PRP: Well, first of all, how did the members of JAKT get together to form
a band?
Jakt: All of us were at a small party at a friend's house one night, and all of us knew the other played instruments so we said: "Hey, let's start a band!"
PRP: Who are the members of the band?
Jakt: Tim Scott - vocals / keyboards; Mike Sheridan - bass guitar; Chris Mouser - drums; Andy McLamb - lead/rhythm guitar; Larry Smith - manager
PRP: Why did you decide to play the instrument you do, or to sing?
Andy: I like the guitar because its a solo instrument and i like to show off.
Chris: It's like it was just meant to be! I've beat on everything, from the kitchen counter to buckets.
Mike: I wanted more friends and all the people i knew played instruments.
Tim: I am taking over for the singer that quit the band previously.
PRP: Is there anyone that inspired you?
Andy: The famous ones, like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath.
Chris: Ozzy Osbourne.
Tim: James Hetfield from Metallica, Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory.
Mike: Our guitar player, Andy, taught me how to play, so I guess it would be him.
PRP: How long have you guys been together as a band?
Jakt: Well, this June made exactly one year as the band is right now.
PRP: Any material released?
Jakt: Well, right now we have our 6 song demo out titled "Straight", and in a few more weeks we have a full length album coming out titled "Kingpin".
PRP: How did the band get it's name?
Jakt: This name came to us as a feeling of adrenaline. Like a group coming together fast and moving fast. Later on after the name came, we found out that in the german language the term JAKT means "to hunt" or "the hunter".
PRP: How would you describe Jakt's sound to someone that has never heard you guys?
Jakt: Honestly, we can't be compared to anyone else. Our music is something that doesnt exist quite yet. We pull influences from everywhere, even classical music. We believe our diversity is what makes our music. It is intimidating, intense, and definitely uncomparable to anything in mainstream today. In a review from www.thenoisebox.com, they said "they range from having a sound such as cold and creed to having a sort of metal/crossover/death-alternative sound."
PRP: What's the song writing process like?
Jakt: Basically, there's no real process for these songs, though usually Andy will lay down a short riff on the guitar and the rest will just fall in line. Almost like it was natural for the song to be. Of course it helps when the musicians have been playing since the age of 8 years old. All of us have known each other quite a long time. I guess that has given us the ability to musically "sense" each other. Kind of knowing what is coming next from each member without saying anything. i guess it can border on being almost psychic.
PRP: How's the music scene there in North Carolina, US?
Jakt: This is one of the best areas to be in when it comes to new music. People here are always receptive to what we or any other new band does. We usually see new faces at every show. There are a lot of good bands in our area. We have played with a lot of them. Talent seems to be very plentiful here in the southeast part of the United States. It's like we have all the talent and none of the "want to be's."
PRP: How do you guys spread yourself out from others?
Jakt: Our website has been our best way so far to spread our name out there. http://jakt.xinu.com. We have sounds on the site and stuff like that. Plus, we have stickers that we put everywhere. In all the clubs that we play in. And we put them on people when they come in the door. We give away some tapes and we will have our t-shirts done very soon. Plus, we are different from anything anyone has heard yet. That's what makes us stand out.
PRP: Influences of the band?
Jakt: There are an infinite amount of influences with us, as we mentioned before. We tend to pull from virtually every category of music known; from country, classical, metal, old rock & roll, even hip hop from time to time. Our favorites though consist of Black Sabbath as number one; then Metallica, Iron Maiden, all the great bands and even Phil Collins.
PRP: Best underground band out there in your opinion?
Jakt: JAKT, of course. Who else?
PRP: All-time favorite band?
Jakt: Black Sabbath.
PRP: What would be the tour of your dreams? Your band plus.....?
Jakt: Our band with Black Sabbath, Metallica, Pantera, Korn, Iron Maiden; all the great bands at one shot to tour the country, kind of like a touring metalfest!
PRP: Any big plans on the horizon?
Jakt: Our plans tend to come so fast and furious that we usually don't have time to make any. Things have been happening way too fast to make any since this thing started. We got our demo, "Straight", recorded in 4 hours, all 6 songs. Within 6 months we already have a small label helping us out. They are helping us with our recording time. Someone came to us and wants to buy the t-shirts for the band. We have another guy that came to us and wants to do all the lights for our shows. The really big stuff. We have been really lucky up to this point, and we are riding the wave. It makes things really nice.
PRP: Last show you went to?
Jakt: Ozzfest, here in the United States, with Black Sabbath and other bands. It was awesome!
PRP: Anything you wanna add? Last comments?
Jakt: Well, we want to thank everyone for all their help up to this point. All the bands, club owners, friends, everyone. Without everyone's help we could not have made it this far. We have a long way to go, so if anyone wants to help us, they can get in touch with us through our website. Peace and thank you all!
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