OFF THE RIP: A Jason Popson Fan Page

I'd like to meet:

"MUSHROOMHEAD'S OLD FRONT MAN RETURNS WITH A NEW BAND" - by: D.X. Ferris, published: May 7, 2008 (featured in Cleveland's Scene magazine)

^Jason Popson and Gene Hoglan in the studio, recording material for Pitch Black Forecast. (photo by: Walter Novak)

"After 11 years on the road with Mushroomhead, Jason Popson — who was known as "J. Mann" back then — made some friends in metal places. He split from Cleveland's reigning rock kings in 2004, and his new group, Pitch Black Forecast, marks a return to the spotlight. And he's backed by A-list guests from all over the metal world.

Pitch Black Forecast's debut album, Absentee, delivers the sound and the substance he was looking for — with unrelenting athletic drumming by percussion legend Gene Hoglan and appearances by Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe and Ringworm vocalist the Human Furnace. Popson's first post-Mushroomhead metal project had humble beginnings: In 2004, 'Head was riding high, touring the country to promote a major-label record. During downtime, Popson went on the road with pals Meshuggah, the kings of Swedish tech-metal. But he wasn't singing or playing; he was selling their merch.

Tipping his Bud Light, Popson recalls the guys in Mushroomhead laughing at him. "They said, 'What are you doing selling T-shirts? We sell more records than those guys.' But it made me the connections for the first release on my [Fractured Transmitter] label — the Meshuggah EP [2004's I]. And for my new band."

Strapping Young Lad, a highly regarded traditional metal group, was also on that tour. Its drummer, Hoglan, is a pioneer of the genre's pneumatic double-bass rolls. He's played with Dark Angel, Testament, cartoon-metal kings Dethklok, and dozens of others over the years. For weeks, Hoglan knew Popson as simply J the T-Shirt Dude.

"He was just a cool guy," recalls Hoglan. "He never brought up [his band] once. And one of my dudes brought it up, like, 'That guy's in Mushroomhead.' Like, no sh*t? Later, [Popson] said, 'I'd like to get you to do a song or two on this project.' And I always wanted to do it, because I dug J."

Over the years, quite a few other people found they dug Popson too. Pitch Black Forecast was originally conceived as an all-star project like Dave Grohl's Probot: With Popson singing, a different guitarist would play on each track. Axemen in top underground groups like Dillinger Escape Plan, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Hatebreed, and Obituary committed. But when Popson was all set to record, his buds were busy making their own albums. All except Hoglan. The original project was dead, but a new band was born.

Hoglan came to Cleveland in January 2007. When he arrived, Popson had no songs ready. By the time the drummer left 10 days later, they had recorded an entire album. Under the pressure to create something from nothing, the two didn't get much done at first. Hoglan spent time sitting on a sofa, writing riffs. So engineer Bill Korecky brought in former NDE guitarist Robert Reinard, who got a crash course in Advanced Metal. "I'd give him homework," says Popson, between drags of a Marlboro. "I'd say, 'Go write a song that sounds like Carcass meets Hatebreed.' And he would."

Those cram sessions yielded Absentee, a survey of various metal styles, with Hoglan's intricate, ambidextrous, and rapid-fire play at its heart. "Atonement" nods to riff-based thrash classics; "Ornament" is a mosh-pit call to arms. One of Popson's favorite tracks is "Lighthouse," a late addition to the record, featuring lyrics that were already tattooed on his left forearm in script: "We need a lighthouse for the lost/And a beacon for the broken."

"I put the United States of America on trial," says Popson of the song. "The way we treat kids, too much reality TV, what is condoned and promoted. 'We've got to stand up/We've got to fight back/We've got to man up/And say f*ck that.' That's some sh*t you can salute to."

The album's unifying theme comes down to frustration. Popson's grandfather died shortly before he quit Mushroomhead. His dad passed soon after that. Then many friendships fell apart. Absentee is the singer's first chance to let off four years of steam.

