Go Radio
An interview with singer Jason Lancaster
by Tina Hall
March 2011
Go Radio
Go Radio, out of Tallahassee, FL, is made up of Jason Lancaster (vocals), Alex Reed (guitar and vocals), Matt Poulos (bass and vocal), and Steven Kopacz (drums). The band is set to release their full length debut album, Lucky Street, with a tour to follow. The album, produced by Tim O’Heir (The All-American Rejects, Hot Rod Circuit, The Starting Line, Say Anything) and mixed by James Paul Wisner (Paramore, New Found Glory, Dashboard Confessional), offers 13 solid rock tracks. The band is also set to tour on the Vans Warped Tour all this summer. Maximum Ink took some time to speak with John Lancaster about the band’s influences, the new album, and more.
Maximum Ink: Can you tell us a little about yourself? How do you think your upbringing influenced your decision to become a musician?
Jason Lancaster: I think my upbringing had everything to do with me becoming a musician. I was brought up around music with my dad being in a band from the time I was born until the day he passed. Life wasn’t always easy, but that’s how it goes for almost everyone. I learned not to complain about things I can’t control and to embrace the things that are good about life. It was an honest childhood, and I am grateful for everything I’ve been through, good or bad.
MI: Who were some of your earliest influences? Also, where did the name Go Radio come from?
JL: I always loved listening to early rock music, but I honestly always loved listening to anything. I was raised on Southern rock like most people in the South, but I’ve always been really into exploring music that’s around me. Where the name Go Radio came from originally is hard to say, but it’s become a lot more than a name for us. It’s something we all mean, but not in a “make money, be commercial” way. It’s more of a “we don’t really enjoy a lot of things on the radio, so let’s change what’s on the radio” way.
MI: What is it like to work with the rest of the guys in the band?
JL: Amazing. Every one of us is family, and it’s been like that since day one. We’ve always tried our best to make sure that every person is taken into account when we’re making decisions, and everyone gets heard. There has never been a moment where I felt like I couldn’t be myself which is more than a lot of people get to say.
MI: How would you describe the Go Radio sound? Furthermore, what can your fans expect from the live show?
JL: Honest rock and roll. I feel like we’re walking the line between “scene” and “mainstream.” I’m never really sure if it’s a good or bad thing, so we just don’t worry about it. We write songs that we love about the lives we live, and it comes out as Go Radio. In a live show, we’re always trying to put on a high energy, interactive performance. It’s been so much fun playing live with this band because everyone is so excited to be there. We play the exact same way for three people as for 3,000 because we all just have so much fun.
MI: What was it like to work with Tim O’Heir and James Paul Wisner on the debut album? Are you excited to see the album finally released?
JL: Both of them were so amazing. Tim has a way of getting what he wants out of you without ever really telling you what it is. It can be frustrating at times, but, in the end, when we listen to the record, I know we made the right choice with him. God yes we’re excited for the album to finally be released. We’ve waited so long to share this part of us, and we can’t wait to hear what people have to say about it. This record is as honest as I’ve ever been with content, and I think it shows. We’re saying so many things that prior people told us not to, and we’re finally putting out our voice. It’s more than I could ever ask for
MI: Do you enjoy working in the studio or on the road most? Why? Also, are you looking forward to hitting the road on the Vans Warped Tour?
JL: There are things that are better about both the studio and being on the road, but really I love touring. I love being able to see what we’re doing on the faces of people that are there to see us. It’s amazing. Touring has always been a dream of ours, so yeah, we’re looking forward to it. Warped has become sort of a status symbol for our genre. It’s so much more than a show now. It’s a breathing part of rock and a touring example of how much people will endure for the sake of an amazing show.
MI: Do you have any amusing stories from the road to share with our readers?
JL: None that we can talk about. We have so many stories about our fans, but there’s really far too many to talk about. It’s one of those things where to point out one wouldn’t do the others justice.
MI: What do you like to do when you are not making music?
JL: There are times when we’re not making music? I really enjoy music as a whole, so if I’m not making it, I’m writing or recording it for Go Radio or for other bands, but it’s always music for me.
MI: Where would you like to see your career head next?
JL: I always want to advance our career, but I never want to do it at the expense of making it a job. I don’t ever want to look at this as work because it’s just too much fun.
MI: What projects are you currently working on?
JL: Right now we’re all just holding our breath to see what happens next. We’re so excited about the things that are happening with us, and we’re staying busy with the tour. But, at the end of the day we just really want to see how far we can push this. We just did a live thing with ESPN that was amazing, and we’re in the middle of a video shoot for “Any Other Heart” in Orlando. We have our first headlining tour in May. I’m just so excited for the future.
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Go Radio
CD: Lucky Street Record Label: Fearless Records
• Purchase Lucky Street on Amazon
• Download Lucky Street on Amazon