JASON McMASTER (DANGEROUS TOYS)

1. What are you currently up to?

I have a lot on my plate and am having a blast. I have gahdzilla motor company, I play bass and sing, its an original four piece band, and all about the heavy stuff. Check out gahdzillamotorcompany.com. gmc sounds like all your fave heavy bands, a little speed a little darkness, Sabbath and Slayer and all sorts of old school metal come into play, but, melody and deep content are in tact as well.. I have a band called Broken Teeth, check out brokenteeth.com. which is all about the rock! Rose Tattoo, AC/DC styles, four on the floor, nasty devil rock for titty bars is what some have called it, not glam, not progressive, maybe Motorhead at our fastest tunes, but more like Angus and Malcolm's cousins or something. You'll get it when you hear it. All original material, two cds out, and selling pretty good. A ton of fun. I have just returned from Japan with my long time rock band, Dangerous Toys. Our second trip to Tokyo. I love it over there. As well, Watchtower, the seminal progressive thrash metal band I was in before dtoys, has joined together to work on a new release 15 years later, so.. it's a crazy world for me, check out dangeroustoys.net, and marathoncd.com/watchtower.

2. What has been the highlight(s) and lowpoints(s) of your career to date?

I have a theory on that sort of mind set, take what you get, its only music, and the music is the best part, the business is whatever you make monitarily and how you promote yourself, not exactly what you start playing music for. But, wherever your music takes you, is actually how strong that music is, and not how many sold, and how much money you're making. Its hard to sell this theory, because most have to make money and become stars, or they give it up thinking that's how it is supposed to work. Low points are when schedules clash and shows are cancelled, high points are when the real fans are there and appreciative and sensitive to the songs and players. Tts pretty simple, and cut and dry to me. I have had a lifetime of happiness in my music, this has only been my life's goal, and I try to achieve this peace daily. I worship all that is rock!!!

3. Could you tell us a little bit about your new(ish) band Broken Teeth? How did the band get together? How would you describe the band's sound?

See answer two, but, yes, Broken Teeth is so much fun. We are not afraid to say it sounds like AC/DC, and old school rock. It's infectious, and hilarious, girls dance, guys bang, and its universal. Cowboy hats and mullets to headbangers are all pleased. Little Steven from Springsteens band/and the Sopranos, was at our show the other nite and loved it. We always look forward to doing shows, because the band has such a blast, and it shows. We formed in 99, when Perris records out of Austin Tx, run by a friend of ours, called and asked us to write some sorta AC/DC biker rock riffs for a release, and from there is snowballed, I played bass Paul Lidel of Dirty Looks/Dangerous Toys played guitar and Bruce Rivers on drums, we wrote and rocked, the three of us, laughing all the way, but, when the CD started to sell, we had to form a band to play live, so, we got Mike Watson from dtoys to play bass live, and got Jare Tuten of P{ariah to play second guitar, and boom, there it was. Since then we have released a new CD called guilty pleasure on killingbird records(killingbird.com), and have since replaced Mike with Brett McCormick, another Austin rock veteran. Mike still hangs and plays with dangerous toys, just sorta moved over for Brett. Like I said... it's a blast!!!

4. Who have been your main musical influences? Which other vocalsits do you admire and/or any that should give up singing?

Old rock, priest,acdc,maiden,alice cooper,bad company,anthrax,elton jon, stp, shit, too much to mention as far as musical influence, or stuff that I like and respect.....John Bush from Anthrax(and armored saint)has been an influence for so long, he is a friend, and has the best rock voice. Strong and ravenous, there is a lot missing in rock singers of the new generation , the eddie vedder thing is tired, even though distinctive, I bet eddie is tired of hearing people sound like a rip off mixed with jim morrison or something, I am not sure how to pin point it. Nu metal singers have the same pigeon holing going on too. jonathon of korn has a cool thing going on, and is so original and wierd, its hard for anyone to do his gig and say that they invented it. Gotta respect that. I like static X, and godsmack, even tho the godsmack vocals are sounding to me like a hardcore james hetfield, which i think is what i actually like about it, kinda funny how that works. I still worship Rob Halford,Bon Scott, and Devin Townsend.

