Do Ya
ALBUM BIO & TRACK-BY-TRACK “DO YA” – Official press release.
It’s been a long time coming, but the new album DO YA by The Screaming Jets was certainly worth the wait. Eight years on from the band’s last studio album ‘Scam’, DO YA is the epitome of the style of Oz rock the band has become known for. This is the Jets smashing back onto the music scene in true rockin’ fashion. Although they’ve been no strangers to the Australian public across the years, touring the breadth of the country to keep the love of Oz rock alive, the release of DO YA will make the listening public sit up and pay attention. The first single from the album, the title track DO YA, is certain to spark up the airwaves of radio and wake everyone the f**k up!
It’s been an interesting and busy few years for the Jets. After taking an extended hiatus after their last studio album ‘Scam’ in 2000, the Newcastle band released an EP, ‘Heart of the Matter’ in 2004 as a heads- up to fans that they were back and rockin’. But pulling together a full length album wasn’t going to be a quick process, it needed to feature the best songs the Jets could write, and a few hiccups, such as change of management and band members across the ensuing years meant it was a four-year process to record and finish DO YA. Lead singer Dave Gleeson says now is the right time for the album to be out in the marketplace. “There were three or four times over the last few years for the album that looked like it was all about to come out, but at the 11th hour something went wrong or something had to be changed,” he says. “You just never know in the heady world of rock. Being philosophical about it, it is coming out in the perfect time, rock wasn’t even on the radar even 12 or 15 months ago as far as radio is concerned. Although we have had these delays, we can sort of foresee it is coming out just at the right time when rock is getting right back to where it should be.”
The departure of original member Grant Walmsley from the band was also a turning point. The album was still recorded with Grant’s input and since his departure former Horsehead guitarist Scotty Kingman has taken over the reigns. Interestingly enough, Scotty also worked on the album as an engineer. Dave says making such a break was never going to be an easy decision for either parties to make, but the band ethos is still strong. “Obviously Grant is a foundation member of the band so the decision wasn’t made light heartedly, it took quite a lot of soul searching from all” he says. “Grant has got his other stuff happening now and we’ve got this happening and obviously he is still on the record, it is just one of those things. The Screaming Jets as a band has lasted longer than about 95 per cent of marriages, it’s just one of those things people come and go and as long as the people who remain in the Jets have the vision and the focus to achieve together, then The Screaming Jets shall remain.”
The key behind the record is that The Screaming Jets are back, they’re strong and they’re not going anywhere, unless it means on stage to rock the socks off the Australian public. Drummer Mickl Sayers says the album is different to previous Jets’ releases, but still with an underlying theme of rock. “This album says The Screaming Jets aren’t over yet,” he says. “The band still has a lot to give the industry, and of course, the fans that have been waiting patiently for a new album. The new songs have versatility and they cover a range of genres. Some songs are quite different for the band. We see the song DO YA as a ‘traditional’ Jets’ song, being that it is good Aussie rock and in your face, we hope it will grab people’s attention straight away.” Founding member and bassist Paul Woseen believes the future for the band is nothing but bright. “This album will show that we are back,” he says. “Actually, it will show that we’ve never left. We’ve got a great sounding band – the band is really vibing at the moment. We’re excited at the prospect of releasing and touring this new record. Of the recent live shows, the band’s playing really f**king well. I feel like the band is in a good place.” And he adds that whatever the future holds, it is certain that the band will keep striving, rockin’ and recording.
Dave is in agreement and says the first single is a real ballsy guitar heavy song, and an apt representation of The Screaming Jets. “We thought, let’s not second guess anything, The Screaming Jets are a rock band, and this is a f***’n rock song, so lets go with that,” he says. Let’s give people an indication of what the band is all about and what the album is all about.” And throughout the entire recording process, everything was focused around the need for ‘rock’ in the album. “When we went into the studio to record this album, we said ‘no matter what style we tackle, let’s remember that we are a rock band doing different styles,” Dave says. “If we are doing
jazz, we are doing jazz but we are doing it from a rock band’s perspective. And I think, coming out and listening to all the songs, which have different influences and different flavours, at the end, it is still a rock album done by a rock band.”
The album is also one of the truest representations of The Screaming Jets because the decision making on the album was done by the band. Dave says this independent stance creatively by the band in the recording process has made this an album to be proud of. “Hopefully it is one of our best to date because of the amount of work the band ourselves put into it,” he says. “We’ve been led around by the nose a bit on other recordings, and with this one we’ve found our own way and hopefully it shows a side of the band that maybe hasn’t been brought out before because of the different directions of producers, etc.”
