LINKS:

savingabel.com

myspace.com/savingabel

There Is No Saving Abel

Think you're about to read the story of the biblical brothers, Cain and Abel? Well, not exactly. Saving Abel might have been born out of the bible belts of Mississippi and Tennessee, but this band is anything but biblical. With thought-provoking lyrics and a good measure of Southern rock added in the mix, Saving Abel is on the verge of greatness. Their self-titled debut album has already garnered them a bonafide number one hit with the catchy lead-off single “Addicted”. Talk about sexual innuendos. The song is full of them, but the fun doesn't stop there. The lead-off track on the album, “New Tattoo” is a drive-with-the-top-down, rockin' fun summer song. The rest of the album doesn't disappoint either, with songs such as “18 Days” so well written and so polished, that one would think that these guys have been writing together for years. Actually, they have been. “In God's Eyes” is another catchy rock tune, with Jared Weeks' strong vocals shining through. Touring relentlessly since being signed by Virgin Records and the release of the album in March of this year, they are now on a two month stint opening for Puddle Of Mudd. These five Southern boys will be blasting their way into a town or city near you and when they do, be sure to buy the album and then go see them live.

That's what I plan to do when they make their way here.

TINA PEEK: Hi Jason!

JASON NULL: Hey Tina, how are ya hun?

TP: I'm fine. How are you doing?

JN: I'm doing good.

TP:That's good! Thanks for taking the time with me today, I really appreciate that.

JN: Yes ma'am, anytime.

TP: I wanted to first talk to you about the band name and I'm sure a lot of people probably ask you about that. I know it was derived from the biblical story of Cain and Abel, but what made you guys decide that this was what you wanted to name the band?

JN: Well, when we started trying to name the band, it was just like five opinions and we had everybody else's outside opinion, too, and we were at our wits end. We had the songs, we had the band together, we had the pictures, we just needed a name before we could even do several things, like build a MySpace page and stuff like that. I just Googled that one night, Tina, and there was a line that came up and it read, "There was no saving Abel" and I just jotted that down on a piece of paper and I forwarded it up to our producer and everybody was like, "Let's just roll with it, let's do it." That was basically it. At that point, it was easy to decide, and so we just ran with it.

TP: You and Jared formed Saving Abel in 2004, Tell me how you met and how that came about.

JN: I did a record there in Corinth years back and Jared was always into music, so we hooked up on the local scene. I walked into a friend’s house one night, it was just like a jam, everybody was standing around playing instruments and stuff and he walked up and asked me to play some of the old stuff, and I did, and he started singing, and I was like, "Wow!" He wasn't even in a band at the time. He was just hanging out looking for a scene you know?

TP: And you guys just clicked right away?

JN: Yeah, we'd sing like we were gonna date one another or something ya know? [laughs] It was kind of stand-offish at first, and like three or four days passed and I don't even remember how it came about, but anyway, I ended up at his house and we just sat down with some acoustic guitars and just started writing music. And it was like two or three weeks had passed and we had twelve, thirteen, fourteen songs written and working on more. So we just kept writing songs and over a four year period we decided, "Hey, if we're gonna keep writing songs and doing this, let's try to do it on a more professional level." So that's what we did. We started going after a record deal and stuff.

TP: So how did you end up hooking up with Skidd Mills (12 Stones, Saliva, Submersed) who produced your debut album?

JN: We went up there and actually tracked some acoustic demos in his studio, in hopes that maybe he would like it. And sure enough, a couple of weeks later he called us back and "Beautiful Day" was one of the first songs that we'd written and he really liked that song and wanted to work on that. And it started out that we were just gonna do about three or four songs with him and as we got to writing with him and stuff, it just got him more excited about the project. And before we knew it, he offered us a production deal and we recorded our full-length record with him.

TP: Wow, it really happened pretty fast once Skidd heard it...

JN: You know, once we decided what we wanted to do, everything just started falling into place. It seemed like every day there was a new email and somebody else was interested, and of course we took out the bad and took the good and figured out who the right people are to establish your business with, but with all that said, we didn't get a break. It was one thing lead up to another, we got Skidd, then we got our management, which is Scott Frazier and Rick Smith, and Rick's worked with Seether and all those guys. It was like we had dreams coming true, day after day.

TP: What were you doing before playing in other bands, before Saving Abel?

JN: Ohhh… [laughs] Well, I actually did theft prevention management for K-Mart stores, like, I sat in a little room and watched the cameras and would go out and tackle thieves in the parking lot and stuff like that! [laughs]

TP: You're kidding, that's terrific! Okay, the album is great, I've been listening to it all week; it's wonderful!! I'm absolutely addicted to the album’s first single, "Addicted", I just love it!! How does it feel and what goes through your mind when you heard that “Addicted” is sitting at number two nationally on active rock radio and is also charted at number two on Billboard's top heat seekers chart? [Note: That was the chart position at the time of the interview. It later reached #1. –ed.]

