JASON JOACHIM - OLD AND ILL
Name: Jason Joachim
Band: OLD and ILL
Duties: BASS/Vox
(Jason - only guy not wearing a Black Sabbath shirt)
OLD and ILL is a 3 piece doom band that currently resides in Austin, TX and is originally from Las Cruces, NM. I capitalized the band name for the sake of people not thinking that the band name is Old and “ the roman numeral 3”. I don’t have much of an extensive history knowing Jason but I’ve known the guitarist, Jamus, for quite a while through mutual friends and playing shows. It’s funny because I first saw Jason ages ago in El Paso with his old band The Answer Lies just like I did when I first saw Chris Mason (ex-Shangalang/Low Culture – I’ve done interviews with those bands as well) who also played in that band. I guess the main difference is that when I first saw Jason, he had long dreads and played in a fast-paced punk band. Now years later he has no dreads and plays in a heavy doom band. I like heavy bone crushing music that has guttural lows that will make your bowels implode but I honestly have a pretty limited knowledge of doom/sludge. All I know is that I like what I hear when it comes to this band. I’ve seen them multiple times and the tone and tightness are something I admire. Any band can be heavy. Tune low and crank your amps. Unfortunately, most of the time it sucks. The muddiness drowns everyone out and all the listener gets is loud low notes with a bunch of bearded dudes head banging with a wall of amps behind them. I got their Live Slow Die Old tape when they played in El Paso about half a year ago or so. I’ve played it a good amount and one thing I like in particular is the rawness of the sound. It doesn’t sound over-engineered and it sounds just the way it should in my opinion. Sounds like something that was recorded decades ago with an analog mindset rather than an over refined digital one. If you’re in the Austin area, I highly recommend that you check out this band. Just take ear plugs and be prepared to have a stiff sore neck the next day.
Goofy
Bleu cheese or ranch?
Blue cheese, the more aromatic, the better
What was the last thing that pissed you off?
My inability to control every outcome the way I see fit
Favorite animal?
Wolf
What’s a smell that makes you feel nostalgic about a particular event, person, or object?
Beer soaked wooden floors - Makes me nostalgic for spending any afternoon drinking at any comfortably dirty watering hole whether it be a dive bar or the University House.
What’s your signature motto?
Live Slow, Die Old
Favorite horror movie?
Im very non committal when it comes to naming a favorite, but I would have to say the top six that come to mind are
The Devil Rides Out
Vampyres
The Beyond
Stage Fright
Fascination by Jean Rollin
Tombs of the Blind Dead series
What do you think about when you are alone in your car?
My next meal
Which city do you drink more in - Austin or Las Cruces?
Probably Las Cruces.
Personal
Describe your daily routine.
When I’m working
I wake up at 3pm, shower, eat breakfast, make food for later, and spend a moment with my girlfriend Rachel and my dog Nola. If I have time, I will do some recording on my synth.
At 630 pm, I leave for work.
1 am - Eat lunch
7am - Leave work, take Nola for a walk and then go to bed.
On my off weeks (I work 7 days on and 7 days off), my schedule is a lot more unpredictable. I typically wake up around noon, eat breakfast then spend the rest of the time either practicing with the other guys, playing shows, running errands, shipping out orders, taking the dog to the dog park, and spending money at End of an Ear records. My strongest motivators are my appetite and mealtime. My stomach has more control over my day than anything else.
Do you have any weird talents?
Ummmm, I am loose jointed and can contort my feet around 360 degrees and lock my thumbs behind my knuckles.
What bands are you currently stoked on and that you can’t get enough of?
Umberto, Spettro Family, Neu!, Los Dug Dugs
When did you start playing bass?
1999
Who are some of your favorite bassists?
Lemmy, Al Cisneros, Dixie from Weedeater
Do you miss your dreads?
No. They started creeping me out after 7 years.
Since leaving Las Cruces and moving to Austin, what do you miss the most about Las Cruces?
Posole, mountains, and some good folks
I remember at the farewell Old and Ill / Answer Lies reunion show some dude vomited on you. You decked him in the stomach with your bass. I think that’s what happened. Ever have any other weird live gig altercations with people?
