Rod Hunt interviews Jerk

JERK by ROD HUNT - 10-09-2001
THE DRUM MEDIA 14/8/01

LOCAL FREAKS JERK ARE SET TO LAUNCH THEIR DEBUT SELF TITLED EP, A HUGE,
THUMPING BLAST OF DARK, WEIGHTY ELECTRO-METAL. VIA THE WONDERS OF MODERN
TECHNOLOGY (WELL, JUST A PLAIN OLD SPEAKER PHONE ACTUALLY) I SPOKE WITH BOTH
VOCALIST/GUITARIST JOHNATHAN DEVOY AND BASSPLAYER DEE.
While JERK was initially a solo project for drummer/programmer Lamar Lowder,
in 99' he hooked up with Johnathan and started assembling the four piece
line up that has now been together for a year and a half, completed when
they found guitarist Charles Cilia, followed by Dee.

Q) Has the direction of the band changed much since you all first got together?

Johnathan: "That's the one thing about Lamar, he's had this one ideal since the
beginning, it hasn't changed. The kind of music that we wanted to do
and the kind of things we wanted people to experience when seeing us, it
hasn't changed the whole time. We've all been in this band for a year and a
half and we've always been having the same conversations. Like how can we
make this one thing better and how can we make it louder and more intense.

"You can be in a band but there's no point if you have no actual direction. But
if you have an ideal it's the one thing that brings you all together.
It's very much a Tool thing, that's what they have. Four dudes,
who meet in the middle and that's what they are. That's the thing
they put out, the product they have, that's what meets in the middle. Four
completely different people, as is with us."
Dee:"Sharing an ideal. I mean the thing I found about this band that really
turned me on first off was that the music was great. Everyone in the band
is just a hundred percent behind it and it drives them, they're all driven.
And I haven't had that in a long time, with bands I have been
kicking around in and I don't think anyone else in the band has either.

"So we're really happy to be united. And its also very much an audio-visual
thing, its not just a band standing on stage being cool. Its like fucking absolute chaos at times. Controlled chaos."

Q) What can people expect at a JERK live show?

Johnathan: "If you want to hear a band, buy the fucking record. If you want to
see them, if you want to know what they're about, stand up front, I will
fucking sweat on you. If you want to see what it is we're feeling."

Dee: "Up front they're likely to cop all kinds of different liquids at times.
Blood and god knows what else."

Johnathan: "Shit flying around. Wear a raincoat. You have to keep it separate
You can have your recordings, and recordings are all well and
good, but the best way to get people into what you do is to just fucking
grab 'em and show 'em! Here it is, here's who we are."

Dee: "These days, with the way studios are, its really easy to get people to
sound good in the room, but it's really hard to go and see a band that
really kicks your ass and makes you walk away and think 'Fuck that was
a really good show'. And that's what i like to think JERK is."

Q) Is it a form of catharsis for you?

Johnathan: "There are certain things in the human being that need to get out.
And there has to be a productive way that they can get out. And that's
what this is, that's what JERK is. No one gets hurt and everyone
goes home feeling really, really good."

Dee: "And the thing is, the audience always looks exhausted after one of our
shows. Which has gotta be a good thing. If we don't come off stage
totally fucked and sore and all that kind of shit and if at least one
person in the band doesn't bleed at every gig, we haven't really done our
job. Blood's good."

Johnathan: "Realism."

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