JN: It's cliche to say it, but it's still so surreal. It still hasn't really sunk in in any of our minds yet, what we're actually doing and what's going on. We say this everywhere we go, but we're still kind of like, we're in the band, you know and the only time we hear the news is when we go to radio, or you guys call us and tell us stuff. We just kind of filter through it all, but it doesn't really sink in either at the same time, because we're still in this band and we're working hard and thinking about being a rock star and having a number one hit, and sometimes you think limos and fast cars and fine wine right?

TP: Yeah, but it's not really like that for you guys yet, is it? Didn't you get your first tour bus this week?

JN: We get it next week and we're counting the days down.

TP: I bet you are! It must be hard driving in a van cross country...

JN: Oooh… [we both laugh] If you've never done it [laughs] oooh… you would not even know.

TP: No I haven't, but I have friends in the industry who have had to struggle and I know what they've gone through, heard the stories. I just couldn't imagine being stuck in a van with four or five people, day in and day out, driving across the country every day.

JN: Oh my God...

TP: Yeah, it's gotta be hard.

JN: Yeah it is sometimes, but it's really worth it.

TP: And once you get your bus, you'll really appreciate it! So when you hear your song on the radio, does it kind of flip you out when you hear it?

JN: It does, like there are certain cities, like we were in Chicago and we turned on the radio and there it is. And when you're back around home and stuff, it's not that big of a deal because a lot of these radio stations we've worked with over the past couple of years and done shows and stuff, so we knew they had been playing the single, you know? But when you're out, like when you're in L.A. and you're driving down the road and there's a billboard with a picture of you on it, yeah, that's kinda weird, yeah.

TP: Who does most of the writing in the band, is it mostly you and Jared, or does everyone in the band contribute to the writing?

JN: For this record, it was mostly me and Jared because we really had all the songs written and a lot of the songs had been tracked before the band was even in place. But I have to say this, everybody in this band writes really well and I can't wait for our next record. I think it's going to be twice as good, because there's so much more now. Like our drummer, Blake [Dixon], he's a phenomenal songwriter and Scott [Bartlett, guitarist] everybody, everybody is just great! It just didn't play out that way for this record but yeah, me and Jared and then of course Skidd who helped co-write a lot of the songs.

TP: So how did you meet the other guys? After you and Jared formed the band, how did Scott, Eric [Taylor] and Blake fit in and how did you know that these guys were the right fit and they were who you wanted?

JN: Well Blake's brother had played with me in bands in times past, their whole family is musical. So I called him and said, "You know dude, we're trying to do this thing and if you'd like to be in on it", he had a lot of stuff going on at the time and he said, "My little brother is on drums now." And I'm like, "Your little brother?" And he was like, "Yeah!" And I didn't even really have to hear him because I knew, the whole family is just great, anything they touch, any instrument. So we jammed with Blake one night and that's all it took. I'd play something and he knew exactly what to play, so that was an easy decision. And then Scott, he was actually hired in to do session work with us as we cut the record and we asked him if he wanted to join the band. He was like, "Sure, let's do it." And he's been there ever since, pretty much since day one of the recording. Then Eric, Eric is actually our second bass player and of course these guys, Jared and Blake knew of Eric, he's a bit younger than me, but those guys knew of him and everything, so we had him over at the house one night and me and Jared sat around with the acoustics like we used to and he'd brought his bass and we played some of our songs and he nailed them and out of twenty or thirty other guys, we just knew it was Eric.

TP: And do you all get along, is it like a brotherhood of sorts?

JN: Get along? I wouldn't say so much. [we both laugh] But a brotherly band, we are. You can put that together I mean, we'll fight one another but nobody better mess with us. We're with each other all the time, we know, we know better. I mean we know we've gotta do this and we know we are brothers and we're in this together.

TP: And you're all from the same area down south too aren't you? Mississippi is it?

JN: Yeah, the better part of the band is less than ten minutes from one another. Scott actually lives in Memphis Tennessee, which is like a second home to us anyway. It's about an hour from Corinth.

TP: I don't know exactly where that is, because I've never travelled out that way, but I will say this, I love your accent, it's adorable!!

JN: [laughs] Thank you.

TP: So Jason, who were your musical influences growing up?

JN: Most of my influences came from ‘70's and ‘80's rock. My mom, my family also was very musical and I grew up listening to everything from bluegrass and Johnny Cash to just, whatever. I mean I even went through a phase and Purple Rain is one of my favourite records from Prince, ya' know? But anything, if it's good, I'll listen to it.

