The Gauntlet: What is going on?

Jason: I woke up a few minutes ago. I am on the West coast though so it's not that bad. It would be super lazy if I was on the East Coast. I usually get up earlier than this though but I was up late last night.

The Gauntlet: Are you ready for the album to be released?

Jason: Yeah, getting ready for the tour. We are flying to do some one-off shows next week. Things are really getting hectic.

The Gauntlet: I heard about a couple of the one off shows. One is for a radio station?

Jason: Yeah, one is for a radio station / festival thing. That is in Madison, WI. The following day we are playing a huge convention in Atlanta.

The Gauntlet: A convention? You say that and I picture a bunch of guys in suits learning how to make money in real estate.

Jason: No, it's not like that. Have you ever been to Comic Con or heard of it? There is one on the East Coast called Dragon Con. I think it is the largest one in the world. It basically takes over downtown Atlanta. You play to usually at least 5,000 people.

The Gauntlet: So do fans show up or is it a lot of geeks just there for the comics.

Jason: Both. You get a good mix of people. It is always really good for any band to play there. We played there before. The first time we played we opened for The Misfits and GWAR. The Bloodhound Gang played there one year and Clutch played another. People expect good music when they go there.

The Gauntlet: So when you are done playing and leave the stage, are there a bunch of those asthma inhalers on the ground?

Jason: [laughs] No, usually what it is, you are playing and look down into the crowd and see a bunch of guys dressed up as Klingons.

The Gauntlet: So Chewbacca and a Storm trooper might be there stage diving?

Jason: Yeah.

The Gauntlet: It has been three years since Godhead has released an album.

Jason: Not by choice. That is just kind of how it goes sometimes. We had some trouble with record labels. After [Marilyn] Manson's label went out of business, we signed with Reality Entertainment. It seemed like a good deal when we signed, but they had a lot of financial difficulties as well. So we decided to do this record on our own and then shopped it that way. That process ended up taking a little bit longer.

The Gauntlet: No fault of your own, but Godhead has been with a different label for each release. Has this hindered the band in any way?

Jason: Yeah, absolutely. It has definitely been a hindrance. That is just the cards we've been dealt. Hopefully this time around that will not be the case. Hopefully we can build things and continue on it.

The Gauntlet: What led you to sign with Cement Shoes Records and be their first band? You have been down this path before.

Jason: Well, they are a new label, but they are also part of Universal which is obviously one of the biggest labels out there. That was kind of a big sticking point. The fact that we get to be part of that system and use all of those people along with the Cement Shoes people was good.

The Gauntlet: Your new album 'The Shadow Line' has a different vocal style than previous albums.

Jason: What do you mean by vocal style?

The Gauntlet: You sing on this album more. On previous albums, you do more talking and use more effects in your voice. The first time I listened to 'The Shadow Line', my first thought was you found your voice and are comfortable with it. The vocals dominate this album, but with 'Evolver' and '2000 Years' the programming stood out.

Jason: I do agree. I think that it has to do with not being afraid anymore and not hiding behind a genre. We found our style and went for it. It also has to do with the way it was mixed. That's why we wanted Jay Baumgardner to mix it. His mixes are just fantastic. Combined with those two elements, which is why it sounds the way it does. I totally agree, to a certain extent, when you are trying to establish yourself as a band, you kind of hide behind one genre to a certain extent. But now, we are who we are and there is no need to really appeal to a certain type of fan. Whether we were trying to do so consciously or subconsciously in the past, now we are simply just portraying our own identity at this point. If people like it and respond to that, then awesome. If people liked us as a pure industrial band in our past, then they may not like this record now. If they like melody in songs and what we believe in, then I am sure they will like this.

The Gauntlet: The lyrics in 'Evolver' were very personal. Did you set out to write lyrics as personal this time?

Jason: I think there is a good mixture. There is certainly a nice batch of ambiguity with some of the lyrics. I think also at a certain point when you are creating something, it has got to be personal. I think I have always done a pretty good job with my lyrics in making them apply to more than one thing. A person can hear them and apply them to something in their own life. I think I still do that with these lyrics, but at the same time, they aren't all about personal experiences. I think that it is being more true to myself when I am creating something and people will pick up on that too.

The Gauntlet: I am assuming 'Trapped in Your Lies' is the first single?

Jason: Yes.

The Gauntlet: When I first heard it, I thought it was about dealing with a relationship. When I saw the treatment for the video, it is more of a political song.

Jason: That's the thing. When I wrote it, it was more of a relationship inspired song. When we were going over the ideas with the video director, we came up with that treatment together and it works great. I totally stand behind all the images in the video because that is how we feel. You are right, the lyrics weren't intended for that subject. It certainly conveys how a lot of us feel right now.

The Gauntlet: There is a DVD included with the CD? I didn't get one with my copy of the CD, so fill me in.

Jason: It is going to have the video for 'Trapped in Your Lies' and two videos from 'Evolver' which we got the rights back to. There is also a twenty five minute documentary and some live footage. There are interviews with band members and people we have worked with. People like David Draiman from Disturbed, Wayne Static from Static-x and Ben Moody from Evanescence. We even have an interview with Andy Dick on there.

The Gauntlet: That is worth the price of the CD right there.

Jason: It is totally worth it for just Andy Dick, trust me. I worked on a movie for him. The band and I produced a lot of the music for the movie and I acted in it. It is coming out later this year. It stars people like Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Jimmy Kimmel, and Frankie Muniz and a bunch of other people. It is called 'Danny Roane: First Time Director.'

The Gauntlet: Godhead has been talking about including a DVD for a while now.

Jason: I think it is important to give people more given the state of the music industry now. I love that kind of stuff as a fan. I am so glad we were able to put that together this time around. In the past, the expenses involved were too much, but now we have a great label.

The Gauntlet: Next month you'll be heading out on tour with label mates Ill Nino and Ra.

Jason: That starts the 2nd week of September and goes through Halloween. After that we will continue on, I don't know with how. We have talked about going back to Europe and Japan too.