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"Electric City's Gene Padden Interviews Jason"
Electric City — September 12, 2002
Gene: What's new with 40-lb. Head you want everyone to know about?
Jay: Our up and coming CD "Third Shift." We're all extremely excited about seeing how things will go with this one. It's slow and fast, and heavy and soft and filled with emotion. We had the pleasure of mixing and mastering it at Saturation Acres with Paul.... he's the bomb! We plan on pushing this CD hard, and hopefully getting some more attention and support from anywhere we can.
Gene: Band bio (how you guys got started, etc)
Jay: i guess you could say it was Z's (the drummer) idea. He talked Steve (the guitar player) into getting together in the basement of Altest Labs in Plymouth (where my brothers and i work) (yes we have day jobs. :)) Steve then talked me into singing. All we needed was a bass player, so we turned to the other brother Brian. We almost called ourselves "Steve and the Roadies" because years back Steve played drums in "Tazz" and at one point the rest of us had roadied for them. As it turned out we decided on "40 lb. HeaD." For the full story on how we got the name you gotta visit the website www.40lbhead.com that's http://www.40lbhead.com/ its lots of fun. Anyway, we played our first gig for free in Wilkes-Barre and believe me when I tell you...none of us ever expected to be where we ended up. It has truly been a thrill.
Gene: And list the band members, ages, and instruments and web site and album info so someone can check you out prior to the show
Jay: Jay Egenski, 18 (not), vocals, keyboard
Steve Egenski, 18 (not), guitar, vocals
Brian Egenski, 18 (not), bass, backing vocals
Mike "Z" Zubritski, 30 (yep), drums
Gene: Is it hard trying to pimp your own music in Northeast Pa.?
Jay: With the right amount of motivation and talent and support, you can take advantage of many many ways of getting your music "out there." Breaking Benjamin is a fine example of how it can be done. they've got the gift for sure, and in no time at all they're runnin with the big dogs. ...deservedly so. My brothers and I run an environmental testing lab, and Z is a full time teacher, so its tough to find the time we wish we had. Its nice to hear people requesting original songs at our shows, and we're certainly grateful for the folks that dig our own music. Perhaps we need to find ourselves a pimp. HA HA
Gene: What has been your strategy for building a fan base?
Jay: I have absolutely no idea :) Really though, we've come a long way from where we started, and we all have had our bad nights, but it truly has been a blast. Even the bad nights make for great comical stories these days. We've met a lot of great people and made a lot of friends. Without the people diggin what we do...we are nothing... and we never take that for granted.
Gene: Finish this sentence. People who like your music also like the following bands:
Jay: Hmmm... this is tough. I don't like putting words into peoples mouths. Lets put it this way... id like to THINK they like anyone from John Mayer or U2, to Neil Young, Lenny Kravits, maybe some Big Head Todd and the Monsters, old Bowie, Dishwalla. I cant really say for sure of course.
Gene: How do you feel about rock music today?
Jay: It's "generally" to angry. most "rock" bands seem to be mad for some reason. Don't get me wrong, its a good way to get some aggression out, and i do take advantage of that. and please remember that my opinion is not the opinion of most :), but i think maybe its sending out a negative message. i suppose that's always been the case really though. maybe I'm just getting old and cynical HA HA
Gene: What are the goals of the band?
Jay: well, a recording contract wouldn't be bad. HA HA :). In the meantime I can assure you we will continue to have fun and love what we do for as long as the folks love us back and continue to have fun with us. "one day at a time" We all realize, now more than ever, this is the best job we'll ever have.
Gene: Why should the average NEPA music fan come out to see your band next Monday? (don't say "because there's nothing else to do," we all know that)
Jay: we're exited, as i said, to showcase our "Third Shift" CD. The Redroom Concert Series is a great way to see the latest local original bands and open your ears to some "fresh," "homegrown," "fresh from the oven" kinda music.
Gene: Talk about the benefits and drawbacks of playing cover songs on a regular basis ...
Jay: Playing cover songs is lots of fun. We get to slip into and out of the moods of the music we play... from Sugar Ray to Limp Bizkit . I'm a corny geek sometimes, but I'm a redneck too. I love getting pissed off for a couple of songs, and just the same, I love falling into a song like "Beautiful Day" by U2. We all do, ya know? Really, the only drawback is trying to please everyone, which we'd all love to do, but its not easy. We try our best.
Gene: Include any additional thoughts or news you'd like me to share with our readers about your band
Jay: We're a couple of swell guys trying to have some fun and do what we love. We're hoping there's other people out there like us who can relate to the things we have to say and the way that we choose to say it. oh yeah, by the way, Steve is the man with the talent, and i just might be his biggest fan.
Gene: Thanks! See you soon.
Jay: No, Thank YOU Gene!