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Jason Brown

The lyrics and music of the talented singer/guitarist and composer that is Jason Brown has intrigued many people in the music industry and many that are not - thus being one of the main reasons the band sunk loto have reached such a high name in such a short amount of time.

Unlike most bands in the same genre of music the detail of composing the lyrics gives us a feeling beyond vibrating air waves, it hits your mind and truely gives you a scene to judge by. Intimidating as it is, Jason explains that we should take whatever we feel from the lyrics, to adapt it to what makes us feel comfortable and then it's somthing you can truely relate to. However - don't take the lyrics TOO seriously , it's not somthing to get attached to - but somthing to enjoy for the momment to clear your head. Bad reactions have previously accured from fans towards Jason - a misinterpretation of the lyrics, and periodically prevented a happy listening enviroment at some gigs, this fortunatly stoped.

Though the concepts of sunx music is there in obvious black and white a much wider part of the fan base becomes constantly interested in the members as aposed to the music therefore throwing this creativity to the side, it's probably the most annoying factor that fans face, we really hope it stops soon. The only good thing I can see from it is that some people see the band THEN listen to the music and enjoy it more than staring at the band, though what a treat it would be if music could remain music without the un-nesesary image that gets stuck to it, that is precisely why we have no pictures section - if you hear the music enough you'll understand why. We like to focus purely on Jase's music. On this info page about Jason we have a pic of him at the bottom. I know this sounds contradicting but it isn't at all. The picture is at the bottom of the page so that the information is that main aspect. In most pix, Jason has make up on and has his hair done etc. This is why we put this one pic up because it is our favourite. He is wearing no make up and has his hair just up (like he normal would) and looks like a normal dude. We like non-gimickie stuff, and this is him at his most natural so we thought it was totally appropriate. We just wanted one pic on here to show you the real Jase, not the rock star performer one.

Some History.
Sunk Loto have been around since 1997 (although at this time they were still known as Messiah). They were discovered when they won High School Rock awards in 1997. Their cd releases so far are - Society Anxiety (EP) 1999, Make You Feel (single) 2000, Big Picture Lies (album) 2000, Sunken Eyes (single) 2000. They also have film clips for their songs Vinegar Stroke, Lift, Make You Feel and Sunken Eyes. On debut album Big Picture Lies they show these clips along with a bonus video called Sunk Cam which is backstage with the guys (available only on VERY limited edition copies).

Even though Luke is sunx guitarist, Jase also plays guitar on Goodbye Tonight. (Jase says his fave song to play live is Goodbye Tonight.) He can also play bass. He began this when Sunk Loto’s first bassist Miles left the band. Jase also plays drums.

Jase has had a love for music from a very young age. Wether it was singing Bon Jovi or pretending to be Axl Rose, music was always there. Jason is a huge fan of Frank Sinatra. When he was 10 years old he did a Queensland Civic Centre cabaret circuit with his one man Sinatra show! Jase says, "Moon River is my favourite Sinatra song." He says with a grin, "I could definitely see myself doing some cabaret at some stage" Hahaha. Jase also said, "I really look up to Frank Sinatra - his offstage manner was really cool, tough but friendly. I like that."

Jason says that even thought he doesn’t like the Gold Coast, it’s been an inspiration to him feeling rejected from that society. It has fuelled his music and lyrics for almost three years now and given him the power to speak his mind.

Jason loves his music and is very committed to his band. He dropped out of school in 1999 in Year 10 because the school wasn’t helping his touring schedule.

Jase says music is the most important thing in his life and that he doesn’t know where he would be without it.

"Just be independent, dude" is the advice Jason acquired from touring with the Deftones in 1999 on the Vans Warped Tour. This is something he has stood by. In fact his tattoo on his right arm of a red star with a black background represents independence and non-conformity.

He is influenced by bands such as Queen, Mr Bungle, Gunners, The Cure, Faith No More, Deftones. Anything "old and timeless". Jase’s fave guitarist is Brian May.

Of the album title "Big Picture Lies" Jase says: "It’s a good play on words. You look at the big picture and think ‘that’s what I have to be like’. The title’s saying that the big picture lies. We all kinda have our own interpretation on what it means. I like that."

On some of the lyrics:

- Shiver - Gathering speed like a Frieght train, Shiver introduces you to the new Sunk Loto, Jason Brown's soaring vocals, Luke McDonald's massivly heavy alt-tuned guitar sound and a rhythm section that's deep in the slot. This is rock. "The song came from a jam with Luke, Sean and Dane. I walked in with lyrics and it all fused together".

- Make You Feel - We've ruined the planet that was once devine/From the dawn of evolution to the end of time...What we've done we've got to be ashamed of/Society's now based on money and lies". "There's a lot in that song", says Jase, "I like concentrating on more than one thing. I don't write lyrics too specifically. I write so people can make thier own story out of it. You shouldn't force it down peoples throats."

