Interviews: Further Seems Forever

This is the last in the "ask random questions to random bands at Warped" series. The final installment is with Jason, singer of good times rock band Further Seems Forever. To get more info on the band, go to FurtherSeemsForever.com, and click on READ MORE to find out who Jason likes better, John Bonham or Keith Moon.

Scott: State your name, what band you’re in, and what you do.
Jason: My name is Jason, I sing for Further Seems Forever.
S: How’s the tour going for you so far?
J: It’s been totally rad. Every day has been totally awesome. The stage we play isn’t the greatest stage on Warped Tour or whatever, but I don’t think we’ve had less than 300 kids at a show… Like today, there must’ve been 700 kids… It was huge.
S: The kids are really digging it.
J: The people at Punkrocks.net are awesome, I mean they’ve helped us out a lot, just getting us on this tour… It’s like, they don’t get paid, we don’t get paid, it’s just kind of like a "have another stage and get some good bands on." We’ve been having a blast hanging out with our bros in New Found [Glory], seeing all the good bands play, just hanging out with everybody, it’s been really good.
S: When are you guys going back into the studio to work on new stuff?
J: We’re right in the middle of it right now. The new record will be out February 3rd, it’s going to be called "How To Start A Fire." After Warped Tour we have like a three week tour on the East Coast/Midwest…
S: Yeah, with Breaking Pangaea.
J: Yeah, it’s gonna be a great tour. But yeah, after we get done with that tour, we go back into the studio for another month, we’re recording… We’re also doing a Bjork tribute record at the same time.
S: I know you guys get a lot of the "Well, he’s not as good a singer as suchandsuch" and things like that. I look at you guys and I see a band that’s been on the road for pretty much two years straight - do you think that has helped you overcome the curse?
J: I don’t even know if it was a curse at first, I mean, I still hear a lot of it, but at the same time it’s like, he has his own fans, we have our own fans, some of them intermingle or whatever, but kids have been so supportive from the get go, from my first show. Yeah, I guess I’ve gotten over the hump.
S: I personally think you’re leaps and bounds better. I think you have more raw emotion in your voice. I guess that comes from being in Affinity and stuff like that…
J: You know about Affinity?
S: Oh, I know about everything, I’m a music geek. Yeah, do you ever have people saying "play that Affinity song!"
J: Yeah, I still get that, yeah.
S: Do you ever get sick of it?
J: Yeah… Well, naw, I guess it’s kind of cool that people know that. That band only went on tour once, and it was like 5 shows. That album has sold like 5000 copies, so who knows? I guess it’s cool. I started that band when I was like 15… The last three tracks on that CD are when I was 15. It’s cool, but we’ll never, ever play one of those songs.
S: Not even the Weezer cover?
J: The Affinity Weezer cover?
S: Yeah.
J: No, no. [laughs] They’re actually going into the studio in August to record a new record. They don’t have a new singer yet, but I heard the music the other day, and dude - it is so good. It’s like Meshuggah meets Sunny Day Real Estate, which is the stuff we were kind of writing when I left the band, but now it’s like… ridiculous.
S: Maybe they should call up Chris Carabba! You guys could just trade off bands, it’ll be one big family.
J: Oh yeah, yeah. [laughs]
S: So who’s one band on the tour besides you guys that you think people should go check out? Like, the one unknown talent.
J: I don’t know if they’re really unknown, but I’ve watched the Used a couple times, those guys are really really good. Quarashi is awesome, there’s a band called Park, they played right after us, they are soooo good. Really good.
S: It sounds like the guy from Millencolin singing…
J: Definitely.
S: But it’s still good.
J: Yeah.
S: If you could tour with one band for the rest of your life, no worries about money or anything, who would it be?
J: Led Zeppelin. Or Sunny Day Real Estate. Speaking on the band’s behalf, it would be Led Zeppelin, because we’re all huge into Led Zeppelin.
S: Well, would it be SDRE before the first breakup, or after the first breakup? Like, pre "How It Feels To Be Something On" or post-"How It Feels To Be Something On"?
J: Post.
S: Post?
J: Definitely. I would say that that record is my favorite record of all time.
S: Yeah, but "The Rising Tide" wasn’t that great.
J: Oh, I love that one too. I love everything they’ve ever done. Jeremy Enigk could friggin poop on a record and I’d buy it.
S: Do you have his solo album?
J: I do. I heard he’s recording two other ones that are coming out sometime soon, and the rest of the guys minus Dan Hoerner started a new band.
S: Yeah, I heard about that one. Okay, finally, since you mentioned Led Zeppelin… who’s better, John Bonham or Keith Moon?
[long pause]
J: [whistles] I’m gonna have to say John Bonham.
S: Ooh, that’s balls.
J: Yeah, it’s balls, but that guy plays rock like no one else, though. Keith Moon, don’t get me wrong, was friggin psychotic, but no one just friggin lays in and has a groove and just goes nuts like John Bonham.
S: All those weird time signatures and stuff.
J: Yeah, that guy, he’s awesome.