Jason Coasta Interview continuation from Sick Drummer Magazine Issue #7
By: Craig Sternberg & Noel Smart
SDM: How do two of the guys from Unearth fit into Diecast's history?
Jason: Well, they didn't, really. [laughing] I knew them when they were the band "Point 04". I had already been friends with their 
original drummer, Mike Rudberg, for a few years. I remember a few times, one of our guitarists subbed for one of Unearth's for a tour and Ken subbed for Jon at one point for Diecast. I think there was a time where Ken was thinking about trying to be in both bands at once, seeing that were were down a guitarist, but that didn't really work out. He and I during that two week stint wrote parts of the song Disrepair together. If I remember correctly, it was the first three sections of that song. Other than that, we were all pretty good acquaintances from seeing each other at shows, festivals and things.
SDM: It is said that one of your Diecast songs was even used on a TV commercial licensed by Volkswagen Automotive and used in an advertisement for the Volkswagen Jetta! How did the band end up with a deal like that? Did Diecast get a lot of promotion with this ad?
Jason: Yep! That was a four second clip of "Rise and Oppose" from the album Tearing Down Your Blue Skies. Our record label at the time, Century Media, had a really good publishing team, and I believe that's how we got that song onto that commercial. I don't think we got too too much promo from that. We didn't see any huge increase in attendance at shows right after that. But we did see some nice publishing checks. [laughing]
SDM: Your 2004 album was re-released with three bonus tracks, one being Slayer's Raining Blood. Did you think you did the song, and original drummer Dave Lombardo, justice on the song? How original did you keep the song and how much of you did you put into it? Did the Slayer camp hear the cover song?
Jason: Everyone in Diecast was a pretty big fan of Slayer. We even got to tour with them on Dave Lombardo's first tour back. Most amazing tour ever! When we recorded that, I tried to keep true to the song as much as possible. I think I only really changed the ending fills a bit to better fit my style. I love linear fills! That was done so long ago and I haven't heard it in so long I can't remember if I changed anything else. I heard from Diecast guitarist Jon that Kerry thought it was cool and kind of funny that we covered that song, but I'm sure he's so used to hearing about his songs being covered. I don't know if he heard it or not.
SDM: What was it like joining All That Remains? Did you realize how much success the band would achieve?
Jason: When I finally wanted to play again, Phil sent me a copy of "The Fall of Ideals". That album is great, and I really dug Shannon's drumming on it. So I told them I'd come and try out if they wanted but I was going to be REALLY rusty. I feel so blessed to be in this band. Everyone in ATR is so nice and laid back, it's a perfect home. I had no idea that this band would achieve so much. Even after a few weeks of practice with them, Phil told me that the tourbus was going to pick us up at his house to start the tour. I was blown away! I had never been in a bus in the US, only Europe, so that was a serious surprise. I was just really joining this band because I loved the music, musical ability, and the personalities of everyone in it. So the success is just the cherry on top!
SDM: How difficult was it for you to play parts from past All That Remains records? Was there any sort of adjustment?
Jason: Nothing for me was a challenge except having to put some time into practicing blast beats, but those are pretty easy… no secret to learning that. Just a metronome and some endurance. There were no blasts at all in Diecast, so it was really cool to do something new. Oh, getting my callouses back was a bad time! Man, were my hands messed up for a while. [laughing] That first two weeks hurt because my first tour with them was a headliner, and we were doing like fifteen songs a night.
SDM: Is All That Remains a Christian band? What faith do you practice?
Jason: ATR is not a Christian band at all. I don't practice any faith, to be honest.
SDM: In 2008 you recorded "Overcome". How long did you have to record the drums for this album? What goals did you set for yourself when recording the record?
Jason: I recorded the drums in about three days. It would have been two, but the second day we found out that the overhead left microphone wasn't on for like four songs, so I had to re-do them. The only goal I had set for myself was to not overplay just because I was the new drummer in the band. Shannon's an awesome drummer, and I wasn't coming in to try and be anything special. I just wanted to play the right things to the music and have a great time doing it.
I think on this album there's only like one blasting part. At first, I was trying to fit blasts over different parts on Overcome, but they just didn't really fit over the riffs that Oli was writing. Forcing beats over parts just for the sake of getting them onto an album is never a good idea. The band did, however, ask if I could put bigger fills in some parts of the album, which was fine by me. [laughing]
SDM: Did you always play the snare using traditional grip? What advantages do you have playing traditional grip?
Jason: Yes. I cannot play matched grip at all. I learned from a jazz teacher, and that was the grip I always used. He knew I liked metal and everything, and just made sure that my technique was okay so I wouldn't injure myself. I honestly don't think there are any advantages or disadvantages to playing traditional or matched grip. So many amazing drummers use all kinds of different techniques. I think just whatever you're going to employ, just make sure to practice correctly so you keep your body safe from injury. Good technique will only help you express yourself better behind the kit.
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