- Sunken Eyes - "I wrote that in the studio, and I was a bit numb-minded," says Jase. "But it's about how school makes so many people conform. You choose to conform and if you choose not to conform you fall off and do your own thing, which is a pretty tough thing. Most peopkle, if they had their own way, wouldn't conform." "If you've got your own mind, then you don't pass, you're screwed over," says Luke "If you sit there like a puppet and do your work, they'll pass you, but if you question them or have a different way of looking at something they don't like that, because they want people to go through their lives conforming."

- Cured - With plenty of pop nous, this takes 2000 model rock and into the outa reachers of space. Searching for a cure for cancer.

- Spherical Hostage - An enviromental call to action referring to the finite space we have to inhabit and the risk we're taking with it. the only song which really challenged Dane as a drummer, the full tilt intensity of the track matched the message. "It's just my way of saying the worlds a hostage to itself, " says Jase "It's prettyobvious, the weay we are totally fucking this world up..."

- Empty days (with animals) - "It's similar to "Sunken Eyes", it's part  one of that song," says Jase. "It's about growing up and how that effects you, wether your parents let you be free or not." A central peice this sublime pop song that showcases the dexterity behind Jason's vocal and the maturity of a band exploring a sensitive side.

- 11 - Improvised in the studio this hip hop tune concludes the album with lyrical bite and a new direction for the band. "i got this melody in my head and I knew I wanted to write a hip hop song for the album." Says Jase "There was a pino and a drum kit next to it and I just started playing this melody, Dane put on a drum loop...it was so unrehersed, it just came from one idea."

- Human Ashtray - An upvive on the album, this is reggae meets hardcore, but the content is darker than the sound suggests. "It's about this freak who kept harassing me, ringing me at home," says Jase "She turned up to one of the gigs and started weirding everyone out saying all this freaky shit. She tried to blaim me for her problems, she came up to me and started telling me this to my face... Some people just take it way too far. Music's a powerful thing, and lyrics can be powerful too, but I don't mean to be that direct to people."

- Primitive -  Lyrically spur of the momment, this is a stream of conciousness fairy tale placed over a re-arrangement of one of the bands long time favourtie rock riffs. "That was an old song that we chaopped up in New york," says Jase "We had this long five minute boring peice of shit and we cut it down to this two minute thing...that's the way with a lot of good albums. They're cut up into peices an put back together. It shouldn't sound too polished. Like White Pony started out as riffs, and Terry Date helped them put it together."

- BPL - Government conspiricies, a look at the present world order, delivered in typically large style thanks to the production of Paul McKercher. "he's not one of those producers that makes up all these crazy ideas that he wants on there." says Luke of McKerchers input. "Theres still a lot of creative freedom there. Hes not the kind of producer that comes in and tell you what to do." "He was awsome to have there," says Sean "because hes just on the ball with our shit. He knows what we're coming from and what we want." "We want it phat, man" Says Jase" We want it phat"

-Goodbye Tonight - Chiming guitars, ambient splashes of sound blending into a trademark soaring sound. And the name? "That's just a play on it being the last song." says Jase.

- Sunk Loto once had this said about them "Lyrically, Sunk Loto have an angry edge that defies their tender years." Jas responded to this "Yeah, I suppose we’re artistically angry. It’s a teenage sort of way of expressing ourselves. There are a few things we are angry about – the way teens are treated in society, the way they are looked upon. But you get that, I suppose. That’s what Blunt is about."

Jase says about his music: "The new stuff we're coming up with is really quite different to what we've done before. It's very sonic. There's a lot of different instruments we're using, which has meant that the sounds we're coming up with in the songs are really different. The one album that all of us have spent time listening to was the new one from Mr Bungle, California. That album's really opened us up to the different instrument and sound ideas you can have in the music we make. We're writing with different things in mind now."

Jase loves live gigs but sometimes things go wrong. "I hate tripping over on stage," declares Jase, "like I did at Offshore. I was out the front doing a big rock pose but stepped back and fell head-over-heals. So, I turned it into something really cool. I got on the ground and started rolling around. I don't think anyone realised it wasn't part of the show."

Do the band ever watch their own gigs to pick up tips on improving their live set? "Yeah we do its good to look back on videos and stuff after we play we don’t talk about it for half an hour and then later we go over the good and bad bits."

Jase loves good music, but could this be swaying him towards the … ahem … other side?!?!
(On rage against the machine) "I'd like a cup of tea with them," says Jase. "Or Guns 'n' Roses. Very cool. I’d be really happy if they reformed because I believe the world needs Axl Rose. And definitely in his tights. 'Cause right now, there's too many cool people. You shouldn't try too hard," Jase warns, obviously wary of fame's influence. "I'm not attracted to him or anything, I just like the look... those tattoos, the headband, it was just SO ROCK!" He has also said of guns n roses "The world needs 80’s rock. We need the white tights. The world needs comic relief."

Jase prefers doing underage gigs. He says that it annoys him to do Over 18 gigs. "We prefer the all ages shows. We do have a very mixed kind of bunch of fans but we have a lot of younger fans. The kids get into the set more." He also says, "I love small, intimate gigs the best."