A Dirty Dozen with AMERICAN JETSET – January 2024

According to a recent press release: “American Jetset broke out of their East Coast hometown on a mission to unite misfits across the world with their Sleaze Rock / Pop Rock signature, illuminating what lingers in the shadows of the post-Sunset Strip Era. Drawing inspiration from an eclectic array of antiheroes, including Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Alice Cooper, and Faster Pussycat deviation lies at the core of their discography starting with the release of their debut EP, Live Love Die on Main, in 2018. In 2020, Jetset moved further from the dark and murky underground with the release of Saloon Rock Whiskey Pop (LP) while their 2022 follow-up, Cat’s Got Your Tongue (LP), established the outfit as one of the premier rock bands in the US.” We get the band 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?

Ian: Our band is a no-nonsense RnR band but we approach our recordings like they are small movies. Everything you hear is there for a reason and every sound plays a role – The soundscapes are almost cinematic. Anyone listening with headphones will start picking up on that right away.

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

Ian: Oh man… music has always been in my life. My dad was a musician so I started playing piano at a very early age. Nothing creative but I began writing simple songs very early on. On top of that my moms roommates were all musicians or people that worked in the music business. She used to drag me around to clubs to see bands and I absolutely loved it. Being a musician was always in the cards.

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

Jeff: My influences come from every direction… but, being a kid in the eighties that’s just how it was. I made most of my music buying decisions based on album covers flipping through LPs at the record store as well as magazines like Circus, Hit Parader and even Thrasher.

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

Ian: If I could call in anyone living it would be a toss up between Nikki Sixx and Robert Smith. I was the kind of misfit that went back and forth between the Crüe and The Cure and was obsessed with both as a kid. I’d love the opportunity to just sit there and riff with either of them.

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

Jeff: Actually, the studio, rehearsals and live shows is how I unwind from the rest of life!

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?

Ian: Depending on the person, I describe our band as the Sunset Strip band you can’t believe you never heard of. If I we’re using bands to describe us, I’d say we’re a mix of early Mötley, Poison, and Faster Pussycat. The cringiest, most head-shaking thing a journalist has ever said is that we were reminiscent of Chevelle.

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?

Jeff:  Our manager Flynn is an insanely good cook and also makes decisions on where we eat or order from for the most part. Skinz will always have the booze for all and Kevin will make sure we are all stocked with protein bars and liquid IV. We’re not much for acoustic singalongs… we only jam out at rehearsals, studio and on stage.

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

Ian: Our band has been around for 5 years and played coast-to-coast in front of every major band in the genre. I have been starstruck by exactly one person – Tom Keifer. That Motherfucker is on an entirely different level. He’s everything you think a rockstar should be and more. Also the most unbelievable performer I think we’ve ever played with.

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?

Jeff: The best part is expressing yourself but I also really enjoy the business side of it all, the whole package. I started as a music teacher a little over 10 years ago. So pretty much, it all revolves around music. I can’t escape it LOL.

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?

Ian: I don’t think we get asked enough what it’s like to play present vs. past. The first thing is that we’re older and we don’t have the expectation of “making it”. We’re out here to have a blast and there are no more expectation. As far as questions I’m tired of answering? I’m just glad their asking. I’ll even answer them twice. Ha! If I were to pick one, it would have to be “tell us about the song and what inspired it”. I hope that when people listen to our songs they find something for themselves instead of what was in my head.

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?

Ian: Jeff and I started American Jetset and we came from other bands that were signed and toured the country. I used to kick myself for not making more of those opportunities but after all these years later, here we are. We’re still playing, we’re doing it without any expectations and people dig it! What’s better than that? No regrets.

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?

Jeff: I would say Mötley Crüe’s Shout At The Devil sessions. Just to see how they made such an amazing and impactful album at that age AND how it was even possible with all the debauchery. That album lit the fuse for me, for drumming and so many other things.

AMERICAN JETSET LINKS:

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Category: Interviews