Love great Rock ‘n’ Roll played at speed by a bunch of upstarts who give more than a nod to the eighties-flavoured rock we all love? Want to hear a great debut album? Then Jettblack should be on your list of bands to check out in 2011. Their first CD hit last year and placed high in our BEST OF 2010. Matt Oliver took time out of their busy schedule to catch up with Mark from the Rockpit.
I love how their ‘influences’ section on Facebook reads “Anything up until about 1994”. I like it!
What’s more if Jettblack is your thing then read all the way to the bottom of the interview to enter our JETTBLACK COMPETITION…
Mark: “Get Your Hands Dirty” made our best 2010, how does it feel to know you have fans in Australia and the USA?
Matt: We’re honoured to make the ‘best of 2010’ hopefully we can retain a position in 2011s best too! It’s a real buzz for us to know our music is reaching out to people internationally.
We’ve always had the best times touring abroad too, and to get out of the UK for some sun is always a bonus!
Mark: You’re a tight band musically, for one so young; we were very impressed by the musicianship. How long have you been playing together?
Matt: We’ve been tinkering around together for some 14years, since we were nippers. It’s made us sick to death of one another 😉 but we’ve hopefully fine tuned some of our playing in that time.
Mark: How quickly did the album come together?
Matt: We had the tracks for about 4 years, and it took that long to finally release it. We pitched about to labels, considered a self-release, and got mucked about by a few, and then finally Spinefarm stepped up and gave us the support to get it out there.
Mark: Tell us about how the deal with Spinefarm, came about?
The deal came about through Dante Bonutto and our manager. Friends of ours who recorded our album at Fortress studios in London knew Dante well, and passed him on some tracks.
He liked them and has been fighting our corner ever since. Spinefarm are a good label who care about they’re bands too. You don’t feel like you’re signed up and then forgotten about.
Mark: What kind of crowd turns up to a Jettblack live show?
Matt: We get all kinds to the shows. It’s great to see a real mixture of the insanely young (just discovering 80s influenced rock and metal) and the folks who have been brought up on it.
There’s thankfully a resurgence of this genre of music now, and it’s frankly been desperate for it.
Mark: How hard is it to get attention in today’s climate?
Matt: It’s very easy to get lost amongst the barrage of bands and music, but as long as you persevere, play with conviction and write good tunes, anyone has a chance. A sprinkling of luck here and there is always a help too!
Mark: You’ve made the trip over to Europe, where are you heading to next?
Matt: We’re looking to get to Japan after April where our album is released, and there is talk of more Europe action. Australia would be incredible at some point! 😉
Mark: How has the album been received?
Matt: Well so far. Amazingly I don’t think we’ve had a bad review yet, probably tomorrow then! Ha!
Mark: You’ve played with Ratt, Airborne, and bands like Reckless Love. What has been your most remarkable tour so far?
Matt: I think we really enjoyed the Reckless Love tour the most. It was good to have bands within the same genre, but at the same time very different. It was a complimentary mix and the Reckless guys have the same outlook as we do.
Mark: Any funny stories from the road?
Matt: We always mention the milkshake story, where we almost killed the whole band. We were bickering in the car on the way back from a photo-shoot. Driving 80 miles an hour down the motorway, Tom wound me up so much I cracked and threw a large milkshake full pelt in his face, It exploded all in the car, drenched us and an awkward punch-up ensued whilst careering across 3 lanes. We then drove back in silence with milkshake dripping from the ends of all our noses. Typically we were friends again and laughing about it the next day.
Mark: What inspires you day by day?
Matt: The thought that one day we could be on the same bills as our favourite bands, and just the general energy and power that resides in rock!
Mark: Things seem to have become pretty big for you in 2010. How have you coped with the increase in exposure?
We seem to be coping well. To get some Christmas cards from fans was a nice touch, and some of the photos and artwork created by the fans is awesome!
Mark: You played an acoustic set at Download before the album came out, do you plan to do that ‘stripped back’ show again?
Definitely. I think if you can’t perform your songs stripped down competantly, then you shouldn’t be playing them. It’s always a good test, and a part of playing live we really enjoy. Also means occasionally I get to tape a tambourine to my boot!
Mark: How was Ozzfest? And what are your thoughts about the whole festival experience?
Matt: Ozzfest was fuckin’ rockin’! And daunting being the band to open it up. But all went well. I think festivals are great to chuck all your favourite bands together for a weekend and schedule your entertainment. Just got to pray for a good bill!
Mark: The feedback from critics is very positive. How do you build on that?
By releasing a new album that blows the bollocks off the last. There’s more work we need to do for the live show too, some of which involves spending some pennies, but it’s all worth it.
Mark: Are you at the forefront of the “New Wave of Eighties Rock”?
Matt: We’d like to say so. We’re not that bigheaded to bang that phrase about though…oh fuck it…. ‘Yes we’re at the forefront of new wave eighties!’ Ha!
Mark: How do you describe your sound?
Matt: Whitesnake meets Megadeth, throw in a touch of Foreigner’s romance and it’s somewhere near!
Mark: Where can people check you out?
Matt: Please find us at myspace.com/jettblackuk and our Facebook at – http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1768399729#!/pages/JETTBLACK/34390681646
Mark: If you could have been involved in the creation of any piece of music or album, what would it have been and why?
Matt: The Black Album, it’s an ultimate iconic beast of a record. That or The Lord of the Rings trilogy film score. Yes I’m a geek!
Mark: What is the meaning of life?
Matt: Living it to the full, getting stuck into anything you get involved with, and just Getting your hands Dirty!
Mark: Cheers for you time Matt and thank you for talking to www.theRockpit.net. Jettblack are certainly going to be one of the bands I will be watching with interest this year!
COMPETITION
Can’t get enough Jettblack? Well Matt has a signed copy of ‘Get Your Hands Dirty’ winging it’s way to whoever comes up with the most original and best answer to the following question.
‘ what should the title and artwork be for the next JETTBLACK album?’
Just email your answers to mark@therockpit.net and I will pass them on to Matt. His favourite answer will win the signed CD. Please note that by entering the competition you agree that all answers submitted will become the Property of www.theRockpit.net
Competition ends February 28th 2011 and the winner will be notified shortly afterwards.