earlier had not been lost, and the addition of John on drums felt completely natural. After that very first time playing together, Jonathan and Shawn asked John to play drums on their next gig in a few weeks.

This incarnation of the Awnings for Eyelids line-up debuted on October 21, 2002, at Mr. Spots' Chai House in Seattle, WA. The trio rehearsed the 12 songs in their repertoire and played a quick and anxious set for a fair sized crowd in the small cafe. It was clear from this first show that the band was trying out something fully original, balancing heartfelt songwriting with live improvisation. Still, the trio had their work cut out for them, at this point.

Throughout the fall and winter of 2002, the trio convened at John's rehearsal space in his basement and Bird Tribe Productions in North Seattle, honing their skills and writing new material.

After woodshedding for these months, the trio began to focus on their live performance. The spring of 2003 saw Awnings for Eyelids play their first gig-heavy season, playing one- and two-set shows throughout Seattle including some memorable shows with The Youngs and Skearney.

By the end of the spring, the band was becoming much tighter as a unit, ironically allowing them to play more loosely. Sets were mostly planned, but most nights included some truly off-the-cuff moments when the band would just naturally guide one another to new and uncharted territory. The repertoire of original music was growing quickly and even some interesting covers were being folded into the mix.

That summer, there was further development of the band's sound. Jonathan was growing frustrated with the sound of his amplified acoustic guitar and decided to switch to electric guitar, changing the sound of the band once again. The summer and early fall of 2003 were spent getting used to this new direction. The band was no longer the bluegrass-influenced group they once were. They were becoming more of a rock group, but still with a knack for improvisation and maybe even moreso.

In October of that year, the trio debuted their new configuration as an electric rock band, playing 2 solid sets in the familiar confines of the Baithouse Cafe in Seattle. The new material was slightly more poppy and upbeat, and the older material was being given some slightly different arrangements.

While gigging during this period was rarer than earlier in the year, the band was playing more than ever, meeting every week in their various rehearsal spaces and further refining their new sound.

In January, 2004, as part of a celebration of Shawn's marriage, the group entered Jack Straw Productions studio space in Seattle, WA for 2 half-day sessions. The result of these sessions was their first official release. These sessions caught Awnings for Eyelids in the middle of yet another development of the group. Songs and improvisations were becoming even poppier, though even more dramatic. The album they recorded showcased both sides of the group, featuring 11 tracks -- some short, some long. The version of "Everyyear" -- a staple of their live show -- that appears on this CD was a true turning point for the group. The improvisational section features a heavily distroted guitar, powerful bass work from Shawn, and driving percussion from John. The group was obviously moving in a new direction, dramatically different from their acoustic roots.

After the album was finished being mixed, the group played their first show in over 5 months, a CD release party with friends, Banned From the Mall. In some ways, this show felt like a debut, as the group was unveiling yet another new sound, though it also felt like just another step in their constantly evolving sound. At this packed show, the "Freebird Rule" was employed for the very first time, when the band played an impromptu (and revolting) rendition of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth". Part of the Awnings for Eyelids folklore, the "Freebird Rule" was devised in an effort to discourage audience members from yelling out for joke song requests, like the ubiquitous drunken yell for "Freebird" you might hear at just about any rock concert. The band would purposefully try to butcher whatever song was requested in hopes that they'd receive no more of these silly requests.

Still in the spring of 2004, the group was practicing as hard as ever, and these rehearsals were becoming more and more exciting and inventive. As such, the group released on informal 2-CD collection of their greatest moments from the practice space during this time, entitled Western Fruit Express. For the remainder of Awnings for Eyelids career, the time in the practice space truly represented what Awnings for Eyelids was all about.

The group took a little time off during the summer months of 2004, though several new songs were being written. The group reconvened one August night for a party to celebrate Shawn's 30th birthday. Playing among a house of friends, this loose affair reignited the engine for Awnings for Eyelids. It was clear they were ready to get back on the stage.

For the fall of 2004, the band booked an ambitious set of dates around Seattle, playing some true institutions like The Rainbow and The Blue Moon. The group was starting to be able to translate the playfulness and spontaneity of their weekly practice sessions to the stage. The final two shows of this season (which would ultimately be their final shows together) were true triumphs in the band's development. They had successfully played very fluid sets, playing in and out of songs in a very natural way, and even incorporating songs that had never before left the practice space, specifically some off-color odes in Shawn's (dis)honor.

It was just a few weeks after the December 4 show, when Jonathan decided and announced that he would be leaving the Seattle area for the east coast. Considering where Awnings for Eyelids were at the time, this was not an easy decision. The band was getting closer with every practice and every show they played. One final show was being planned for just prior to Jonathan's departure. Still the band met every week, and further development of Awnings for Eyelids was still taking place. During these last months of their time together as a group, the trio grew once more. The band's practices were now being highlighted by lengthy epics that were being spontaneously composed while they played and recorded. Some of these compositions were being revisited at following practices, and soon they discovered that, even though the end was near for them, the group was as creative as they had ever been and was still writing new songs weekly.

With one final performance scheduled for February 5, 2005, the group was preparing to go out with a bang, debuting all of this new material they had been working on and playing in the more relaxed-on-stage manner that they had been developing that past fall. The Last Schmaltz, as it was unofficially dubbed, would feature all of Jonathan's current projects on one stage, as Awnings for Eyelids as the showcase of the night. Anticipation was very high that day and as the night grew nearer, Jonathan got a phone call from Shawn saying he was taking his wife Cherise to the hospital as the birth of their first son, Andy, appeared to be imminent. As such, Shawn never was able to make it to the Last Schmaltz, but friends of the band filled in admirably that night, even helping debut this new material. The final official Awnings for Eyelids show was not to be, though the show from the previous December at the same venue, The Beacon Pub, served as appropriate a final chapter as any.

After February 5, 2005, the first volume of the Awnings for Eyelids adventure was closed.

The spirit of Awnings for Eyelids still lives on in their extensive catalog of multi-tracked practices (highlights of which will be released on Nothing's Perfect Records), as well as the still weekly sessions of John and Shawn in Seattle, being joined by other friends of the band. Jonathan perpetuates the spirit of Awnings for Eyelids in his solo projects, though that would never be entirely possible, as it was the power of 3 minds working as 1 that helped develop the Awnings for Eyelids sound.