An eclectic night of music

Jai Dillon will play with local musician Larry George at Bart & Urby's Friday, Feb. 24.

Larry George w/ Jai Dillon, Loyal a.k.a. Reality Music and Tommy Wynder of M80, Friday, Feb. 24, 9 p.m., Bart & Urby’s (119 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre). Ages 21+. Info: 570.970.9570.

Though he now makes his living playing bass for Jason Mraz, Jai Dillon’s first love was not a musical instrument. It was a skateboard.

“I loved it. I had a vertical ramp in my backyard. I was all about that, but I blew my knee out skateboarding on a half-pipe, without wearing pads,” Dillon explained. “Then I blew it out again, and the second time I blew it, I broke it pretty bad actually. I really thought I was going to be a professional skateboarder.”

Apparently not learning his lesson, when Dillon finally healed up, he decided to give the extreme-sports lifestyle one more go and promptly racked up a third blown knee for his troubles.

“The first time I fell, I went down right on my knee, and I knew it. I was like ‘That’s it, I’m done.’ I’d been playing bass for a year at that point, but that’s when I finally started getting serious about it.”

Dillon, a former Pocono Mountain native, will be returning to NEPA on Friday, Feb. 24 as a special musical guest for a performance at Bart & Urby’s in Wilkes-Barre by local singer/songwriter Larry George. Philadelphia-based hip-hop act Loyal a.k.a. Reality Music and drummer Tommy Wynder of M80 will also perform.

The lineup may seem a bit eclectic, but that works just fine for Dillon.

“I really love to play r&b, reggae and funk,” he said. “But even in straight-up pop music and, right now I’m learning to play a rock song, there’s certain mechanisms, certain harmonic devices that they all use that I’m attracted to. The ear-candy side of it, I’m into that.”

It’s that diversity of taste and inherent adaptability that has led the 35-year-old Dillon to have as long and varied a career as he’s had since trading in his board ’n’ ramp for a bass ’n’ amp so many years ago. Not only has Dillon become Mraz’s go-to touring bassist, recently appearing on the musician’s 2010 live EP “Life is Good,” Dillon’s also had the opportunity to play with the likes of jazz-fusion guitarist Marlon McClain and the ska-punk Brits in The English Beat.

In his downtime, Dillon dabbles in everything from disco tunes and Motown classics to lounge-lizard oldies and modern-day dance-pop hits as part of the cover band Sauce in his current hometown of Austin, Texas. He also produces and plays guitar. With his ability to breeze in and out of different styles and collaborative projects with ease, Dillon spoke of the overall musical community with a warm sense of almost familial closeness.

Indeed, it is that kind of friendly familiarity which precipitated the collaboration between Dillon and George in the first place. George’s manager, Jimmy van Horn, has been a friend of Dillon’s since elementary school, to the point where Dillon describes him as being “like a brother.” It was van Horn who introduced the kindred musicians, whose partnership won’t be just ending after the show at Bart & Urby’s.

“After the show, we’re heading back here to Texas, and we’re going to be recording an album for him. I’ll be producing on it, playing bass on it and playing guitar,” Dillon said. “I’m always about making new stuff, working with new artists who are trying to get to the next level, people who are willing to really work. And Larry’s stuff is great. I love it. I’m really looking forward to this album.”