UN: It might seem like a weird place to start, but I was actually curious to ask what happened with Relapse? Your new record is being released by Season of Mist. Was it just a matter of your contract with Relapse being up, or have you guys been on the lookout for a new label for awhile? How is Season of Mist working out so far?
Jason: Seasons is working out pretty well, they are not as big as Relapse so we feel like we can communicate a little more, and they helped with some money witch was cool.
Although since the new Mayhem album has come out its hard as that album is taking all their time!
I think all the labels we have had so far don't quite understand what blood duster is, I mean we should be pushed into different kind of "markets" for lack of a better word.
we seem to get lumped with bands like cannibal corpse and shit like that although I think we would do better being pushed to a more punk/grind crowd.
once the dvd comes out people will know what we are about a little more.
UN: I’d say the new album is probably the bands most thought out musically. Did you guys take longer putting the songs together this time? You guys still have the fast grindcore songs, but the slower songs seem to have a lot of structure to them, and some pretty damn infectious choruses. Are a lot of people noticing the changes?
Jason: Well with this album we spent considerable time getting shit right before we went in, we spent a lot more money on studio time and in the rehearsal stages we concentrated on actual songwriting a lot more than on previous records.
We are definitely getting more into the Australian tradition of "pub rock" choruses, you know something you can scream out when you are out getting drunk watching a band.
I think people are actually taking notice a little more that we do have actual songs.
UN: Was it a conscious decision to go for a more rock oriented production for this album? The guitar sound in particular, while heavy, really doesn’t sound like your typical metal album. It has much more grit and totally reminds me or rock n’ roll.
Jason: Well with Cunt we felt really fucked over with the guitar sound, I mean the guitar we had been using just sounded totally shit in the studio so on the day we recorded we had to borrow one, and it was equally as shit. With this album we knew the problems we had with gear in the past and made sure that we had a lot more choice.
I think the guitar sound on this is right for us, we know what we want and now we have what we need to get it.
We didn't t want a death metal sound with all the mids scooped out, you know that irritating bumblebee sound that a lot of bands have?
Fuck that shit.
UN: With each album you always have some pretty hilarious samples that are also unique. Do you guys spend a lot of time putting together the samples? Do you stockpile them over the course of writing the album, or do you just sit down and search for them all at once?
Jason: I generally just get them over the course of time and when it comes to doing an album I just jam in shit that seems to fit with what we are doing lyrically.
There is no real plans in that area.
UN: Just out of curiosity, which Donna in particular do you wanna do it with?
Jason: Donna r. for sure.
UN: Was it a conscious decision to keep things a bit low key with the new album cover and name after having an album named Cunt? In a day and age when censorship can be quite a problem, it amazes me stores actually carried an album called Cunt. Did Relapse have any problems with the album name?
Jason: Well the whole idea of that album was we knew we were going to get in trouble and we knew that people would react to the word just by itself, but it is just a word, and a word by itself is hard to criticize.
If we had of called the album "death cunt" or something equally as lame it would have lost all impact.
The only problem relapse had was the cover, in Australia it simply had a black cover with the word cunt on it, Relapse thought that it was too basic, but they missed the point, I mean we wanted it to just be all about the word cunt not about anything else.
I don't really like the American cover, I mean its sorta cool in its own way but it wasn't how nature intended it.
UN: The rock influence has pretty much been present for the bands entire career. Initially what influenced the combination of grind and rock? Was it just a matter of wanting to do something unique? Were there any bands in particular that influenced the bands initial sound?
Jason: That's what we are into and always have been, so its natural for us to do rock. There are a few bands that are doing it now but most don't do it with a rock feeling if you know what I mean? I mean you can play a rock riff in a death metal context but you have to do it right or it just sounds like you have jammed something in there just for the sake of it.
We try to be a rock band that uses grindcore as our base, and to me it sounds right and natural.
Whether anyone else thinks that is right or not is another thing, and I don't give a fuck we only do stuff for ourselves anyway.
UN: Along with the last question, do you think that you’ve come a long way over the years? I don’t think you’ve changed much style wise, but like I mentioned earlier I think the songwriting has improved over the years quite a bit.
Jason: I guess so, I think we have continually evolved but not in a way that is too alienating for people who are into previous shit we do, I think people that feel that we have changed didn't really know what we were in the first place.
We are one of those bands that will continually evolve into new mutations but we will always sound like blood duster in some way, I mean we are who we are and that's about all we can do.
I think some bands are a little to conscious of what they do and set too many rules for themselves, then they decide they want to change the rules and that's when they fuck up because it was never how they "truly" were in the first place.
