Jason Nott – Drive A Interview

Ever since I was a kid, mainstream music has had its fair share of genre popularity adjustments. From soulful R’n’B to hardcore punk rock, to angry screamo and even jazzy blues. However, one genre which seems to be almost always forgotten in this day and age is that of classic rock n’ roll! One band determined not to let that happen is Drive A. Hailing from the sunny land of Los Angeles, these guys are on a mission to keep rock ‘n’ roll alive – and after seeing them perform in Canada, its safe to say they are definitely bringing “old-school” rock back in style.
We caught up with band member Jason Nott, at the Bamboozle Roadshow in Toronto!

Introduce yourself.
I’m Jason and I play guitar in Drive A.

So, how is Bamboozle going so far?
It’s going awesome. It’s a different crowd for us than we are used to but the fans have been really supportive, it’s been great. A lot of the bands on this tour are very different from us but I think it helps us to stand out more. It’s been going so well, we’ve been meeting so many more people here than we thought we would.

How would you describe your sound to someone who hadn’t heard you before? Who are your influences?
Well we are a rock n’ roll band with a punk rock influence. Green Day are one of my favourite bands, Billy Talent, Gallows I love. We love a lot of the UK punk bands like The Clash. We like to say we have an old influence, but with a new edge.

What’s the most rock and roll thing you have done on this tour?
Well we don’t really drink, or do drugs at all. But we have parties on our tour bus all the time. What we do is we go in the crowd and we invite everyone! I swear, like anyone who wants to come and hang out and have a good time with us, we buy them beer, because we don’t drink at all.

Great! So what time is this party?
Honestly, we party every night on the bus, you guys are more than welcome to come. We just bring all the kids to hang out. It’s awesome!

See you there! So what band do you enjoy watching most on this tour?
I really enjoy Good Charlotte a lot, I’ve liked them since I was like eleven. Another band called Great Big Planes are great, they’re not playing tonight though. The other bands, I’m not too familiar with, but I have watched a couple of them.

How do you feel having a band like Hanson on some of the dates of this tour?
It’s funny, because when I was like seven I liked Hanson. I wasn’t like a massive fan but I liked them a little bit. I’ve met those guys a couple of times and they’re really nice. They came to some parties on our bus too, and we hung out. They’re super nice guys.

If you could host your own festival, who would headline and who would support?
I would say we would be the opening band. I would love to tour with Rise Against, or maybe Green Day one day, that would be insane. Billy Talent would be great too.

What do you think of Green Day’s new material?
Most people ditched them after ‘American Idiot’ but I still love those records. They were kind of going downhill, but then they made a comeback. They changed their sound and they did a really good rock record, so I totally respect them for that.

You’re obviously on the road a lot, how do you deal with being away from loved ones back home?
I keep in contact with everyone, I talk to them on the phone constantly. But I mean I love touring and I love what I do, so it’s cool.

Let’s play word association!
Music.
Guitar.

Sheep.
Goat.

Touring.
Girls.

Alcohol.
Erm… no.

Gary Coleman.
Short guy.

Bandmates.
Awesome.

Hanson.
Cool hair.

FIFA World Cup.
Awesome.

England.
[thinks] Er…
I think what you mean to say is “England is the best country”?
Yeah, I totally agree, I love England, my Father is from there.

Fans.
Supportive.

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?
I’d like to work with Gallows. I mean, I like bands that aren’t necessarily similar our style. I really like Radiohead.

What is the most embarrassing band or artist you have got on your iPod?
I’ll have to whisper this one, Third Eye Blind. [laughs]
[Third Eye Blind happen to be on the Bamboozle tour.]
They’re one of those bands I loved when I was younger. My Mum actually took me to see them.

Are there any cover songs you would like to do?
We’ve actually done a couple of covers, we did a Clash cover and we did a Buzzcocks cover. We haven’t recorded any of them though.

What advice would you give to bands trying to make it into the music business at the moment?
Make sure you play with your friends. Make sure you play music that you like and believe in and just work really, really hard. If you really wanna play music for the rest of your life, than you have to work really hard at it. Don’t ever give up, you have to be dedicated.

What is next for Drive A?
After this tour we are going to take a month or two off for writing and recording for the next record. And then I think we’re planning to tour in September. We hope to release the record at sometime at the beginning of next year.

Sex, drugs or Rock ‘n’ Roll?
Sex! And maybe rock ‘n’ roll too.

And finally, who will win the FIFA World Cup?
I would say USA or England because I live in the USA but my Father is from England… I’ll just say England.

The album “Loss of Desire” is available on iTunes.

For more information and updates on Drive A, check out their official MySpace.

Interview by Tanu Ravi.