Words: Miljan Milekić
California punk rock legends Strung Out are having a big year! Not only have they released a brand new album ‘Dead Rebellion’ but they are non-stop on the road since March, including the first European tour in seven years. We were lucky enough to catch their Saskatoon show this April, and now, we had the chance to catch up with singer Jason Cruz to talk about the new music and much more. Check the interview below!
Hi Jason! How are you? What have you guys been up to for the last couple of months?
Jason: We’ve been on tour since March, pretty much. So, yeah, that’s what I’ve been doing.
‘Dead Rebellion’ has been out for almost two months now, how happy are you with the feedback you have received so far?
Jason: When we play the songs live, people lose their shit. (laughs) So, that’s a good sign. I think with this record, we’ve definitely split our audience – half of people hated it, and half of people loved it. But it’s always been like that, with every record we ever did. You just keep doing what you do and believe in yourself.
I feel like this was always the case with you – you keep changing and reinventing yourselves as a band, offering something new and different. How challenging is it to keep doing it, and where did this new sound come from?
Jason: I think that’s what it’s all about. Making music and making art, you get to a point where you start to repeat yourself and you have to make a conscious effort to try and do something different. That’s why bands work with different producers – to bring something out of them that they normally wouldn’t have done before. To me, that’s the whole point of being a musician, to get outta your comfort zone. It’s strange when people are surprised by that or complain about it. I don’t understand. I thought that that was what we’re supposed to do, you know? I know some people like music like comfort food. They want the band to keep making the same record. And I guess I could see that, but we’re not that kind of band, and we have never been that kind of band.
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But also, you’ve been around for 35 years now, have they not learned that by now?
Jason: It’s a gift. We’re giving you a gift, and if you don’t like it, don’t listen to it. I like to think that we’ve put in the extra work to be like that. It’s a lot of work to abandon people’s expectations of you. That’s a very scary thing to do sometimes.
I mean, for me, that shows that the band cares. You didn’t go for low-hanging fruit, but took the risk and put in the work to bring something new to the table.
Jason: Thank you. I will say this – as a musician, you have to earn your place in the scene. With every new record or creation, you have to earn your place in the scene by not taking from it. It’s easy to jump on the punk rock bandwagon or the hardcore bandwagon and do what everyone else is doing. You’re kind of just riding the wave. But to actually try and do something different, and contribute, I think it’s a very important thing to do. And I hope we pull that off.
There is one song on a record that’s particularly intriguing to me. When I first played the record, the moment ‘Future Ghosts’ kicked in, it felt like a punch in the face. It feels dark, heavy, and suffocating, yet somehow liberating once the chorus kicks in. What was the driving force behind this one?
Jason: Well, you want to create tension. You want to create a certain amount of tension with the intro and the verse, and then the chorus should relieve it. We’re playing around with stuff like that, and it’s a huge part of writing a dynamic song. I try to think of what we want the audience to do when we play the song live, you know? And with this record, I want people to bob their heads. I want to get the groove going.
The whole record, in fact, is very interesting lyrically, as it seems almost like a diary, observing and capturing everything around you. It’s not like you haven’t done that before, but this time, it seems a bit more front and center, What motivated you for an approach like this?
Jason: I don’t think there was any conscious decision with the lyrics. I think the title was the catalyst for the lyrics and the tone of the record. The title came first, then the artwork came second, and then everything just built off that. I think it’s got a very dystopian feel to it, with everything after Covid happening.
And then, bands like NOFX are retiring and everyone’s getting older now, so it’s kind of begging to ask the question – what has all this amounted to? Where are we now? Who are we? And, the older I get, the less I want to try and explain everything in lyrics, and just create tones. It’s like paintings – the meaning is not obvious, but maybe you listen to it after a while and it invokes something within yourself that draws something outta you. And I think that’s super important. It’s something I’ve been trying to experiment with – not overexplaining everything and leaving blank spots so people can fill that in with their own experiences and emotions.
And I love that you mentioned the artwork and how it influenced the record. In today’s world, it seems like album artwork is almost an afterthought, given that most people will only see it as a thumbnail-sized image in their Spotify apps. So can you tell me more about it?
