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Showing posts from November, 2021

Barry Um: A Retrospective Chat with Jeff Jara of Shatterproof

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Discography: Slip It Under the Door (Fort Apache/MCA, 1995) Splinter Queen (Catlick Records, 2007) Shatterproof were a Minneapolis based alt rock band that briefly hit the big time in the mid-’90s. Linking up with the hot label of the moment, Fort Apache, the band signed with MCA and released their major label debut in 1995. Their second record, originally due in late 1996 was shelved, the band was dropped and subsequently disbanded. An indie label picked up the tapes and eventually released the disc in 2007 and the band played a one time reunion show at the record release. In 2010 drummer Jeff Jara answered a bunch of questions about the band’s history and I’m happy to finally see the whole piece in print. Pete Crigler: When did you become interested in music? Jeff Jara: I started playing drums when I was seven years old, and picked up the guitar and piano when I was in high school. I’ve never taken formal lessons for any instruments I play.   Pete: When did the band come together

He Became Cumbersome!!: A Chat with Jason Pollock of Seven Mary Three

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Disco graphy:   Churn (5 Spot Records, 1994) American Standard (Mammoth/Atlantic, 1995) RockCrown (Atlantic, 1997) Orange Ave. (Atlantic, 1998) The Economy of Sound (Mammoth/Hollywood, 2001) Dis/Location (DRT, 2004) Day & Nightdriving (Bellum, 2008) Popular Tracks: Cumbersome, Lucky, Water’s Edge, Over Your Shoulder, Wait Seven Mary Three, named after a call on “CHIPs” burst out of Florida in 1995 with “Cumbersome,” one of those so-called ‘alternative rock classics’ that still gets played almost every day somewhere in the country. Forming at William & Mary college in Williamsburg, VA, the band quickly earned fame but couldn’t hold onto it. Having been on hiatus for almost a decade at this point, I ended up reaching out to former guitarist Jason Pollock, who has not been with the band since 1999. This interview was conducted around 2016. Pete Crigler: When did you become interested in playing music? Jason Pollock: 16, or 17. I started practicing serio