Album Notes

"Like young Jason rising from the deep to take his prey, First Jason caught me by surprise. Lehman didn’t just play the keytar, he melted that mother******. He didn’t just sing songs about Jason, he sang them with a passion and a power that was above and beyond what the subject matter called for. When, toward the end of the set, he threw a Jason mask my way, I put it on and started banging my head, smiling like a maniac. I was glad I stuck around."

(First Jason played at Station 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota on 3/21/09)
MP Johnson - Freak Tension (Mar 23, 2009)

FIRSTJASON.
ARI LEHMAN is the actor/singer who has the unique honor of having played the role of the First Jason Voorhees in the Paramount Classic Horror Film "Friday the 13th" (1980). The original "Boy In The Lake" himself, Ari played a crucial role in the film's famous final scene, in which he suddenly emerges from the icy waters of Crystal Lake. Working with Special Effects Master Tom Savini at an early age gave Ari a deep appreciation for the Horror Greats including Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price.

After the release of "Friday the 13th", Ari returned to New York City where he studied Jazz Piano in its breeding ground with the great Joanne Brackeen and enrolled in NYU studying Big Band Orchestration and Jazz Piano with recognized Masters Jim McNeely and Vladmir Shafranov. Interestingly, Ari's career led him to become a prominent touring Keyboardist for some of the top names in Reggae and African music, with whom he toured throught the US, Europe and West Africa, working for Bob Marley's own Tuff Gong Records and Interscope Records.

As a seasoned recording artist and professional musician, Ari went on to receive acclaim with his own World Rock and Reggae band, when, upon moving to Chicago in late 2002, he was contacted by Horror fans who eagerly invited him to attend an East Coast Horror Convention. In response to their enthusiasm, Ari became a regular on the Horror Convention Circuit, and immediately saw a great opportunity to give Jason Voorhees a musical voice on the Punk and Metal scene. Ari proceeded to draw upon his 20 years' experience as a professional musician and recording artist and created FIRSTJASON specifically for Horror Fans, especially the fans of Jason Voorhees and "Friday the 13th". Together with Bassist Nefarious from MACABRE, and Drummer Cleaver from THE CRO-MAGS, FIRSTJASON has become a force to be reckoned with on the Horror Circuit.