That’s Jasta Ticket — Part 2 — The Podcast leaves the Kitchen and steps through the looking glass.

Matt Shaw
Matt Shaw
Sep 1, 2018 · 2 min read

I am standing in a bar with a beer in my hand, watching Kirk Windstein — metal legend, total Riff Beast, and member of Crowbar, Kingdom of Sorrow and Down (!) tell a story about the time he tried to have sex with an inflatable sheep that his wife had bought him, while his dog was biting the aforementioned ‘air animal’ during the final throws of passion. He is telling this story to Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed, Jasta, Kingdom of Sorry), Dino Cazares (another total Riff Beast and member of Fear Factory and Brujeria) and Howard Jones (Light the Torch, Killswitch Engage) at a table that’s set up on a stage, in a pub that is fifteen minutes walk from my house. Later on I will have my picture taken with a reserved Kirk, a beaming Jamey, and my friend and bandmate will have his pic taken with a ‘so chilled can someone please check his pulse’ Dino. This is all shortly before a band called Uncured will warm up the crowd with a blend of melodic Death Metal, Metalcore and just a soupson of Battle Metal (sorry guys, my ears don’t lie — and please lose the ‘top of head ponytail headbanging’, you look like you feel obligated), after which…..

After which is usually the bit in a blog where reality kicks back in and I tell you that I am actually making seafood spaghetti and have lost some garlic down the back of the oven while listening to a podcast or new album……

But no, this happened, and the night got better;

After Uncured we got a 50 minute set from the Jasta band, with multiple guest appearances from all of the above mentioned metal legends. We get three Fear Factory songs (Body Hammer, Edgecrusher, Replica) with Dino on guitar and Jamey and Howard sharing vocals (Howard on the melodic parts, natch), we get ‘Chasing Demons’ from the Jasta ‘lost sessions’ album, again with Howard on Vocals. We get ‘All I had I Gave’ by Crowbar, and we end with a cover of the mighty ‘Bury Me In Smoke’ by Down, a sludgy stoner classic from the NOLA album, Howard adding vocal flare to the track and belting out screams that saw the hairs on the back of my neck almost leave the building (Anselmo, get your shit together, you have been warned)

This was the live recording of a podcast people, with a sledgehammer to the face of gig thrown in for good measure. ‘Heroes’ is a strong word to use at fourty-four years old (I save that for the likes of Jimmy Page), but to be this up close and personal with four guys whose music I love, whose spirit I admire, whose talents and achievements in the world of heavy music I aspire to was a pretty amazing way to spend a Monday evening.

And yes I did walk home.

Matt Shaw

Written by

Matt Shaw

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