But for the time being, Popson faces the tough business of getting people interested in Absentee. He's heavily invested in the album, having spent his remaining Mushroomhead savings on studio time, packaging, ads, a publicist, and airfare and hotels for Hoglan and bassist Craig Martini. The elaborate CD insert includes a foldout poster, featuring artwork by top-ranked illustrators Derek Hess and Stephen Kasner.

Whether Absentee sells or not, Popson is happy he made the record he always wanted to hear. And you can bet he's not talking about just money when he says, "Everything I've got is in this record." - D.X. Ferris

^ Jason has developed Fractured Transmitter Recording Company, a label that is home to such upcoming artists as Asleep, The Alter Boys, Disengage, Jeff Walker, and American Werewolves. Click HERE to visit the Fractured Transmitter website.

^ Jason is currently working with Craig Martini, Gene Hoglan, and Robert Reinard on a project called PITCH BLACK FORECAST, formerly under the name ABSENTEE. The band's debut album, "Absentee", was initially set to hit stores on May 6th, 2008. However, due to circumstances beyond the band's control, the release date has been pushed back to May 20th, 2008. "Absentee" will see its release through Fractured Transmitter. Click HERE to see Pitch Black Forecast's page!

[Jason in Galahad Studios. Photo taken from studio's official website.]

^ Jason is also at work on a project with Dead In London's Brett Moore, called BITCH WRANGLER. The two are laying down tracks at Galahad Studios in Bedford, Ohio. Stop by the Galahad Studios page and hear Bitch Wrangler's "Ballad of Glenn Schwartz." New songs will be featured on an upcoming 7-inch, to be released through Fractured Transmitter.

Galahad Studios official site ....click for link

Galahad Studios MySpace ....click for link.

^ (216) features Jason Popson, Steve "Skinny" Felton, Jack "Pig Benis" Kilcoyne, and Dave "Gravy" Felton [the latter 3 all current members of Mushroomhead].

* (216) Website .....Click the link to see the (216) site.

Mushroomhead (J Mann, 1993-2004)
In a post-Shroom interview with Domain Cleveland's $Bill Bailey, Jason explained the reasoning for his departure from the band: "Well the reason I left actually had very little to do with the band. It was mostly personal stuff, my father got really sick, I started a company and they wanted to do a long tour that I just couldn't do at the time. I was trying to start a company; I was trying to get reacquainted with my father during his time of need. And that was mostly it; it wasn't like I was fed up with the band or anything like that. It was just timing and I couldn't do it." (credit: DomainCleveland.com)

Jason maintains contact with his former band mates and continues to play with Benis, Skinny, and Gravy in (216). Jason has also made several appearances onstage with Mushroomhead at various shows, contributing vocals.

J also appears on Mushroomhead's official DVD release, "Volume 1." Featuring several music videos, live performances, and priceless footage of the guys' offstage antics, it is a must-have for any Shroom or Popson fann.

State of Conviction
Cleveland Hardcore. SOC's 1997 "A Call to Arms" album was originally printed in limited quantities through the Holy Terror record label. However, the album saw a well-deserved re-release in 2006 via Fractured Transmitter. For the first time, fans were given a booklet of full SOC lyrics as well as various pictures of the band through the years. The movie clips featured on the original album were taken out for the FTRC release ["Taxi Driver, Natural Born Killers, Charles Manson"].

One year prior to "A Call to Arms," SOC collaborated with fellow Clevelanders Schnauzer and released a 7-inch vinyl called "Thoughts Light Fires."

[^scan provided by J-CON]

Unified Culture
Unified Culture, formed in 1990 by Jason Popson and Vic Novak, gave birth to a new genre of music for Cleveland: Funkcore. The band has seen lineup changes throughout the years, released a few demos, and eventually delivered 1995's "To Know What's Up....You Have To Be Down". Unified Culture disbanded in 1996, but the band came back to life in 2000, and has since played several shows.