Guitarist Izzy Osmanovic believes the album represents a finer angle to the band’s songwriting and shows a maturity which he thinks will see it highlighted as a trademark release for the Jets. “I think this album sounds quite fresh,” he says. “When we went to record this album, I remember saying to the boys, ‘lets do this album for us’, and it is a case of as long as it takes us. Lets not rush it and just turn it into another record, we need to do something a little bit different and take our time with it. Even if it takes a couple of years in the making when we walk out of the studio and we know that we’ve finished it, and we get goosebumps and we know that it is the best thing that we could possibly do.” And this thought process has run true with DO YA.
For newest band member Scotty Kingman, it was a pretty exciting venture to transgress from recording the album with the band to being a permanent member. Ultimately, he says he believes in the band and the record. “I love the album,” he says. “I’m really enjoying playing the tunes live, I’m lucky in that respect, not many engineers get to play and tour an album after they have made it. I get to see from both sides of the fence and that’s very cool. This record really is in the hands of the Gods now but I know I will do everything within my powers to make the next few years really productive and successful. Music is timeless and so is this band I believe. It’s in there blood, they just have to do it, it’s that simple.”
From an engineer’s perspective, Scotty says there isn’t one weak moment on the album and the first single DO YA is a killer riff that grabs the listener by the collar and shakes the living s**t out of them until they react. “This record goes from four on the floor rock, to some more laid back richly textured classic rock moments, all of which are complimented by some incredible vocal performances from Dave which in turn bring out some magical performances from the rest of the band,” he says. “Aggressive, mature, intelligent, well crafted songs from a band that have really done it all but are still really hungry to grow, experiment and develop. It sounds big but slick just how I envisaged it to be.” The album was also mixed in the States by reputable multi-award winning producer Stevie Salas (Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, Mick Jagger) and Grammy nominated Juno award winning engineer Brandon Frieson. Even Grammy nominated MTV award winner Matt Sorum (Guns ‘n’ Roses, The Cult, Velvet Revolver) played guest percussion on the record. All such involvement is certain proof that this is one special record.
“When I heard The Screaming Jets new rough tracks I heard honest rock muscle that reminded me of early AC/DC and Guns and Roses. How could I say no to that?” – Stevie Salas
Note: The Screaming Jets were also part of the official pre-race entertainment for the 2008 Gold Coast Indy. The Jets performed on Sunday 26 October prior to the IndyCar Series Race, and certainly got the crowd hyped for the high octane racing.
‘DO YA’ – TRACK BY TRACK
- Do Ya
- Supersize
- Change the World
- Mary Jane
- Running Blind
- Inside Out
- Falls in Place
- 141
- Knock Knock
- Stay
- Heaven Help Me
- Forget the Rhyme
DO YA
“Do Ya was written one night on my way to rehearsals. I had this tune in my head and by the time I got to the rehearsal room I said to the guys: ‘hey I’ve got this riff and melody in my head, I haven’t played it on guitar yet but give me five minutes and ill work it out.’ And that was that, we created a monster. The story to the song is about a mate of mine who got married to only be told not long after that his Mrs doesn’t love him anymore.” – Izzy Osmanovic
SUPERSIZE
“The premise behind Supersize is the way that we, as a society, tend to say one thing and do another. We have all these celebrities running off to third world countries for photo opportunities trying to pretend they look like they actually give a s**t. The sad reality is that the ultra-rich could not give a f**k about
what happens to people outside their social sphere. If they truly wanted to make a difference they could. The truth is they don’t want to make a difference. They have more than they could possibly ever need, yet they would trade it all in for just a little bit more.” – Dave Gleeson
CHANGE THE WORLD
“Change The World is a call to arms for people of all different walks of life. No matter who you are, where you are or what you believe, we all have the opportunity to make changes to our lives and the lives of those around us. It is up to us whether we use that opportunity for change in a positive or negative way. Each of us has a choice to make. If you sit on the fence you have already f**kin failed. Think global, act local in a nutshell.” – Dave Gleeson
MARY JANE
“We really have to start being more responsible for the plight of the homeless and try to come up with measures to help them in their struggle to live. This is another issue that is constantly swept under the carpet by the powers that be. For instance, when we held the Olympics in 2000, the homeless were rounded up in Sydney given one way train tickets and told to f**k off, as if we didn’t want them stinkin’ up the joint and putting our international visitors off their lattes and foccacias. Shame f**kin shame.” – Dave Gleeson
