WEST SEATTLE, Washington, May 27, 2010 (WSFB) – At Feedback Lounge on a quiet weekend night, sipping walnut bourbon on the couch. In walks a hot little blond followed by four dudes. Clearly this is a band, but is it Jaded Mary? Never met these guys before so no idea what to expect.

I decide to break the ice. “Are you Jaded Mary?”

The girl responds, “Yeah! Are you Funblog?”

“Yes We Can”, I reply, and the soon to be four hour encounter begins. Introductions ensue, and these are some of the most polite musicians in the history of musicianship. It was a lot like meeting your daughter’s four boyfriends and her one girlfriend for the very first time; everyone on their best behavior, and super congenial. Contrary to popular belief, common decency is not dead.

“For the record, we’re not real journalists,” I proclaim proudly. “It’s a funblog. It’s about fun.”

In typical fashion, the conversation begins with a series of patented non sequiturs intended to break the intellectual ice and prepare folks for arguably the most disconnected and unprofessional interview of their careers – Funblog style!

WSFB: How long has Jaded Mary been together?

JM: Jaded Mary consider themselves a new band now that Randy Sage is on board.  Most of our fans are from Seattle and the fans from Port Orchard know Leif (drummer), Jamal (bass) and Tim (guitar) from high school.  Most of our fans started coming together in July 2008.

WSFB: Where does Jaded Mary derive their sound, in terms of style and influence?

JM: Each member comes with their own influence:

TIM BERTSCH (GUITAR):  “Anyone capable of stirring emotion via steel and wood.  Jimi Hendrix = Innovation, John McLaughlin = Versatility, Jimmy Page = Virtuosity, Django Reinhardt = Adaptation, David Gilmore = Talking guitar, Steve Vai = Fluidity, Jimmy Nolen = Got Dat Funk, and many more…”

LEIF WAGNER (DRUMS): “Buddy Rich – The innovator of modern drumming. A band did not follow Buddy Rich, they struggled to keep up. He conducted every performance with every kick, roll and crash with rhythmic cadence that was not just heard, but felt. John Bonham- Watching him deliver this thunderous approach to an instrument that was originally seen as secondary importance to a musical work was life changing. His contribution to the material brought it to a level that one could not exist without the other. Always imitated, never duplicated. Tommy Lee – A consummate showman. The attention that he brought to every performance made it “cool” to be a drummer. Nothing was considered too over the top or crazy. Anything was fair game to make the show an absolute spectacle. He backs this up with some of the most solid beats and killer fills in popular music.”

RANDY SAGE (VOCALS): “My earliest influence was Fleetwood Mac.  I received the Rumors record and wore the grooves off of it.  As for more current influences, I was immediately drawn to the sound of the 90’s Seattle music scene including Layne Staley and Eddie Vedder – those vocalists took a heavier sound and delivered melodic hooks that grabbed their fans. “

JAMAL (BASS) – “My influences have always been musicians that capture a mood or emotion. Whether its anger, sadness or happiness I have always been drawn to music that is well written and pulls emotion out of you. My influences are as diverse as Frank Sinatra to System of a Down. Growing up, my main influences were heavier bands like Anthrax, Slayer, Testament, Metallica, Megadeth, as well as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Scorpions. These bands were home to great musicians and challenged me to figure out how to play their music. That is what helped bring me to a different level of bass playing skills. My taste in music continues to grow and it is exciting to see the emergence of bands like Crash Kings that bring emotion and drive to every song they perform.”

Feedback Lounge’s server extraordinaire Allison returns to the table and asks us if we need any more drinks. Tim – not a convicted drinker – orders Absinthe. I order another walnut bourbon and Heineken, the others order coffee.

Allison returns to the table and places the non-Absinthe drinks in their respective places then proceeds to crouch down next to Tim to prepare his libation. She brandishes a fork on which she places a sugar cube and a small amount of lucid, then she proceeds to pull out a lighter. She ignites the flame and moves it briefly under the loaded spoon. The lucid warms. The sugar cube melts. The warm sweetness is delicately folded into the waiting glass of Absinthe, the once clear liquid now clouded with sweet adjunct. Complete.

“You ever try Absinthe?” Tim asks.

I respond with, “No. I hear it makes you hallucinate.”

Knowing I need to take the plunge, I take a sip of the delicate wormwood concoction from the glass. No hallucinations occur. We proceed with the interview.

WSFB: Professor Stephen W. Hawking recently advised the human race “to not make contact with extraterrestrial beings”. Does Jaded Mary agree or disagree, and why?

JM: Well duh!  DISAGREE.  Jaded Mary is friendly to extraterrestrials AND Sasquatch and can’t wait for the opportunity to welcome them into the Jaded Mary family.  The manager’s input is, just don’t get an extraterrestrial or Sasquatch pregnant.

WSFB: When can we expect to see and hear a Jaded Mary CD? Who’s producing it, do you have a label, and how are you planning to distribute the material?

JM: Sylvia Massy (RadioStar Studios) will be producing our album as she reached out to us almost immediately after listening to our demo cd.  We are currently looking for label representation or funding to get into the studio to record.

We take a break and head outside for a cigarette.

I ask Tim, Leif, and Jamal about their former frontman – Jeremy Jenniges. They share a tragic story of a man who lost his life in a terrible accident, and who they had been friends with for many years prior. The mood is somber and reflective, but they find a light in the loss.

“One chapter comes to a close, and a new one begins. Jeremy’s passing forced us to step back and consider if we were going to keep going as a band” says Tim. “Loss is often followed by rebirth, and that’s what happened here.”

In October 2009, after interviewing more than 300 vocalists to fill the gap, the guys were just about to give up. Then, completely out of the blue comes a response from Randy Sage to their ad in a music publication.

Randy not only expressed his interest in joining Jaded Mary, but wrote and recorded the lyrics for the vocal-less tracks Lift Me Up, Back To Zero, and Acceptance.

Upon receiving the vocalized tracks, the guys knew they had found their man.

“Everything happens for a reason,” says Tim. “We believe this was more than just coincidence.”

WSFB: The Voodoo Lounge show on June 19th in Port Orchard has a lot of significance to the band in terms of honoring your late band mate and singer, Jeremy. Please share your thoughts about this event.

JM: Jeremy, his family and our Port Orchard fans are our family and we are indebted to his memory.  We look forward to our future and know that Jeremy is still one of our biggest supporters.

Jaded Mary opens for Michael Wilton of Queensrÿche at Club Motor this Friday May 28th. Don’t wait for June to roll around to get out and see these guys. Seize the (Fri)day! Be sure to check out their MySpace page for tracks.

For booking or other information, contact Christy Knight – Last Knight Productions. E-Mail: lastknightproductions@yahoo.com