5. Dangerous Toys made a big impact, with the debut album going Gold in the US. To what do you attribute this success? How easy/hard was it getting airplay for the band?

The wave of g n r(guns n roses), changed a lot on the west coast s early as 1985,86, with the first release. Motley Crue almost didn't exist for a while when the damn broke for slash and axl, I think me getting asked to join a once glam band turned more old school rock, acdc meets aerosmith with zztop sprinkled on..... top......wasn't even on my mind at all when it happened. I was still in the thrash band watchtower up to 1988, but, i took a side gig playing rock n roll with Dangerous Toys about 1987, at that time appetite for destruction was blowing up, and I think the labels were scrambling for another guns, a they always run to the streets to find the new band that they think sounds like something else if even a litle bit, to try and sell a copy to the same person that bought the original. It wasn't even on our minds, to get a deal, and tour, we were a bar band, Dangerous Toys, and were having a blast in Texas, and all of a sudden, there was a deal, and money and a video and a tour, all in about 8 months of time, we had played two clubs in Texas. Getting a deal was almost accident for us. I had to leave Watchtower, that was tough and spent years after that with dtoys trying to make a career out of the fun we had at the bars in Texas. It worked out for us as much as I think it could've anyway. Got a gold records, sold a lot of stuff, had fun with my idols(toured with motorhead,metal church,the cult,judas priest, and alice cooper). Getting airplay was something that the label was doing, it wasn't a job for the band, getting up early maybe to do an acoustic on air performance was about the only hell at radio we had to do. We wanted to be loud and obnoxious all the time, acoustic ain't that at all. So, I think getting your songs on the radio is like an underground Mafia worked out by the labels and a room full of telephones calling up program directors, making deals all day long.

6. What is the current situation with Dangerous Toys? Any plans for the band in 2003?

Dangerous Toys, just returned from Tokyo, where we did three shows, we also did the same last year, it's blast , we love it over there, and people are respectful and genuinely excited about rock n roll. They know all the words. As far as a new release, I don't think its even an idea at this point. We are all busy, the reunion style thing is fine with us at this point. There are a lot of fans in support of us making a new disc, but, we never say never and, we never say die.

7. What do you think of the current state of rock music in the US? Is it in better health now than say the mid-90's?

I think rock has always been as healthy its gonna get. Make note that radio plays what they're told to play buy the dollars that roll down the pipe from the people upstairs. So, in that scenario, the fans of rock are lucky to have alt. stations playing heavy stuff, korn,static X, n.i.n., etc.. and then the classic rock stations are now playing the cock rock bands, which is funny as hell to me, cinderella on clasic rock stations, and stuff like that... but, major aor rock radio playing the tesla and the aerosmith new stuff, and the bands that still do us tours, is happening. What I must concur with is this....people who are saying..."i cant wait til our music comes back" or..."hey,it's making a comeback".. and the like... those people are lost, my theory is, it never went anywhere, I still listen to the same stuff I listened to in high school, I am a music fan, I buy CD and press play, what I don't do, like this new generation, is get CDs for my birthday from my parent hard earned money and lose it under my bed, and then think it's cool to call the request lines and request a song off of a CD that I got for my birthday a week ago, or better yet, call and request a song on MTV, that they already have in rotation. The music is out there, fans are still fans in my world, but.. being told what to like, told how to dress, is whats happening. Being told that rock/metal is making a comeback, is only true if they think that rock is dead, its not dead, the fans are there, if you make a record, make it for yourself, play shows, if a rock fans hear about it, they will come.

8. Outside of business, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Sparetime, what is that? Relaxation is what don't get enough of. I want to make rock records, period.

9. Message for your fans?

Live the rock, love the rock, go to shows, buy CDs that you've at least heard two songs from before you shell out an inflated price at a chain store. Rock is all I know, bring it on, and check out my bands!!!!

Interview © 2003 Jason Ritchie/
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