UN: Was the song NuCorporate written as a tribute to Johnny Cash? Obviously, subject matter wise it isn’t, but musically it totally has the dark, country vibe running through it. Would you say he was an influence on the band? He was one of music’s first bad asses.
Jason: Johnny cash was, is and always will be a fucking legend, I have a Johnny cash inspired tattoo and have always been a fan, even as a child as it was the only thing myself and my parents agreed on musically...and that continues to this day.
He has always been the baddest dude in country and no one sounds like the man in black.
To say you can hear him in us is the ultimate in compliments.
UN: I was curious to ask what the bonus tracks were taken from? Are they just left over tracks from the recording session? I think I read that you might be releasing a single with ever more bonus tracks on it. Any news about that?
Jason: We release singles here in Australia like any good pop band does, and those tracks were taken from the "drink fight fuck" single EP thing that came out here to promote the new album, it actually charted here in the independent charts for 52 weeks in the top 20.
We have a new single out now for the song "sixsixsixteen" it has another 5 songs that the rest of the world will probably never hear.
One day ill compile all this shit properly so the rest of the world can hear this shit.
UN: Do you think that music has become safe these days? There really aren’t many bands doing anything to shake up the music world. Rock music in particular has become incredibly flaccid. I think the only band that is kicking ass and not following trends in rock is The Darkness. Doesn’t it seem funny that music that was once about rebellion and attitude is now about dollars and radio time?
Jason: It sucks a major cock, there are still the bands out there that are doing it for what it is, the darkness are indeed one of those doing what isn't fashionable and making it that way.
I think its hard for younger bands because the scenes that were once independent and UN commercial are now some of the most commercialized in the whole music world, I mean having someone like Pepsi offer to sponsor a show and hand you a ton of money for nothing but some advertising at that show is awfully inviting and I don't know if even I could resist, but that's the way shit is now.
I think they key to all the commercialism is use what you can without compromising what you are, and that is really fucking hard.
We were used in a major add campaign on TV here for a paper company, we didn't get much money or anything but I just thought it was hilarious that we were on TV during the Simpson's, I guess its better than Fred durst getting another little wad of cash to spend on Nike gear, but fuck man its a paper company that probably destroy so much fucking rain Forrest and pollute so much shit that its hard to even think about it sometimes.
Another sell out, maybe next time I'll just sell the name to Nike or McDonalds and change all our lyrics to pro sweatshops and shit.
We did it though, so we have no one to blame when we cant sleep at night because in a small way we helped kill the planet.
As long as you can live with yourself and your decisions...
UN: Do you think that the Australian music scene might not get as much credit as it deserves? From pretty much every genre you can think of, the country has some excellent bands and pretty much started the war metal genre. Would you consider the scene in Australia a healthy scene?
Jason: Australia is good because if you sound like another band people will call you out on being a fucking copy.
Also there is not enough people to support two clone bands, I dont think we will ever have a scene that has a sound, like the Swedish sound or anything like that.
People and bands here have to be original or they die a clone death.
UN: Do you think with this new album you guys might get the chance to come and play in the US? Have you guys had the chance to come over before? I’m sure there are many people who would love a tour to happen.
Jason: We would love to go but it is so hard with no money at your disposal, we don't want to necessarily make a ton of money but we cant afford to lose money, I mean we work regular shit jobs and stuff and have to pay rent like anyone else.
If we can do it we would do it in a fucking heartbeat, there has been allot more talk of touring lately so it could happen.
UN: I’m curious to ask how the band does sales wise. You guys have been doing this for quite sometime now, are you able to make a living off of the band yet? I’m pretty sure Cunt sold fairly well, was it the best selling album so far?
Jason: All our albums have done pretty well here in Australia, I mean we are not living on the band or anything close to that, but we can record and pay our bills so to me that is success enough.
Who knows what is going on overseas? People don't like to send sales figures and shit like that because then they would actually have to pay...ha!
The new album has sold the most by far here, probably because stores can actually stock this album.
Cunt got us pulled from a lot of corporate stores so it makes sales to smaller towns a little harder, naturally.
UN: Did you ever expect the band to stay around as long as it has? It has been to a nice feeling to know that the band has had this much longevity and people are still interested in Blood Duster. Do you see the band continuing for a long time yet?
Jason: I see us continuing for a little while yet, I mean we have no desire to quit, we do it for us and we are having some fun, so why even entertain the thought of quitting?
We will be around to shit people for a long time to come.
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