(216)
Perhaps the best-known of Popson's projects, (216) is a speed metal band featuring Steve and Dave Felton, as well as Jack Kilcoyne - all members of Mushroomhead. The band released its self-titled album in 1998, just one year after creating a split 7-inch vinyl with Schnauzer. Of all Jason's bands, (216) plays the most frequently in and around Cleveland. The band released the song "Theme Song" on 2000's Kingsbury Run Compilation, and often covers Bjork's "Army of Me" when playing live.

The Alter Boys
The recipe: Mr. Popson, "Jackass" star Ryan Dunn, Dog Fashion Disco members Todd Smith and Matt Rippetoe, toss in Eric Matthews of the Spudmonsters on drums, bring in the amazing Martini brothers for bass and lead guitar, add a dash of beach-vibe funk, a Tom Waits cover, and adorn them all in dress shirts and ties, and you've got one incredible concoction: The Alter Boys. The band released "The Exotic Sounds of the Alter Boys" in 2005 on FTRC, full of fun skits, guest appearances, and musical magic.

10,000 Cadillacs
The rap project 10,000 Cadillacs perhaps best demonstrates the versatility of Popson's vocal skills. A studio collaboration with Steve "Skinny" Felton, Jason created his own rhymes and lyrics while Skinny handled programming. To date, 10K Cadillacs have released a full-length album, "Reap the Whirlwind," as well as an EP, "Be My Guide." 10K worked with (216) and released the song "Off the Rip," a superb battle of vocals between the metal and the hip-hop styles of Jason Popson.

In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood were a hardcore band formed by Jason Popson and the Melnick brothers of Integrity. In 1998, they released "Hell on Earth" on Victory Records, an in-your-face collection of brutal hardcore anthems, some songs clocking in at under a minute in length. Popson's raw vocals are nicely accompanied by brilliant guitar work and pounding rhythms. Jason performed one live show with In Cold Blood before leaving the band.

Integrity 2000
Following line-up changes and tensions among members, Dwid Hellion reincarnated Integrity to develop Integrity 2000. In 1999, Integrity 2000 released its self-titled album, featuring Popson on guest vocals, Craig Martini on bass, and the Felton brothers of Mushroomhead on drums and guitar. Jason's vocals shine through on such tracks as "Falling Away" and "Violated."

Crossfader
Formed as an experimental "electronic" project, Crossfader have only officially released one song, "Death Is Certain....Life Is Not," available on the Kingsbury Run compilation. Featuring Mushroomhead veterans Steve Felton and Rick Thomas, Crossfader are a force to be reckoned with. Sadly, apart from "Death Is Certain....", little else has been heard from the band.

Rape Whistle/Lost Vegas/AM Factory
While collaborating in the studio, Jason and Dwid created two "noise" projects, Rape Whistle and Lost Vegas. Rape Whistle released 3 tracks ["Crowd Extermination, SKS, Playmate of the Year"] on the Compilation for Atonement vinyl, featuring bands Integrity, State of Conviction, and Psywarfare.

Lost Vegas released 2 tracks ["All Bets Down" and "It's Not Unusual (Tom Jones cover)"] on Dwid's "Bionic Bigfoot: Sasquatch Beats" compilation.

Jason and Skinny created the song "Deuce Balloon" while experimenting with new soundscapes and vocal styles. It was released on 1998's Mushroomhead Inc. Sampler.

Popson Family Benefit Show
On September 29, 2006, Jason held a memorial show for his late father, John Popson, with all proceeds going to the Popson family. With a 2-page setlist, the show featured songs from several of Jason's projects, encompassing most of his singing career.

ARTISTS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Jason Popson is known to "promote" (usually via T-shirts), bands and artists whose music he enjoys. Here are some musical acts that J has plugged, on stage and vocally.

~ Pig Destroyer

~ Ringworm

~ Holy Ghost

~ Tom Waits

~ Hatebreed

~ Integrity

~ Meshuggah

~ Protecious

~ Mike Patton

~ Clutch

~ The Melvins

~ G.I.S.M.

~ Bjork

~ Dog Fashion Disco

~ Strapping Young Lad

~ Agoraphobic Nosebleed

~ Isis

~ Keelhaul