Jason: Honestly, the artist just popped up on my feed one day, now that we’re bringing up the phone. And his artwork was exactly what I was looking for, for the title ‘Dead Rebellion.’ I think ‘Dead Rebellion’ was such a powerful title, and the artwork needed to match it. And, I don’t know, I think that’s when you know you’re on the right path – when things fall together. When they present themselves to you when you’re in a spot to recognize and utilize it. I was very fortunate – the artist was very accommodating and very sweet, and he was a fan of the band. He had a particular piece of art that was exactly what I was looking for, and I’m very grateful that that happened. Sometimes things just fall into place and, if your eyes are open and your heart is open, you can take it in and build from it.
Being an artist yourself, how hard is it to find and pick the right image, or the right visuals that can translate the vibe and the message of the record? Do you feel like you stress about it a bit more than maybe some other people who are not as invested in the art world?
Jason: Well, I guess it’s a good thing that nobody else is. That’s my role in the band, and I’m very fortunate they trust me. I don’t want to do anything that nobody digs, but I feel like they leave it up to me and it makes it easy. There’s not a lot of discussion about it. There’s no arguing about it, so it’s nice. I try and do my best to represent what the band believes in and where we all stand. But yeah, it’s kind of my role, and it’s fun.
It’s fun to create the tone of the record, both visual and philosophical. I think it’s super important to have a vision – a package. I really try to do it for every record, so it has a theme and a vibe, you know? I think every band needs an artist. Every band needs a businessman, an artist, and a guy that’s really anal about the music. Everybody has their roles, and as men, we grow up. We’re not boys anymore. We understand our roles, strengths, and what we’re not good at. I think that’s part of being a man in a band.
As we mentioned earlier, you already had the chance to road-test some of the new songs, and it seems like the fans are more than happy to hear them. We only managed to catch the Saskatoon show, but it seems like ‘Future Ghosts’ and ‘New Gods’ especially are getting some love. Did you play any others, and are there more fan-favorites?
Jason: ‘White Owls’ gets a good reaction. But it’s all still experimenting. We haven’t been to Europe in seven years, so I have no idea how it’s gonna go over there. It’s a big mystery right now. We’re gonna try different stuff and see what works, but so far, ‘White Owls’ has been getting the best response.
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At this point, 35 years into your career as a band, how excited are you to play new music, and how challenging is it to create a setlist, knowing that you will have a few generations of fans in front of you?
Jason: Yeah! (laughs) I think that’s the problem with every band. Every time you write a new record, you bump old songs off the setlist. So, the first half of our set is old stuff. I think we do a pretty good job playing for an hour and a half, spanning our whole career. We haven’t heard complaints yet from people about the setlist. Also, we’ve made a conscious decision to revisit some of the songs we don’t play very much, and some of the songs that are hard to play live. We’re trying harder to bring some of those songs out of retirement.
I think you partially already answered it, but you said that you haven’t been in Europe for almost seven years now. So what do you expect from these shows and what are you bringing to Europe this time?
Jason: Well, I don’t know what to expect, honestly. I think we’re all a little bit pensive, as like I said, it’s been a while. We had to cancel our last tour because of all the Covid bullshit, so hopefully, there’s a little bit of anticipation and people have missed us. I treasure being able to go to Europe. It’s a gift. I appreciate it every time I get to go. And like I said, we’ve been on tour since March and we’re tight. We’re tight as fuck right now. We’re like a really solid machine. It’s 23 shows in 25 days, so it’s gonna be gnarly. (laughs) I just hope people come out and have a good time. And I can’t wait to play Punk Rock Holiday, go to Italy, and see some old friends I haven’t seen in a long time.
Punk Rock Holiday is just different. We went a few times when we were still living in Europe, and it’s just different!
Jason: We’re very fortunate. This is not gonna last forever, and I think it’s one of those things where you look back when you’re older and think – “God, that was amazing! That time in our lives, that place.” Every band I know, too – it’s the highlight of their tour.
Follow Strung Out:
Website: strungoutofficial.com
Facebook: facebook.com/strungout
Instagram: instagram.com/strungout
Twitter: twitter.com/strungout
*Interview edited for length and clarity