TP: Do you remember the first time you ever sang for anyone?

JN: Yes I do. [starts laughing]

TP: How old were you, what did you sing, and for who?

JN: I was six years old, it was at a family gathering, I'm not sure what it was, but we were all outside so it was probably summer. I remember we had banjos and mandolins and everything you could imagine, but my brother had traded my bike for my guitar, so I practised for days so I could learn my guitar [laughs] and me and my little cousin played “Johnny B. Goode”. I sang that and then we did “Swingin'” [laughs], remember that old song by John Anderson called “Swingin'”? Oh my God, I'm sorry I told you that, maybe I shouldn't have.

TP: [I laugh] Why, because you think it might age you?

JN: [laughs] Oh my God, it's just the lamest...it is the “Achy Breaky Heart” of the ‘80's.

TP: Well everyone's got their “Achy Breaky Heart” though, right?

JN: Yeah and I can honestly say, I never sing that in public. [laughs]

TP: Sure, that's what you're telling me now Jason, cause you know it's going in print [much laughter]

JN: I was really opening up Tina [laughs]

TP: I know, I could tell, I should have run with that!! [much laughter] Okay, in one word describe each of your band mates, starting with Jared.

JN: Oooh… [laughter] are you serious? [we both laugh]

TP: C'mon Jason [laughter again]

JN: I'm just gonna' go with cute.

TP: Cute? Okay, Scott?

JN: [starts laughing]

TP: You're so bad...

JN: [laughs] Jared would be temperamental, I think. He'd be temperamental.

TP: Really, okay and Scott?

JN: Scott would be a, ah, *at this point, Jason calls out to Scott and says, "Scott, what is the word I use for you all the time?"* Blake said, "Ass-hole." [we both break out laughing] Well you know what, when you're with him and drinking beers at the same time....[laughs]

TP: Well then, what about Blake?

JN: [laughs] Blake is the comedian.

TP: I figured, I could tell. And Eric?

JN: Eric is the pacifist. Eric is just like, what-the-hell-ever.

TP: That's great, too funny. Okay, you've been doing a lot of touring, what's the crowd reaction been like for the band so far?

JN: Oh it's been awesome! Like we were in Minnesota last night and we were just talking about this, but it seemed like it was just a year ago, and it was, that we were in Corinth, Mississippi and there were these small clubs, and we were just starting to pack 'em out and people were getting real excited. Now that we're going to all these different cities and these clubs, we're starting to see that all over again. It's just weird to show up and there'd be four or five hundred people there to see you, but you don't know these people, it's not friends and family anymore, you know? That is the best part, and fortunately at this point, we can still go out and meet and sign and do stuff like that and we're not so pressed for time and that's the best parts about it.

TP: Right. So you've got a couple of exciting things happening in the next month or so with the band. One of them is that you'll be doing quite a few headlining shows, and the other, which you must be really stoked about, is that Saving Abel will be touring with Puddle Of Mudd starting in July for about two months. How did that come about?

JN: We're all huge fans of Puddle Of Mudd, and that was really our management team and our booking agent working that for us and when they're booking in the later stages of our tour, they'd ask us, "These are some of the bands that we might be able to get you on with." And it was hands down for us from the choices at the time for Puddle Of Mudd, because we're all fans. So we're really looking forward to that, and I hear those guys like to party, too!

TP: You guys like to party?

JN: Oh yeah, we like to throw down. We get in trouble for it about once a week.

TP: Do you really? From who?

JN: Yeah, we over-step the boundaries [laughs]. You name it. We have management calling, the label, just everyone, whoever gets wind of it first. [we laugh]

TP: What's your favourite song to play live, Jason, and why?

JN: My favourite song to play live from the record is “In God's Eyes” because it's so full of energy and you can have so much fun with it and there are so many guitar parts, and it's just one of those songs. It's got a great vibe to it and it's the song we intro with, we open our show with and it gets the crowd pumped. And the song actually started out, we wrote the lines to that song years ago, when the powers came down, so that was one of the things we tried about that song, it was one of the songs we actually got on the record that wasn't just a love song or something, you know?

TP: So what are you listening to these days? What's in your CD player or iPod if you have one?

JN: My iPod is pretty sporadic, but I've been listening to Theory Of A Deadman because we just got off tour with them and they write these fricken hooky songs. I have to tune in to them and listen to it so I can get my fill and get that song outta my head for the evening you know?

TP: Which song are you referring to that you can't get out of your head?

