Jason Martin's a pretty busy guy. He's a truck driver, a producer, an all around nice guy... he also has a little band you may have heard of...Starflyer 59. People describing (or attempting to describe) their sound always come up with "noisy", "beautiful", and "not fast" (that'd be slow). Kurt Morris had a nice little chat with our friend Jason...so go ahead and read it.

Tell me about the new album a little bit.
Americana is just a rock & roll album, nothing shocking, just rock songs.

Any touring plans to go along with the new album?
We're going on tour in April, and we'll probably do Cornerstone.

How has it been with Eric & Wayne (formerly of the Prayer Chain)as permanent members?
I'd never had a full band on a record, so it was different showing them the songs and seeing how they played them. I think things turned out good. Eric & Wayne make for a cool band.

I hear that you work for your dad and with Ronnie. What exactly do you do and what's it like to work with family?
We're truck drivers. Working with family has its ups and downs, it's good because I can get off to tour, but you can't ever call in sick, because your family's depending on you.

Speaking of family, what do your parents think of you and Ronnie's interest in "alternative" music?
They don't really understand the music, but they like what we do and that people buy the records.

How come in the past year or so, Starflyer's been playing such short live shows?
It's not that they're short, we just think that other bands play way too long. In my opinion, a 20 or 25 minute set is long enough, you see? What you need to see, if you don't like us, we're not wasting your time. If you do, you'll be left with a little excitement about the next time. To me, long sets, no matter how good the band are unnecessary.

How's married life?
Good. I thank God He gave me a girl that loves me.

Starflyer is one of the top 5 selling bands on Tooth and Nail, and one of the most popular bands on college campuses. How do you respond to all of Starflyer's popularity?
By the turnout at some of our shows, it doesn't seem like we're popular at all, but I do think it's sometimes weird that people list Starflyer as an influence and that there's always been some excitement about what we're doing. I'm just thankful people care about the band.

What are your long range plans with Starflyer?
If God is willing, to keep putting out music.

Who influences you, musically?
A little bit of everything. Surf music, hard music, Christian bands I grew up listening to...I just love songs with good chord changes.

What do you think of the Christian music scene?
I think a lot of times it's not very Christ-like, including me, but that is between the person and the Lord. There's too much emphasis on the art and not the Lord. It's hard, though, because we all want to be cool.

Any final comments, questions, or funny things that Wayne has said in French?
Jesus Christ is Lord, God is good.