RUNNING BLIND
“We are currently Running Blind – following the almighty dollar. We are in a global economic crisis because of corporate greed. Money to buy things we don’t need is being pushed down the throat of the ‘have-nots’ by large financial institutions in order to improve the bottom line for money grubbing shareholders. At what cost you may ask? At the cost of families, communities and the entire social network as we know it… But still we follow blindly on, being sold bulls**t by our leaders who care for nothing but their next poll rating and the fact they can attend the great sporting events of the world.” – Dave Gleeson
INSIDE OUT
“I’ve had this tune for a long time, I’m talking 15 years or so. I’m glad it made it on the album because it’s totally different to a Jets song and shows that we are not scared of trying something different. I think it’s the first time we’ve actually got a fadeout in a song. The song is about life and what it can dish out, you can either get caught in a rut, or you can wake up and take on anything it throws at you.” – Izzy Osmanovic
FALLS IN PLACE
“On day two of a treat yourself like an amusement park weekend my friends, I was sitting on the grass out the front of Bull’s (a mate’s) house on the esplanade in Patterson Lakes. Pretty oblivious to the rest of the world I was just playing and singing and when I had it, I performed the song to myself. When I finished there was a enthusiastic round of applause from across the water, I was on one side of a small quay, and because of the way the buildings wrapped around the quay and the calmness of the water I guess, you could hear me quite well across at the bar and cafe’s 300 or so metres away. I thought that was pretty cool. You’ve got to have the strength to stand up for you and for what you believe in. I hope I have the strength for that and the strength to help someone who is losing theirs.” – Paul Woseen
141
“141 is a song that was originally written by Greg Bryce from a band called DV8 out of Newcastle (he also wrote Blue Sashes on ‘All for One’ and Back on the Hard Drugs on the ‘Tear of Thought’ album). It had more of a punk feel to it when first released in the late 70’s or early eighties. It basically says we need to
find real solutions to the ills of today’s society, instead of sticking a publicity band-aid on the problem, and hoping it goes away. I think the line, ‘no one wins in the human race’ is a f**kin’ corker. My only regret being that I didn’t write it.” – Dave Gleeson
KNOCK KNOCK
“This song came about after a visit to my house by two Mormon pilgrims preaching their word. They didn’t expect to be greeted by two wet, semi-nude, tattooed (I’d drawn on my son Callum’s arm earlier in texta) Woseen males. My eldest son and I had been out in the backyard having a water fight, dancing and singing along with James Brown’s ‘Sex Machine’ at the top of our voices. When we got to the front door the look on their faces was priceless. Before they went into their ‘you can change your life’ pitch, I picked Callum up and looked at them and said something like ‘there’s no hope for anyone in here my friends, but please, come in’ and started to laugh demonically and on cue Callum joined in. They promptly turned and walked away from the house. We then boogied back through the house, refilled super soakers and game on. I guess the song is basically saying nobody needs to be ‘preached’ at, whether it’s by a pilgrim, a friend, or a lover. Everyone has their own spin on things, beliefs, life, the dynamics of a relationship, so you don’t need to hear from someone they know better and you should be more like them.” – Paul Woseen
STAY
“Once you’re born all true innocence is lost, this is just the concept I had that started the song. In the womb you are perfectly isolated but still you are subject to some outside influences, sound, temperature, mother’s diet and habits, movement. But once you’re out you are bombarded with a multitude of media, which influences you without you knowing and forms the way you think and act as you grow. No-one knows what a baby thinks in the womb, nobody can think that far back, but we must be thinking in there. So with me as my subject – the song is saying how could it star off so pure and go downhill so fast and no matter how hard I try I can never get that innocence back.” – Paul Woseen
HEAVEN HELP ME
“I’m no screaming Jesus, but sometimes when I look at the s**t going on in the world it is hard not to throw your arms up in desperation and ask for help from above. All I know is, if there is a God, he has got a f**kin great sense of humour. Look at George W for f**k’s sake.” – Dave Gleeson
FORGET THE RHYME
“This is a poem that I wrote music for, it didn’t start out as a song. I was sitting in a bay window at a friends place in Cronulla (the incredibly gifted tattooist, Mattoo) just lost looking out at the ocean. I was going through a divorce at this time and I was feeling so lonely and low about myself. It was a note to myself to say time to pull yourself together. Sometimes it doesn’t work out the way we thought it would, but life goes on because it’s worth it and you’re worth it. Take a chance and back yourself.” – Paul Woseen