INTERVIEW - Jaded Truth: "Many people have told us they get the genuine feeling of the 90’s grunge bands from our music."
Interview with Michael Small by Carina Lawrence
Grunge hard rock band Jaded Truth formed in 2019 in St John's, Newfoundland. In 2020 they released their debut album 'Rx', a concept album about addiction and insomnia, and soon after, they dropped their sophomore album 'Tsukimono' in 2021. In 2022, they unleashed their third album, 'Take A Seat', highlighting further their 90s-inspired sound with punk and metal elements. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Kyle Woodland, bassist Aaron Jones and drummer Michael Small. I chatted with Michael to learn more about the band and their new album.
Firstly, let’s go back to the beginning. What are your earliest memories of music and the moment you decided you wanted to be a musician?
As a kid, I was never big into music. I enjoyed certain songs I would hear on the radio, but it wasn’t a big passion. When I entered my teenage years, some of the first music I really loved was Eminem. I had never heard anything like that before, and it really opened the floodgates. Growing up in the early 2000’s Nu-metal was big at the time, so bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, and System Of A Down were huge for me. Later I found my way into the Grunge era, which really became a passion of mine. Thrash metal, black metal, prog rock… all those soon followed.
Can you tell us about how you came to form?
We got together in 2019. We all knew each other from the local punk/metal scene. Our previous bands had fallen apart, so we ended up getting together.
We knew we all wanted to play music similar to the bands of the 90’s, Metal and Punk elements mixed with Alternative. We’ve done 3 albums so far and played a ton of shows locally. It's been a wild ride.
How would you best describe your music?
Our music is very influenced by the 1990s grunge scene, so bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains, really inspired us! We try to mix elements of Punk and Metal with Alternative. The lyrics usually come from a dark place, angst, apathy, and struggles in life. It's not all doom and gloom, but we definitely like to focus on the darker side of life.
What are your main influences, both musically and creatively?
The grunge scene is a big one. We’re also metalheads, so bands like Metallica, Pantera, and Black Sabbath are big influences. Punk bands like Sex Pistols, Misfits and Descendents.
We also get inspired by films, art, and literature of the past. That's the beauty of being in a band. You get to explore all these different avenues of art, whether it be making videos or album art, it's all in there.
What are you currently working on now?
We just finished our new album, “Take a Seat” we’ve been working on it over the past year, coming up with songs and ideas! We had a lot of material to choose from!
We had over 20 demos of songs, so we managed to narrow it down to 12 for the album. I think it really made the album stronger than our last one. It was a great album, but we felt it could have been more cohesive. We definitely achieved that on this album! We had a bit more quality control, and it improved the final product!
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What was the writing and recording process like for the new album "Take A Seat"?
The writing process took a while. We pretty much jammed and brainstormed ideas. We even wrote more songs on top of that, which really added to the overall album.
What, if any, are the main lyrical themes explored on the album?
A lot of the lyrics are apocalyptic in nature. With the current state of the world. War, Political and social unrest it was definitely an inspiration in a lot of the lyrics… we wanted to make an album reflective of the times.
How did you arrive at the album title, and what does it mean to you?
Our singer Kyle had a lot of ideas for an album title. He does all the lyrics and the album covers. When he suggested “take a seat” we thought it fit perfectly. The album is meant to be cinematic and tell a story! The world is in decay, society is collapsing around us… “Take A Seat” and watch it fall…
What was the hardest part of writing the new material?
I think the hardest part was picking the best material. We almost had enough songs for a double album, but we narrowed it down to the best 12.
How do you think the new material compares to your previous work?
I think the album has our best collection of songs. More cohesive and tighter than the previous album. It has a real merger of punk and metal, and that is one of our main goals as a band.
How excited are you to play the new material live, and what can fans expect from your live shows?
Very excited! I think these new songs are gonna fit perfectly into our live set! Really looking forward to it.
We try to be really energetic on stage and move around a lot! We want to put on a show for the crowd. We are passionate about our live performance.
We also do covers from the grunge era like Nirvana, Mad Season and Alice In Chains. As I said, many people have said they get a true grunge vibe from our shows, so that means a lot to us.
We also do covers from the grunge era like Nirvana, Mad Season and Alice In Chains. As I said, many people have said they get a true grunge vibe from our shows, so that means a lot to us.
What have been some of the best moments for you being in the band so far, and why?
The creative process is definitely the best moment for us. Creating new music and bouncing ideas off each other. Starting with nothing and at the end of the day having a finished song. It's an amazing feeling.
When we first got together, it was a bit difficult to get things going, but now we write songs so easily! We never have a “dry session”. Every time we get together, we are creating something new!
Also, playing live and the reaction from fans is amazing. Many people have told us they get the genuine feeling of the 90’s grunge bands from our music. That is probably the highest compliment we could get!
The creative process is definitely the best moment for us. Creating new music and bouncing ideas off each other. Starting with nothing and at the end of the day having a finished song. It's an amazing feeling.
When we first got together, it was a bit difficult to get things going, but now we write songs so easily! We never have a “dry session”. Every time we get together, we are creating something new!
Also, playing live and the reaction from fans is amazing. Many people have told us they get the genuine feeling of the 90’s grunge bands from our music. That is probably the highest compliment we could get!
Outside of music, what else do you enjoy in your downtime?
I'm really into movies! I like old black n white films from the 40’s & 50’s. The film noir era. It has a lot of darkness and romantic tragedy that really appeals to me.
What else have you got planned for the rest of the year, and what else would you like to achieve?
Hopefully, we will play more shows, and people will enjoy our new record, “Take A Seat”.
https://jadedtruth.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/Jadedtruthofficial/
https://instagram.com/jadedtruthofficial
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jaded-truth/1496721768
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0FePI8HSmCYiSFlxEfmCH4?si=vkLKGGSRQKyN3-mHR1Jz0A
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