The Highway Beautiful
by Jessica

CS: What kind of equipment do you use?

Jason: Its just me and my guitar so my equipment list is pretty short, it just my guitar, an Ibanez AE (acoustic electric.)

CS: What is the main focus in your ministry? Teens? The lost? The hurting? Why did you decide up on this as a focus?

Jason: If I had to pick who responds most to what I am doing, it's teenagers. The subject matter of my songs is very real, not churchy so I think that its easy to relate to it.

CS: What does your group's name mean?

Jason: Absolutly nothing...but I've found some people, mostly
Chrisitians WANT there to be a meaning. They think I'm talking about the road to heaven, or some other spiritual road, and I guess I could give it a meaning, but I don't really want to, it's just a name and I liked the way it sounds.

CS: Where did you come up with it?

Jason: I was throwing out potential names to my friends while we were driving to a music festival and they were shooting them down one by one. So I was just looking out the window and I saw a sign that said, "Please Don't Litter: Keep The Highway Beautiful" and I said "what about The Highway Beauitful," and they said they liked it, so that's what I went
with.

CS: Where do you see the band in five years? Ten? The future?

Jason: That's hard to say, I've been in the Christian music world for the last seven years with my last band, and if I only learned one thing it is that when and where I think I'm going to be, are most of the time, very different from where God seems to put me. I'd really like to see it as a job successful enough, by the world's standards anyway, so that I can support my family and have enough time for them. Other than that, whatever.

CS: Do you ever worry about getting caught up in the world of show biz? That success will change you?

Jason: I think that the world of show biz, with all its gliz and glam can really mess people up, just watch "Behind the Music" on VH1 and I think you'll see plenty of examples of that. Right now the glamor of show biz is so far away from my life that its not at all an issue. I don't have a bus and a driver and bottles of champage in my hotel room. I drive myself to shows in my car and sleep at host families houses and drink milk. Would success ever change me? I don't hink so, my family and friends would make sure of that.

CS: What kind of relationship do you maintain with your audiences? Do you fellowship with them? Or do you remain distant as the performer?

Jason: I try to develop as much of a friendship as I can with
everyone in my audience. It's tough because I am usually only in a city for a short amount of time, sometimes less than a full day, but I let my audience know my email address and encourage everyone I talk to to keep in touch with me through email. Not everyone actually writes me, but everyone that does I make sure to write back to and many times I'm able to develop frindships with people from shows this way

CS: How would you describe your music style?

Jason: Because of Dashboard Confessional, I think a lot of people hear a guy and his guitar and think emo, or Jon Mayer, but I don't think I sound like either, it's just acoustic pop/rock

CS: Who, or what, are your biggest musical influences?

Jason: I've been influenced by so much music throughout my life its hard to say specific musicians or bands. Growing up my Dad loved country and my Mom listened to oldies from the late 60's, so I know that had a huge impact on me, but I think that so did 80's music that was popular when I was a kid, and 90's grunge stuff too.

CS: Are you involved in any other ministries?

Jason: This is my main focus right now, but as Chrisitians, our lives are supposed to be our ministry, it’s not just a job that we can come home from, our ministry is never over. This Christmas season I am working with Toys for Tots, they are not a Christian organization, but they collect toys for underprivileged kids, so I wanted to get involved with them.

CS: How much time do you practice?

Jason: Not enough...

CS: Have you always had a desire to do something like this?

Jason: I had no desire to be a solo artist. However, for the last
couple years I've felt like God was saying, "Go do your own music" and I was like "uhhh God, I don't have a band." But it became clear that I wasn't going to get a band and that God still wanted me to leave my band and do my own music all alone, it was really scary, but He has totally been blessing it.

CS: What is the latest news on your group? Any new CD's to be released soon?

Jason: No full length CD yet, just my EP, but I am in talks about getting one made. One of the big questions is for the CD, should it be just me and my guitar like it is live or have a full blown band behind me in the studio.

CS: What's the weirdest thing that's ever happened at one of your concerts?

Jason: I crapped myself. No, just kidding, ahhh, nothing really very weird to be honest

CS: What's a band you could not live without?

Jason: Jars Of Clay

CS: What are your favorite bible verses?

Jason: Right now, its Romans 8: 38-39, "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else on all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

CS: Do you have any advice for the youth of today?

Jason: Know that Jesus is your friend and that he's not some cop in the sky. Even if you think He hates you, He doesn't, and if you re going through crap that you think no one could ever understand, He does. I'm not one of those people who have had a prefect life and just sit back and say things like that cause the toughest thing I had to deal with was something stupid. I had a friend growing up who had this perfect life
and whenever more crap was thrown at me he'd say something like that and it just ticked me off because what did he know, his life was great. But seriously, from me, someone who has been through garbage, know that Jesus really does love you. Once you really know that everything else will work
itself out the way it has to.

CS: What people have influenced you (non-musicians)?

Jason: Everyone really. Sometimes someone that I've met only once can say or do something that will make me look at life a little different, for better or worse.

CS: What's one tv show you can't live without?

Jason: I watch more TV than I think I probably should, but I don't really watch TV shows, I prefer to pop in a video or DVD, but if I had to pick one probably, I don't know, I don't think I've watched the same show two weeks in a row for months, but maybe Everybody Loves Raymond. I like it but I had to stop watching it 'cause I started to get mad at everyone on the show for being so mean to Robert all the time.

CS: If you were stranded on an island, and could only have five things, what would they be?

Jason: If I had to be self-sufficient... matches, a water distiller, a tent, a knife, and... shoes, I don't think I'd want to be barefoot if there were sharp rocks or if I had to chase down my food. I know, I'm not taking my Bible, but I could still have time with God even if I’m not reading my Bible, I mean I'm on an island, who else am I going to be talking to but Him. lol. If that stuff was taken care of and it was more of a resort island, then I'd take my Bible, my guitar, a notebook, a pen and a good friend.