Did You Know?
Re:Zound's song Angel was at the top of MTV's "Undiscovered Bands" song chart for nearly a year.
Re:Zound's latest album - Re:Worship
"RE:Worship is not just the name of an album. It is a RE:evaluation of our worship of God. It is about RE:connecting with God in a very personal way. It is all about RE:newing the heart." - Jason Anderson
(l to r) Dave Bass (bass), Jeff Zubeck (guitars/bgv's), Terry Dillard (drums), Jason Anderson (lead vocals), Mike Kaminski (keys), Wes Bender (guitars/bgv's)
We had the privilege of meeting with Jason and Jeff of Re:Zound a while back....
MQ: How do you feel technology is changing music? Whether it's through production, distribution, creation. How do you see that maybe affecting music and the industry over the next couple of years?
Jeff: I think the technology is allowing for more independent artists to get out there. Because of the technology thats out there, you can get out. Because of the technology thats out there, it doesn't cost two hundred fifty thousand dollars to produce a good selling album. You know, you can produce a good sounding album for a tenth of that or even less. Well, we've done it. (laugh)
Jason: The barriers to distribution have certainly come down quite a bit and it makes it a lot easier to distribute. You can get a website and a Visa, MasterCard or American Express, acceptance through Verisign or somebody - and suddenly you're an international sales retailer to promote your music. We certainly had a lot of help in the beginning stages of Re:Zound with Internet distribution - with uploading our music, throwing it out there, and seeing who'd listen to it, and seeing how they liked it. It is quite honestly how MTV ever heard of us or was willing to put us on their web site. I don't know if you knew, but we got voted MTV's number one undiscovered band by Internet people who voted. They'd never heard of us before. We didn't have a music video. At the time, we had nothing, you know. They were able to download the tune and listen to it. I think it helps the small people but now that we're starting a record label and we have another band on the record label now - and, of course, Re:Zound is selling records ... we think that all the downloading and piracy is bad - once you're established and going. 'Cause now it's stealing money out of pockets. It really is stealing even if people don't realize it. It is getting harder to steal, but it's still there.
MQ: It's almost a two-edged sword type of thing - there are positives and negatives.
Jason: It is. It really is.
MQ: Do you have a certain songwriting process that you go through or like a certain ritual maybe something you turn to for inspiration.
Jeff: There is that jacket you wear...(looking to Jason)
all: laughing
MQ: - or a certain pair of socks...
Jason: My coat? (laughing) I think Jeff and I both agree that songwriting has got to bubble out of you. And so if you sit down and write a song, what you wrote usually stinks since you're not into it. But if you're walking around and you can't get something out of your head, then you better sit down and write it. I usually write with a guitar. I try and get the melodies and rhythm pretty much locked down before I take it to the band. And when it hits the band, I have to be willing to realize that this is still clay and it's going to change dramatically with the band. And a lot of what I have created in my mind is going to change because now there is five other influences. And so allowing that song to become the best song it could be.
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