Skratch Magazine interview Jason of Hot Water Music.

A tenth of a century ago, I was a mere second-grader who was forced to wear fluffy pink poof-ball dresses. To make up for the embarrassment, I'd bully the smaller, girly girls. MEANWHILE, on the other side of the country in Florida, true punk rock was being born. Like wine, Hot Water Music has aged to perfection since then. Their temporary hiatus back in '98 only served to fuel them to start over with A FLIGHT AND A CRASH. Now on the brink of releasing their eighth album, THE NEW WHAT NEXT, the band has stabilized so well that bassist Jason Black feels it's the easiest record they've come to make.

SKRATCH: So, how was your weekend?
JASON: My weekend was good! I had some friends in town. Got a little out of hand, but it was good times.

SKRATCH: Well, it's been about eight weeks since [lead singer] Chuck injured his left hand. Have you guys just been kicking back since then?
JASON: Yeah. We didn't have anything scheduled for the summer, anyways, so we've just been taking a break and getting everything ready for the record to come out, get the tours planned---that sort of thing.

SKRATCH: What are your the band's plans until the new CD is released in the fall?
JASON: Nothin', really. Chris and I are going to Europe for a few days starting tomorrow just to do some interviews over there. After that, we're not going to be doing anything until the new record comes out. Then we're going to do some shows in Florida, and then, starting in October, we're going on our U.S. tour.

SKRATCH: What's your favorite thing about Europe?
JASON: I kinda like it all. I mean, it's all so different over there. It's just a good time---almost like a paid vacation. But it does get a little mind-bending by the time you get back from there, from not being able to understand anything anyone says (unless you're in England).

SKRATCH: You don't speak any other languages or anything?
JASON: Nah, not enough to communicate with anyone.

SKRATCH: Now, I've asked this question before in other interviews, to friends.... No one seems to know why CDs are always released on Tuesdays. Do you?
JASON: I believe it is so they can ship them out on Monday and make sure that they're there. I don't really know if there is an actual reason for it.... I could be making that up, also---but I think it's so that they can be all stocked when the store opens.

SKRATCH: Does that mean you can't really choose the release dates?
JASON: Eh, we kinda can. But---it's always on a Tuesday.

SKRATCH: I'm actually looking at the copy of THE NEW WHAT NEXT. There's no artwork on it, so can you give me an idea of what concept you guys did?
JASON: We just have the same artist who's done everything else, Scott Sinclair. We're not really sure what his concept behind all this really was. It seems to be like a roadmap, and we just let him run with that, to be honest. We just sent him the lyrics, the music, and let him do his thing.

SKRATCH: What do you think the roadmap symbolizes: your touring?
JASON: Yeah. But like I said, I haven't really had a lengthy discussion with him about it. But for sure, it's kind of a roadmap---for the band, what we've been doing for the past year and what not. It's just kinda his interpretation of the story of Hot Water Music. That sounds kinda lame, but...yeah.

SKRATCH: So, does the artwork reflect the general concept for the music itself?
JASON: Yeah, exactly.

SKRATCH: In the band's bio, you said that this album was the easiest one to make so far. How long were you guys in the recording studio?
JASON: We were in the studio from April 20th until about June 7th---so we were in there for a while. It's the third record we did with Brian, so it was much easier than the others to make. It was just like returning to home, you know?

SKRATCH: What was different this time compared to recording A FLIGHT AND A CRASH and CAUTION?
JASON: I think we were just more well-prepared and we had a better mind frame than [we did for] the other two records we've done. Sometimes things just come about easier for no real reason---and that's sort of what happened with us with this album. Everyone was just in the right place at the right time.

SKRATCH: Of all the songs from THE NEW WHAT NEXT, you guys chose "Kill the Night" to be on the ROCK AGAINST BUSH VOL. TWO compilation. Why was this?
JASON: [Laughs] Because it didn't make the record, mostly. It was our favorite song that didn't make the album. We wanted to give them a really good release song for that, but we also wanted to put our favorite 12 songs on the record.

SKRATCH: Was it hard to pick out a song, then?
JASON: Yeah, it definitely was. I mean, it always is. You get attached to different songs for different reasons, and, you know, it's very easy to over-think that process, as far as like, "Oh, we need this song on the album, because we have nothing that sounds like it" or "We don't have a song about" something---just a million different reasons. It always takes a long time to figure that one out. That's never a good time. [Laughs]

SKRATCH: So, did the songs that you DID choose to be on the CD represent the title, "THE NEW WHAT NEXT"?
JASON: Yeah, I'd like to think so. We just kinda stole the title from a journal that Chris was writing. The lyrics were on the front cover, and, you know, we were really happy with the record, and we really feel like it's really different, something we haven't done before. That's why the title worked for us so well.

SKRATCH: What exactly makes this record so new and unique?
JASON: It's really kind of hard to say [...] It's our last record for Epitaph. We feel totally comfortable playing it, putting our name on it. We've kind of explored a few new areas in it. It's always different for us, because we always try to do something to keep the record fresh and exciting [for] the audience [...]. It's just stuff, like, that good mojo. (Is that what it's called?)

SKRATCH: After experimenting here and there, was there a new particular style you tried out that you liked?
JASON: I think actually getting "The Ebb and Flow" to come together into a song that we felt like were playing well was probably the most fun, probably just because we definitely would've never done anything like that before. It's always a little weird then, because you don't want it to come off contrived and, like, not good. That can always be a little daunting. But thinking about where the song started and ended up is always fun. That's the best thing about recording: sometimes it's a lot different---and, hopefully, better.

SKRATCH: Are your longtime fans usually very supportive of the changes?
JASON: A lot of them are, but a lot of them are always looking for a reason to...pick apart anything new that you try to do. [Pause] I mean, I haven't played [the new album] for anyone who hasn't liked it yet; but then again, I've only played it for my friends, so I don't know what the general consensus will be. It's the thing you definitely worry about, but you worry about it when the record is done, not when you're writing it.

SKRATCH: Well, they'll get a chance to listen to it when it's released and you guys embark on your release tour. Where are you guys starting out?
JASON: Florida, in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa---just kinda warm up.

SKRATCH: You guys are obviously against Bush. Did the fiasco with the last election in Florida disappoint you?
JASON: Oh yeah, definitely. It was a terrifying, terrifying thing---which we're hoping to avoid this year.

SKRATCH: Awesome. Lastly, has there been one question you've been dying for me to ask this entire time?
JASON: Nah. At least no one today has asked me any of the questions you've asked. It's starting to get more hectic now that there are more interviews.

SKRATCH: Yeah. I read some of Hot Water Music's past interviews, and it seems like you're always the one who gets interviewed.
JASON: [Laughs] Yeah. I'm usually the guy who answers the phone when I get told to.

By Mabel Lam
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