TEN QUESTIONS WITH: JASON THE SWAMP/HUGGING

I did something I thought I would never do today.  I joined myspace.  Not by choice, but by necessity (damn)  and although I was propositioned by some type of hooker-thief-woman about 10 minutes into my journey, the messages eventually leveled off and my true purpose was realized.

After several hours spent trying to find an artist with a side-project known only as 'hugging' I gave up a couple months ago.  As I was listening to the album (one of TMCB's '20 more albums you should have heard' from 2010) again today, I once more became determined to track down the source.  You can imagine how hard it is to find an artist with the name of 'hugging' without getting some really really questionable results in google.  It turns out, I could have just added an extra 'G' to the end of the name and searched myspace, because it would have been that easy.  Shortly after looking at the artist's myspace, facebook and tumblr, (all of which I do not have) I realized that there was no email address and no way to get in contact with him unless I joined one of them.  I thought myspace was the best choice because nobody uses it anymore, thus making it truly indie.

  

After I emailed Jason through his hugging page, I began to look around the bandcamp for his main project, Jason the Swamp, and all I can say is WOW!!!  I've really been missing out... 

Jason the Swamp - As Is The Sun - 2009

As described on the bandcamp, 'As Is the Sun' is a concept album about being alone in a wilderness.

I've also been wanting to institute a new TMCB mainstay by starting a '10 qustions with...' section with artists that I want to get to know and want to support.  I think this is the best time to start... with the formerly mysterious figure behind: hugging.

1. Name, place of birth, zodiac sign?
-Jason Aud, Maryland, I was a gemini, but now I'm a taurus.

2. Best new band you've heard recently?

-About  a week ago I stumbled upon this band called Mean Wind that has a few free releases on bandcamp. They have a sound that interests me. 
(Side note: this is awesome stuff, they have free mediafire links on each page and TMCB will be posting more about Mean Wind soon.)

3. How long have you been recording music?
-I've been recording music since maybe 2005.  Not everything has been gold.  

4. Do you have any other projects that you're working on right now?  If so, what are they? Short term plans for these?

-You know me for Hugging, but my main project is Jason The Swamp.  The Hugging album was really just a way to release some experiments in cutting up samples mostly found on the website UbuWeb.  I'm not sure at this point whether or not there will be another Hugging album, but I like that the name is there for the next time I make something on the more experimental side.  I'm currently trying to finish college and working on the next Jason The Swamp album.  I also play mandolin in an old-time folk band called The Manly Deeds.

5. What did you do yesterday?
-Ate a burrito.

6. Do you watch/read the news?  If so, where do you go?
-I'll watch the nightly news on tv every once in a while, but other than that I don't keep up too much.

7. If you could live in any place, where would it be?
-I'd like to see more of America before making a decision like that.  I've been on the east coast all of my life.

8.  Worst job you've ever had?
-I worked at a burrito place for a few years, but it wasn't too bad

9. What was your best subject in school? (music classes generally excluded)
-Art.  I've also done well in and generally enjoy history classes.

10. Touring plans?-I really have no live show for any of my projects aside from The Manly Deeds.  We play a couple shows every month around Baltimore and we plan on recording our first full-length in about a month.



The Manly Deeds - Flockheart EP - 2009