New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu


?>

 

Jason Mather Is On Fire With The Release Of The Hottness


By Gary Wien

originally published: 01/15/2006


Jason Mather seems to be on a quest to bring back the scorching guitar riffs that dominated FM radio in the seventies. He's releasing his second solo record, The Hottness, on January 17th and will be hitting the rock clubs throughout the tri-state area in support of it. The official CD release party is schedule for the 18th at Grape Street in Philadelphia.

"Hottness is more like a fire - the fire within the whole soul that drives you to work forty hours a week and still come home and practice and try to do this," explained Jason Mather. "It's just a fire within when everyone is saying maybe you should just give up. It's like fire and passion."

That passion definitely comes through from the impressive guitar licks spread throughout the record. Mather, who grew up in Yardville, New Jersey, graduated from the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, California where he studied lead guitar. He returned to the East Coast and banged around in New York City bands for a few years before turning solo.

The Hottness was recorded at Skywalker Sound while they were wrapping up the work on "Revenge of The Sith". Mather recalls it as a crazy time with security very tight and chance meetings with Star Wars crew members could happen at any time.

"I remember one time I was in the comminsary eating lunch and Ben Burtt was in front of me," said Mather. "I recognized him from Star Wars commentaries. He invented the light sabre and laser beam sounds. I'm thinking to myself I'm recording, but I don't care - this is the guy who invented light sabres. That's the coolest thing!

"I was definitely savoring it and while I was out there I wound up being inspired to write all of these other songs, so I ended up having to redo a couple of tracks. The basic tracks were thereand then I came back to Jersey and started mixing. It's guitar-oriented. Just a homegrown album. I hope that people dig it."




Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info



Part of Mather's passion is to bring back the idea of a "complete" album. In this day of downloads, he still remembers growing up with albums by Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and having to get up to flip the side over. In those days, bands wanted the entire record to be heard instead of a single or two. Mather wants his records to be like that too.

"We came from the whole album thing and that's what I grew up on. Now all of a sudden it's like you've got to give your best 3 1/2 minutes or you're just out the door. It's like did I hit the chorus quick enough?'"

Jason's love for music started when he was just four years old and picked up the guitar because of Kiss. "I remember 1978 and sitting there watching Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park and looking at the album cover," he said. "These guys could breathe fire and play guitars too! Kiss was a big inspiration for me."
Ironically, Mather was able to get the same guy who created those classic Kiss album covers to create the cover for The Hottness. He met the artist Ken Kelley and intrigued him with his ideas for the CD.

"I'm like, I see everybody's album cover and they're just using a digital picture. I said I'm looking for some kind of art like you did for Love Gun or Destroyer - something with a Les Paul. I wanted to take this really old school and say the album does still exist. I want a real album cover and twelve songs like back in the day. It's kind of retro, but at the same time I'm trying to mix in the technology of today.

"His album covers transformed KISS from a Rock n' Roll band into larger than life superheroes for me. In this day and age, I feel the beauty of an album cover no longer exists. With The Hottness, I wanted to bring the magic of the album experience back to the people, and Mr. Kelly's artistic genius is making it happen."

You can get more information on Jason at his website
http://www.jasonmather.com

The Hottness is available from CD Baby at:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/mather


Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station The Penguin Rocks. He can be contacted at gary@newjerseystage.com.



Advertise with NJ Stage for $50-$100 per month, click here for info



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Straight

Straight No Chaser - Summer: The 90’s Part 2

Tuesday, July 08, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music


 

Frisson

Frisson Winds

Thursday, July 10, 2025 @ 7:30pm
The Morris Museum Back Deck
6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 

Three

Three American Troubadours: A Tribute to James Taylor, Carly Simon, and Carole King

Thursday, July 10, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Axelrod Performing Arts Center
100 Grant Avenue, Deal Park, NJ 07723
category: music


 

Candlelight

Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Queen and The Beatles

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: music


 

Motor

Motor City Revue

Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Bell Theater
101 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel, NJ 07733
category: music


 


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Jazz

Jazz Concert at Trenton City Museum will Feature the Joe Baione Vibraphone Experience

(TRENTON, NJ) -- Trenton City Museum will present a free jazz concert Friday, July 18, 2025 at the museum's Ellarslie Mansion in Cadwalader Park. Featuring world-renowned vibraphonist Joe Baione, the Joe Baione Vibraphone Experience is the first group to perform in a series of jazz events leading up to the museum's 2026 TRENTON MAKES JAZZ exhibition, in collaboration with the City of Trenton.



The

The Newton Theatre presents Tonight's the Night - a tribute to Rod Stewart

(NEWTON, NJ) -- Tonight's the Night - a tribute band that celebrates the music of Rod Stewart - will perform at The Newton Theatre on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 8:00pm.



Hoboken's

Hoboken's Sinatra Park to Host Concert by Freedy Johnson and Karyn Kuhl and the Gang

(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Local events organizer, Geri Fallo, who retired last year, is inviting you to celebrate with her, as she embraces new and exciting endeavors. Come enjoy a free evening of music in Hoboken's Sinatra Park (525 Sinatra Drive) on Thursday, July 17, 2025. The evening is presented by Mayor Ravi Bhalla, The Hoboken Division of Cultural Affairs, and Geri Fallo. The event is free, and music starts at 6:30pm. Come early for the best seating.



An

An Interview with Dan Kurtz of The New Deal

Formed in 1999, Toronto, Canada based trio The New Deal, is a pioneer in jam-based electronic music. The group was founded by remaining members Dan Kurtz (bass) and Jamie Shields (keys), along with Darren Shearer (drums) who left tND in 2011. Since its inception, tND has remained committed to its improvisational roots and has served as a model for other jamtronica bands bridging the gap between multiple music genres as well as the border between Canada and the United States.



Two

Two NJ Jazz Musicians Will Play with The Jazz Ambassadors in Morristown

Pianist Anthony Pocetti grew up in Hamilton, NJ, studying piano, "doing sort of traditional piano lessons. I have an uncle who was always encouraging me to get into the jazz thing. He gave me the (Miles Davis) Kind of Blue CD, and he knew that the jazz pianist Jim Ridl was living in Hamilton."