One time playing the Lost Cross house in Carbondale, IL, Jason Tanner read my mind and yelled, “Shit the Bed!” It was the most intense clairvoyant experience I ever had.
After playing in bands such as The Answer Lies that was fast paced punk, what made you want to be in a more dynamic doom/sludge band?
I always wanted to be in a Doom band. Although I thoroughly enjoyed playing fast punk, I find that doom allows for the potential for the participant to enter a meditative/reflective state and is typically more physically enjoyable.
What would you say is the biggest difference in being in a band such as The Answer Lies versus Old and Ill?
Gear. I firmly believe that the desired effect can only be achieved with adequate equipment. Load in for an Answer Lies show was way easier on the back.
I was looking through the Answer Lies myspace and I saw that you guys once played in diapers (minus Chris). Can you explain that situation?
Chris was unable to liberate himself from the social mores that dictate that you must exhibit modesty. That and we only had 2 diapers.
What’s the #1 thing that touring and playing music has taught you about yourself?
That you can do more with less and be happier.
Old and Ill
How did the band get its name?
I read the phrase in a book and it jumped out at me. Rather than picturing something or someone weak and past its prime, OLD and ILL symbolizes to me something strong, resilient and lingering, something or someone unwilling to give in to destructive forces.
Do you ever feel old and ill?
Typically after overindulgence in drink.
Old and Ill originated in Las Cruces, NM. Why did you and Jamus move the band to Austin, TX?
I had a job opportunity here and both of us felt a strong desire to try something new.
Was the decision a difficult one to make?
No, I don’t want to speak for Jamus, but I think it would have been more difficult to stay in Las Cruces, although I still love it there.
Has the location change affected the band as far as the creative/song writing process goes or how the band is run?
Well, not so much in the way we tackle the songwriting, but more in the fact that we have to do so now in a by the hour rehearsal space, rather than our own spot. We have to be much more efficient when it comes to time since we have less time to convene as a group. Personally I am having to do more work on my own time as far as writing goes.
I am assuming that you write the lyrics to the songs since you are the sole vocalist. Do your songs have any type of lyrical motif?
I’m typically inspired by the occult, psychic phenomena, internal struggle, and the unseen forces that affect our daily lives. I predict that Jamus will contribute vocals/lyrics on the next album.
In “Throat Feast”, your lyrics include a section with the word “orgone” and verbs that rhyme with “ate” such as “accumulate”, “distillate”, and “manipulate”. I decided to google the words, orgone accumulate, and I found a device called an orgone accumulator. I also looked up the word “exsanguinate” and that means “to drain blood”. Have you ever used an orgone accumulator or have you ever drained someone’s blood before and what made you include those two things in your song?
I have never used an Orgone Accumulator, but I do know that William S. Burroughs was reported to have one. As far as bleeding goes, I’ve never intentionally caused any bleeding on anyone, although I definitely have considered it.
What is the structure of an Old and Ill song typically like? Do one of you bring a riff to the table and it slowly begins to unravel itself into a full blown song?
Typically Jamus or I will bring a riff or two to the rest of the band and then collectively structure the song. We have thrown out at least 3x more songs and riffs than we currently play live, and since we have had 3 drummers, some of those songs we still play have undergone significant changes since we first started playing them.
What tuning do you guys use?
Drob B
For fans of Old and Ill and doom/sludge in general, what other bands would you recommend that they listen to?
Saturnalia Temple, Mala Suerte, Hooded Menace, True Widow
Bands not in the Doom genre:
White Hills, Midnight, Neu!, Expo 70, Fabio Frizzi, Absu
Any plans to write/record/tour any time soon?
Absolutely. We are currently writing new stuff and plan to head in to the studio this year. We will probably do some touring later on in the year, but for right now, my focus is my upcoming wedding in May and writing new material.
This concludes my interview. Any other last comments you would like to include?
Thanks a lot for your support and your interest in what we do! We look forward to coming back to El Paso and Las Cruces as soon as possible and hanging with old friends and meeting new ones.
end.
Give the Live Slow Die Old tape a listen at http://oldandill.bandcamp.com/album/live-slow-die-old-demo. If you are interested in supporting the band in a monetary manner then go to http://oldandill.bigcartel.com/. Do it.
Enjoy.
Chris.
