John: So what exactly is the Secret Order of Tusk?
Jason: It`s basically a brotherhood of beer drinking, pot smoking retards with really loud amps.
Anyone is welcome to join in on the fun, come to a meeting and pay your dues!
John: And how much of a secret is it? Like super secret band only, or would you tell me if I promised not to tell anyone else?
Jason: It`s a secret that`s been kept all to well in my opinion, but we`re hoping this interview will help to change that.
John: What has a bigger influence on your writing? A love of serial killers (as emphasized on your Sick of Living EP) or a guitarist who looks like a heavy metal Jean luc Picard?
Jason: Definitely a general love of serial killer, violence, murder, and all the other downfalls of humanity
Besides, William Shatner is much more our muse.
John: For the Sick of Living EP, you opted to have that available as a free download on the Audio Demolition site. Was that a better option for you, promotion-wise, rather than have a CD for sale? Do you feel that in the long run, it helped get your name out?
Jason: Sure! It helped to get our name out and it let a lot of people enjoy our music while saving us the cost of duplicating a bunch of CDs.
John: How goes the follow-up to Sick of Living? Are you shooting for a label this time around, or will it be another DIY release?
Jason: We recorded Memorial Day weekend (for reals this time) at the Groove Room in San Rafael, CA with some engineering help from a cat you might have heard of: Billy Anderson. We would definitely be interested in some help from a label if anyone`s reading this, but if nothing happens we`ll put it out on our own label Audio Demolition.
John: For those unfamiliar with your former bands, how much of Gammera and Greenhouse is incorporated into SOoT?
Jason: Other than the fact that we all use most of the same gear, not a whole lot. Our goal is to do something totally different and play a style of music that has never been played before.
John: And the usual creative question - how is the writing broken down? By one person, or is it collaborative?
Jason: About half the material we play was written before I was in the band, when Rafa Martinez (ex Gammera, now in Black Cobra) was the guitarist. He`d bring a few riffs to the other two guys and they`d all put them together and add and change a few things and make them into song. The newer stuff is mostly written with me playing guitar and Clint playing drums. Me or him will bring some riffs or rough versions of songs in and we`ll bash `em out until it sounds right, then we`ll reorganize it a bit around the vocals.
John: Jason, how do you divide your time between SOoT and Damnweevil? And are any other members of SOoT playing in other bands.
Jason: Well, I just give up a few unnecessary things like sleep, sanity, and any semblance of a social life. It helps that we share a studio that I live five minutes from. Damnweevil will be recording an album around the end of June.
None of the other SOoT guys have any other bands; I`m the only slut.
John: Name some of your better gigs. And, on the flip side, some of the worse ones.
Jason: I would say one of our best gigs were SHOD V in Portland, decent sized crowd and a really great reception. It`s good to play for people who are actually fans of this brand of heavy music. Another really great one was on my birthday last year at the Death by Excess warehouse in Oakland with High Tone Son of a Bitch, Hotblack Desiato, and Damnweevil (before I was in it). Nothing is more fun than getting drunk with good friends at a punk rock warehouse party.
Our worst was probably at The Mediterranean in Aptos (just south of Santa Cruz). We drove all the way out there and when we played the other bands weren`t even there yet, there was just this guy doing the ever so pitiful "one-man mosh pit". After we played he told us we were good, but he couldn`t really dance to it.
John: What do you think is the biggest obstacle to making a successful full-time career playing music?
Jason: The biggest obstacle is definitely money, trying to keep a roof over your head takes quite a bit of focus off of playing, promoting, and touring.
John: Are there any new bands out there that people ought to know about?
Jason: Hotblack Desiato, Black Cobra, The Mass, Drink the Bleach, and Hightower are some of our favorite up and comers.
John: A metal scowl - is it essential for playing your style of music? Discuss.
Jason: It`s not really essential, but we figure if you`re gonna start out ugly, you might as well push it as far as you can.
John: What would be the Secret Breakfast Order of Tusk? How about the Secret
Odor of Tusk?
Jason: The Secret Breakfast Order of Tusk would be $5 steak and eggs at The Acropolis in Portland; you get to watch a naked girl dance while you`re eating there.
The Secret Odor of Tusk would be tuna tacos and drummer farts.
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