Tipton, Jasun (Zero Hour) (February 2002)

Reflections Upon The Tower Of Avarice - An Interview With Zero Hour's Jasun Tipton

We don't know if progressive music will soon regain popularity in the USA, but one thing is certain, the American market has a lot of up and coming bands nowadays, and Zero Hour are at the top of this bunch. So here we are with guitarist Jasun Tipton, talking about Zero Hour's newest album, The Towers Of Avarice, and about a lot of other things. Enjoy...

Igor Italiani: Hi Jasun. The first question I would like to ask you is if you are pleased with The Towers Of Avarice , both from an artistic and commercial point of view...

Jasun Tipton: Well, we are very pleased with The Towers Of Avarice. We feel the songs and the performance are very strong, and the sound Dino [Alden, who engineered and mixed the record[ gave us is just excellent. At the moment we are selling a fair amount of CDs, but we hope for even better results.

II: Are you already planning your third CD?

JT: Yes, we just finished our opening song for the new CD tonight. We only have one more song to write and all the music for the next CD will be written. You know, it sounds great and in the beginning I thought I'd never say this, but I think it will be even better than The Towers Of Avarice. Wow.

II: Tour plans anyone? Do you think you'll be able to come over to Europe, considering that it is a much more welcomed land for progressive nowadays?

JT: Yes, we are working somethings out at the moment, but we are waiting on some news here soon. If the news works out (they are top secret for the moment :-) ), it will be something very positive for Zero Hour. I'll let you know.

II: Can you speak a little about the history behind The Towers Of Avarice? To me it seems that the album recalls in some aspects the epic Operation: Mindcrime of Queensrÿche ... do you think it's true or not?

JT: Well, we have always liked conceptual music. Operation: Mindcrime is a great CD and we loved that CD when it came out. There are a lot of great bands who managed to do conceptual CD's and Zero Hour always liked the idea of telling a story, too. So here it was our chance, and I hope that people will like it a lot.

II: A lot of rhythm passages in the songs are complex and heavy. Do you think you'll follow the same path in the future, or you'll focus more on sweet melodies?

JT: Both will play a big part in the next CD. When we started working on the new CD we knew we didn't want to make The Towers Of Avarice - Part 2. So our next CD will be conceptual but will be a different disc in all avenues. You know, we don't want to follow a predictable path, to repeat ourselves too much. Otherwise we shouldn't play prog music [laughs] ...

II: These days there are a lot of progressive releases of high magnitude ... the new Dream Theater album, Vanden Plas, Pain Of Salvation ... do you think that 2002 can go down in history as the year of revenge for progressive music?

JT: That would be great!!!!! All those bands could do something positive for the genre and that can only help a band like us. By far I've heard a lot of killer reviews about those albums you've mentioned, so let's pray it happens.

II: Are there some signs of prog resurgence in the US market or not?

JT: At the moment it's really tough here in the States to play progressive music. I think that the scene can only grow, but a lot will also depend on other factors, not necessarily linked to the quality of music. Maybe if we could gain more exposure on such media like radio or TV...

II: The Towers Of Avarice depicts a dark view of the future ... but what do you think the new millennium will really bring to human mankind?

JT: Oh man, there is so much that could go on. You never know what tomorrow will bring, so it's just better to be positive in life and enjoy all your friends and family around you ... obviously we hope for the better, but who knows...

II: Are you full-time musicians or you have to do other jobs to carry on with your passion?

JT: I give guitar lessons and that's what is paying the bills at the moment. Of course being full-time musicians is the goal of our band, and I hope we will achieve it sometime in the future.

II: What if ... Zero Hour played in the seventies, when progressive was at its highest?

JT: Wow, that would be a trip! We would definitely get a reaction around the festivals that were being played here and there. I just hope it would be a positive one [laughs]...

II: Do you have other hobbies besides music or not?

JT: Well, working out at the gym and really just playing an awful lot of music. That's it! You know, music keeps me balanced.

II: What do you think about the Internet? What's your stand about such things like Napster and the distribution of music on line?

JT: The Internet is great!!! If we didn't have the Internet, we wouldn't be signed and being doing interviews like this. INTERNET RULES!!!! And I'm also OK with having a song or two up for people to check out, but to have the whole CD up would be definitely rough. I mean, the thing is that a lot money goes into our music and for people to abuse other people's material is hard to swallow. We are not millionaires, not yet!

II: Final question ... have you ever been to Italy? What's the first thing it comes to your mind when you think of Italy?

JT: I've never been to Italy but you know what? It's actually the country I'd like to visit the most. First thing it comes to my mind when you mention Italy ... beautiful ladies!!!!! I know that's a common answer but what can I say, I'm a guy. Hello to all the beautiful girls of Italy :-)

II: OK, that's all. There's something else you would like to say to the audience?

JT: Yes! Thank you for wanting to spread the word on Zero Hour, we really appreciate it. We really hope to play Italy sometime in the near future and to anyone who still hasn't done it, please check us out! Goodbye to you all.

Zero Hour: l to r: Jasun Tipton, Erik Rosvold,
Mike Guy, and Troy Tipton

Discography:
Zero Hour (1999)
The Towers Of Avarice (2001)
Metamorphosis (2003) (reissue of debut)
A Fragile Mind (2005)
Specs Of Pictures Burnt Beyond (2006)
Dark Deceiver (2008)