A Dirty Dozen with MICHAEL SMALL from JADED TRUTH – November 2022

According to a recent press release: “Jaded Truth was formed in 2019 in St John’s Newfoundland. It all began when Kyle Woodland & Aaron Jones were looking for a drummer after the demise of their previous band. They soon recrutied Michael Small behind the kit and began writing songs. Influenced by the 90’s bands of Seattle such as Nirvana & Alice In Chains, Jaded Truth has a heavy & dirty sound with influences of punk & metal.” We get drummer Michael to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

I think the album is pretty straight forward! Its a mixture of punk & metal with a lot of apocalyptic themes. Its really an album for the times, the current state of the world. Its a bit more straight forward then some of our previous releases. Even though we consider ourselves a “grunge” band and take a lot of inspiration from that era, we didn’t want to make an album that was stereotypical of that sound so I think this album shows a lot of growth for the band.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I think it was back in high school when a lot of my friends started playing guitar and getting into heavy music! I tired to learn guitar at the time but I took to the drums more naturally! With a lack of drummers at our school, A friend of mine convicted me to get a kit… We jammed in his shed and I was hooked ever since.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Nirvana has always been one of my favourite bands. This might sound cliche, but that drum beat to Smells Like Teen Spirit really made me want to take up the drums! As I got older I got into different types of music, more metal & punk, extreme metal… but I always keep coming back to those 90’s bands like Alice In Chains & Soundgarden.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

I’ve always had a dream of working with Steven Wilson from Porcupine Tree. I’m a big fan of Prog rock and I love Blackwater Park album he produced with Opeth. I don’t know if he would be into Jaded Truth’s music, but if I ever had a chance he would be the guy!

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

Listening to music is always gonna be my passion. Sometimes I’ll throw on certain songs just to help deal with the frustration or depression I might be feeling at any given time! Music has always been a therapy to me… but of course, as a musician you need other outlets. I’ve always been into movies, a few years ago I really got into old black & white movies from the 40’s & 50’s Film Noir. And sometimes, I just go for a walks, no headphones or anything I just listen to nature.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Our music is very much a homage to the Grunge era. One cringe comparison has been accused of too much Nirvana worship haha. As I said Nirvana is my favourite band so that is bound to happen. There are influences of Nirvana on each of our albums but I think on the newest one, Take a Seat, we’ve explored other territory. You can’t be a copycat of another band, there is only one Nirvana, one Alice In Chains. So we found more of our own identify with this album.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Kyle for the cooking. Arron for the acoustic guitar, and defiantly myself getting the drinks in haha.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I’ve never really met anyone famous in person. I got to see Slayer live before they retired and just seeing a band you’ve loved so much as a kid, standing right there in front of you was a surreal moment.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Best part of being a musician for me is the creative process. Coming up with ideas. Letting the music flow though you. You can pick up a guitar or kit behind the drum kit and before you know it, you got a cool riff or a drum beat, that came out of nowhere. Its amazing when it happens so effortlessly! Music is a real obsession for me so if I wasn’t a musician myself I’d defiantly be a producer/engineer. Fortunately I’ve got the chance to work with other artists beside my own music. So the whole production side is a huge passion of mine!

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I’m just happy to talk about my music. We worked really hard on this album. Interviews can be a bit tedious at times. But I just feel fortunate to get the change to talk about our band and what we do!

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I don’t know if there has been any real missteps. We thought our last album would get a bigger reaction then it did. After a year or more of hindsight, we could of made that album Tsukimono bit more cohesive! That was our goal with this album, not just put out the next batch of songs you’ve written. We really took our time and tired to pick the best songs and ideas and make it all fit together as a body of work.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I’ve always loved behind the scenes footage from the recording studio. I’m gonna have to say Dirt by Alice In Chains. That album just had such an impact on me as a kid. I would of loved to watch Layne doing his vocal tracks. That would of been amazing.

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Category: Interviews