In a recent interview, Jason Newsted talked up the authenticity he feels he puts into his pet project, Newsted. Specifically he feels the band is honest and doesn’t involve any “cheating.”
In a new interview with 98.7 The Gater‘s The Jason & Franny Show, as transcribed by Blabbermouth, the famous Metallica bassist talked more about bringing back Newsted for a show tonight, May 20, at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He sings and plays bass in the band and will be joined on stage by Jesus Mendez Jr. and jessie Farnsworth, both from the band Underlord, as well as a new guitarist, Humberto Perez.
“We’re very excited about [Humberto’s addition to the band] because we have a little bit of new, fresh blood in the quartet,” he says. “But Jessie and Jesus and myself have maybe 16 years together overall. Nothing can replace that kind of [chemistry]. So we started playing the heavy [stuff] again. It all came together. I just wanted to do this. I reached out to some people, and they said Revolution Live was the place to take the gig. That’s where all the cool bands [play].”
Jason says the band will mainly play “new songs of this metal project. But it only can be old school like that. Yes, that’s what it is—it’s honest, authentic, old school and [there’s] no cheating.”
It’s not clear exactly what in music would be “cheating,” but it is evident he thinks there is integrity and authenticity to his current project, for better or for worse.
Jason says about his reason for bringing bak Newsted:
“It is actually only selfish—self-absorbed, self-centered, narcissistic, whatever this is right here [in my head], I have to prove to myself I can do it. I have to show myself that I can do that for these new songs that I have. I can take it to the people. I need that.
“I’ve played with The Chophouse Band for the last 10 years. I learned to play acoustic guitar, wrote some songs with violins and female singers and all this colorful, wonderful shit… I stepped out of that in February of this year, stepped back into the metal to see if I can still throw the shit down. And that’s what it comes down to. So if I’m able to feel good about it, get that response back, that this could be worth it again, cool… But the people will decide for me.”
It appears Jason felt the need to return to the basics with this project, one he promises won’t skimp on authenticity.