Mark: Hi Jon! How are things in the world of Jon
Oliva these days?
Jon: A very cheerful hello to you as well...Things
are going quite well actually. I've been recording
with TSO, getting ready for the first leg of the
JOP US tour beginning in late september and started
working with the band on new material for JOP
#4....which is been very exciting so far. Really
looking forward to the next JOP record!
M: Let’s start with the development of Jon
Oliva’s Pain. Global Warning, with all due
respect, seems to be the sound of JOP finding
its groove. This record is great from start to
finish. Would you agree or disagree with that?
Why?
Jon: Absolutely I would agree. Global
Warning was definately a trial-by-fire experience
for me and the rest of the band. Greg Marchak,
our producer and live engineer died suddenly just
2 weeks prior to the beginning of the recording
process. We were all devastated and it felt a
bit like the passing of my brother, Criss. Greg
was a very important part of the band in everything
we did. Losing him was tragic beyond words. But
we wanted to make him proud of us, as he always
was. So we took the necessary time to morn the
loss of Greg and realized we had to pull ourselves
together and do what Greg would have wanted which
was to put out the very best record we could.
Chris Kinder (drummer for JOP) was thrown headfirst
into producing and co-engineering the record and
the rest of guys dug deep and gave everything
they had. The end result speaks for itself and
we could not be happier with the results. We love
and miss you Greg...we hope you are smiling down
on us!
M: Did you approach the new album differently
at all then you had with the other albums?
Jon: Well, aside from the obvious tragic
events we wanted to be a bit more experimental
on this CD. It's very satisfying to me to know
that I can write any style of song and know that
the band is going to deliver great performances
and input. JOP #3 is just the beginning of what
we are going to be doing in future. We can and
will attempt anything possible and to keep each
record both familiar and loaded with fresh ideas.
We are going to throw everything, including the
kitchen sink, at every song. We don't want to
walk away from the final pressing thinking that
we could have done more or played better.
M: I was pleasantly surprised to hear how diverse
this album is. You do a lot of different things
musically here that are great examples of why
you have been so influential in metal music over
the years. Do you consciously incorporate so many
different styles into your sound or is it more
a reflection of loving a variety of styles to
start with?
Jon: It is definately a reflection of
the kinds of music me and Criss grew up on and
still love to this day. You can't beat the influence
of Queen, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Zeppelin,
Deep Purple and every other great band that has
come both before and after them. They wrote timeless
music. And that's all I am interested in doing.
I never want to be considered a here-today-gone-tomorrow
songwriter and performer. I can still write songs
that are rich in my musical history and still
have plenty of room to experiment. I don't listen
to much new music so I just write from the heart
and hope that we deliver the goods when we are
finished.
M: Global Warning is also more issue oriented
than much of your post-Savatage work. What kinds
of things were inspiring or weighing on your mind
through the process of making this album?
Jon: Clearly it's world events. It's just
amazing to watch the news and see the total decay
of society and the world as a whole and all of
that due to no fault of the common everyday person
just trying to live life the best they can. The
powers, that unfortunately run this world, are
destroying it for the rest of us. No one called
me on the phone and asked " Hey Jon, you
want to go to war"? You would have to be
living in a cave or in total denial not to be
concerned and very scared about where we are headed.
M: “Before I Hang” is one of the best
songs you have ever written. Would you mind telling
our readers a little about that song and the thoughts/ideas/inspirations
behind it?
Jon: We had a very good demo of the song
just a few weeks prior to entering Morrisound
Studios. But there was something missing. Kevin
and Chris locked themselves in the studio and
were able to write a great rythym for the opening/verses.
Once we had that, we were able to open things
up a bit and allow the song to breathe better.
I love the ride-out with all the monk-chanting
and the over the top production. The story line
is obviously based on a terrorists thoughts as
he prepares to commit the ultimate act. I thought
it would be cool to write a song attempting to
show what goes on in the mind of someone who is
willing to take out himself and others.....it's
a very scary world out there for sure.
M: Now that the new band is settled in and the
new album is getting out there, is there a particular
moment in a song, or even an entire song, that
you feel you can point to and say “that
was exactly right.”?
Jon: Not really....you just know when
it all comes together. We spend a great deal amount
of time making sure the listener enjoys the journey
from start to finish and to try to make it as
unpredictable and interesting as possible. There's
nothing better than to have them get to the end
of the song and want to play it over and over
again. That's timeless music and those are songs
that you can revisit 5 or 10 years from now and
still enjoy the shit out of it....That's always
the goal.
M: How much does a song generally change after
you’ve written it? Do the finished songs
often sound like what you originally heard in
your head?
Jon: I could re-write the same song 10 times before
we finally agree on the arrangement. But it still
changes a bit...and hopefully for the better once
we enter the studio and start recording.
M: If you could control the thoughts of JOP listeners,
what one single thought would you hope listeners
would take from this album?
Jon: I hope that we are able to push as
many buttons as possible and offer the element
of surprise. I love it when people say that the
record is so diverse and interesting. This makes
for recordings that fans will enjoy for years
and years. I want to record music that makes people
think...not just about music but the lyrics as
well. I put just as much effort into the lyrics
as I do the music. It has to be a total package
if you want the fans to really enjoy it to its
full potential....you gotta try and build the
perfect menu.
M: Global Warning has the same sense of urgency
to it that your classic works have. Was any thought
given to making this a full fledged Savatage album?
If so, why did you choose not to? If not, will
there ever be another?
Jon: No not really. JOP is not Savatage. There
is no doubt that everyone will compare some of
the JOP stuff to Savatage since I wrote the music
for them as well. It's not something I can or
want to run away from. I have my style. But with
JOP, I have the freedom of creating anything I
hear and want. The band is always open-minded
and cares only about crafting and recording the
best songs we can.
M: I have heard rumblings that you will be touring
the U.S. at long last to support this album. Can
you tell us a little more about that?
Jon: Sure....we will start the first leg
of US tour in late September at Prog-power USA
in Atlanta and then head out with Zak and the
guys from Circle II Cirle as well as Manticora
from Denmark, who we toured with in Europe in
April. Savatage fans should be on alert that we
are going to do something special for them at
each show....Don’t miss it!
M: Thanks so much for your time and for the great
album. Do you have any parting thoughts you’d
like to leave our readers with?
Jon: I owe all of you for the opportunity
to do what I love for the past 25 years. I could
have ended up working at McDonalds or Jiffy Lube
Oil, but their continued support of everything
I do has allowed me to continue, and I feel I
am writing some of the best music of my career.
Don't miss the upcoming JOP tour, and thanks to
everyone for the great ride.....I got a few good
years left in me and I plan on making the most
of it.....I love you all....Peace!
|