JN: You name it, “Happy” is in there, “Santa Monica”, “Meant To Be”, “Bad Girlfriend”. [laughs]

TP: So what was it like touring with Theory Of A Deadman, doing a few dates with them?

JN: It was great, 'cause I was a huge fan of the band and to meet them, they were these super cool guys. We hung out, drank some beers and talked about music and did the rock thing, so it was great.

TP: Jason, with two million song streams and growing by leaps and bounds weekly, do you find that MySpace has been helpful in getting the word out on the band, do you find it an invaluable tool to help you guys as a group?

JN: It always has been, always, yeah.

TP: More so than say, a website?

JN: To me, I don't go to anyone's website unless I just can't find it on MySpace. And usually you don't find it on their website if you can't find it on their MySpace. To me, that's a one-stop shop, because if I want to buy the record, if I want to listen to a sample of the songs, if I want to see the pictures or read the bio, if I want to see the band's interaction, I have it all right there on one page. I don't know, I think websites may be a thing of the past if MySpace keeps going along and it's free, if the people keep getting the service for free like they are, ya know?

TP: Well let's hope it stays that way. Anything good that is free, doesn't seem to stay free for long, right?

JN: Exactly, exactly.

TP: I wanted to ask you, is the band planning on doing any Canadian dates at some point in the near future and has there been any talk of perhaps going over to Europe to do some touring there?

JN: There's been talk of it, but again, it's just been talk. I know that we've been pressed to get passports and stuff like that, and I did hear that Canada would be our first non-U.S. tour.

TP: That would be great, I'd love to see you guys live.

JN: We would love to come up there and I mean, we've heard the scene is great up there. We've toured with Evans Blue, Neurosonic, a lot of Canadian bands and everybody talks about the scene up there is just great for rock music and stuff.

TP: Oh yeah, we dig the rock just as much as Americans do. There's really no difference in that at all.

JN: Well you guys have put some of the best out in the past ten years’ span, so kudos.

TP: Yes, we have some great musicians up here in Canada, that's for sure. So Jason is there anything you'd like to say or add that I haven't asked you today? Anything you'd like to get out while I've got you here?

JN: Well, just that we're headlining a tour right now and we go out with Puddle in July and that's really as much as we know that's concrete as yet. I think you covered a lot of everything that I enjoy talking about.

TP: Okay, cool.

JN: The questions were easy...

TP: Until I asked you to describe your band mates. [we laugh] Any messages for your fans before we finish the interview Jason?

JN: Yeah, just tell 'em we say thank you and we appreciate them more than they know.

TP: Okay, well thanks so much for taking the time with me today and I hope Saving Abel will make it up this way real soon.

JN: Yes ma'am, we do too.

TP: Canada is beautiful and if you can try and get out here while the weather is good, as opposed to in the winter, that would be a bonus for you guys.

JN: It would be, cause I hate the snow.

TP: You and me both. I hate winter and this past one was brutal. Even now, summer is so slow in coming, it's sunny today, but only about 45 or 50 degrees out, not exactly balmy weather.

JN: Bless your heart. I don't know if I could do that, hun. When we left for tour, I told everybody, "Why don't we go up north?" Because we hadn't seen any snow in Mississippi, in the mountains for a couple of years, and I was saying, "I wouldn't mind seeing a good snow." I ate those words. We stayed in snow for three and a half weeks on our first run.

TP: You should try staying in it for three or four months! It's ridiculous. I hate the cold, the snow doesn't bother me so much, but I really hate winter.

JN: Yeah, the winter to me, like that kind of weather, would be nice to maybe visit for a day or two, but I dunno, [laughs] I wouldn't want to be in it and have to deal with that every day, that would be horrible.

TP: And it seems that the worse the weather, the worse the drivers become, like they all want to come out in a bad storm or something. People forget how to drive when it's bad out.

JN: If it rains in Corinth Mississippi, there's gonna' be an accident by the Walmart. Now somebody is gonna run into somebody by the Walmart. [we both laugh]

TP: Do you ever get any snow out where you live?

JN: Not so much, like, I can remember in school days, it seemed that we got a pretty good snow about once every Christmas season, every winter season, but I can't recall the last time that it really snowed and stuck to the ground or like we had snow for a couple of days. It's probably been two or three years since I've seen that.

TP: Wow. Well, I know you're busy Jason, so I'll let you go, but you're an absolute doll for doing this. My editor, Christine, met you guys a couple of weeks ago and told me I would like the band. She spoke so highly of all of you and told me that I would adore you, so I was really looking forward to doing this interview today.

JN: Well tell her I say thank you, and I hope to see her again!

TP: Okay I will. You take care and make sure you get your butts up to Canada, okay?

JN: Yes ma'am. Thank you!