Talking with . . .   Misery Index

Interview with vocalist and bassist Jason Netherton
Maryland's Misery Index was formed after internal problems led to massive lineup changes in Dying Fetus. Frontman Jason Netherton, guitarist Sparky Voyles, and drummer Matt Byers went on to form Misery Index. While Dying Fetus are an excellent band, they confined themselves to death metal's limitations. With Misery Index, there is more diversity and the band even takes on a thrash and grind vibe at times. Intelligent, social and political lyrics, give the band a complete package. Without further ado, here is Jason.

Misery Index has become very popular in a short period of time- what do you think has been the secret to your success?
I have no idea. Success is still a bit elusive, it's cool people seem to know who we are, given the "former members of" label which we inevitably carry with us. But, success, is in reality far from attained. We all still work shit jobs just so we can do this band and its no pipe dream. If this is success, I'd hate to see what failure is like. Just joking, but anyways, we are happy people are digging the tunes, and its a pleasure for us to play them.

Why was the split from Dying Fetus necessary? Is there any animosity between the two bands?
I left Dying Fetus in late 2000, mainly cause I was disillusioned and somewhat bored with everything, and furthermore I had some personal issues to take care of. I am still friends with all in Dying Fetus and wish them the best. We just did a five week tour together and it was a blast, I even sang five or six songs for Dying Fetus when we played in Canada, that was fun too, so we are all happy doing what we do now and are moving ahead.

The lyrics on Retaliate would leave one to believe that you are not happy with our government or the world as it is today- would this be an accurate observation? What message do you try to deliver with your lyrics?
Yes, I think "happy" would be an overstatement, I don't think government will ever make me happy, for anything that so controls and intrudes upon everyday life, whether it be deemed necessary or not, is nothing to champion. I have no direct or indirect message in the lyrics, they are first and foremost observations and criticisms of our world and everyday life in it. If someone were to get something out of the words, and use them to reflect upon or ask more questions about our every day lives, and about how and who controls our everyday lives, then thats about as far as it goes. Reactions are good, passivity is not. However, if one is comfortable in passivity, then so be it. The lyrics are not preachy in any way or form. One can take what one wants or toss it out. Before it all, we play metal, and the music comes first. I am happy to be able to write whatever I feel, and if people are into them, thats even better.

Tell me the lyrical inspiration for "Demand the Impossible".
As I mentioned before, I have a terrible aversion to, and disgust with, the trends of passivity and boredom in modern culture, and I see these trends as being produced and reinforced by the political and economic forces that oversee and dominate our every day life in modern capitalist societies. As such, anything that might be hopeful for change, or provide other ways of thinking, living and organizing society- other than it is mandated today- are automatically dispelled or erased as possibilities in the discourse of how we can improve our human condition. This realist tendency to approach social alternatives negatively is something I refute because its self defeating and fucking boring, and taking a slogan from the Paris revolutionaries of 1968, I spit back in the face of the nay sayers by 'demanding the impossible,' because that is all that we can say when everything else is shot down. By not allowing other ideas into everyday discourse, then those ideas that support and reinforce the status quo of social and economic relations in society create a world were everything is inevitable and expected- 'inequality will always be around, suffering is never going to go away, the poor are all lazy, who cares about the rest of the world when everything is fine in my backyard". Such thinking needs to be met with an angry, hopeful, and even seemingly contradictory response, and the response is to me embodied in the title "Demand the Impossible".

How was your tour with Structure Of Lies? I am unfamiliar with them- what are they like?
We have yet to tour with them, however they are touring the United States and we are going to hop on for five shows with them in late September in the great lakes region. They are a metal band with screamy vocals, up tempo and even brutal at times, imagine Converge meets European death metal. They are friends of ours from Arizona and we look forward to meeting them out here on our side of the land.

Do you think the individual has any type of voice in our society?
I think the individual has a tremendous voice, however, in our present society, just as it is easier to make ones voice heard, it is also much easier to silence that voice. Meaning, just as the means of communication have expanded and deepened, thus allowing the individual to shout and spread ones ideas ever farther and further than previously imagined, those same instruments of communication have allowed for the means and ability for those in power to crush and suffocate the ideas and voice of the individual even more. The tools with which we communicate, when controlled and operated by a small political or economic group, can also operate to flood the mental landscape with a biased and singular ideology- think of how concentrated media ownership has pushed alternative and progressive ideas into margins- so, just as these tools are used to control our lives (when they are not spying on us), so we must use them, together and as individuals, to shout even louder.

Following the split with Dying Fetus, was there ever a doubt that you would continue to write and record music?
Yes, I had no intention of doing music again, until I got the bug again a few months after I quit. thus Misery Index began as a studio project among friends as an outlet. After doing Dying Fetus for ten years I was ready to move on, but at first I thought it would be without music. Misery Index happened by accident, it started as a studio project, but then became full time after people expressed interest in it, and moreover, a newfound sort of freedom was allowed in the realm of songwriting. Anything went, so there was a sort of fun element that was missing before. So here we are.

What is different about touring the U.S. with Misery Index?
We have a lot to prove, and starting from scratch can be fun and exasperating at the same time. It's a constant struggle to get the name out, it's fun to have the challenge there, but at the same time it can make for some hard economical situations. Sleeping in the van at one point for five straight days on the last tour got a bit stressful. But we work through the situations like that and come out even stronger. We will tour and tour again cause we know thats what we have to do to make this work. Sitting at home does not do much to help the band, so off we go.

Do you think it's possible for an underground U.S. band like yours to make enough money to live while touring?
It is possible, with time, to probably make enough money to 'get by'. Right now we all work when we are home (or try to), and even with that it's a struggle. If one tours enough, and people want to see your band and buy your shirts, then the combination of income can make it possible to pay the bills, but don't ever think your going to get rich.

Why should someone spend their hard earned money on Retaliate?
If they like the music, I don't care how they get it, but if they should need to buy it, that helps us for sure, especially if they get it from us. So if someone has the extra loot, and are faced with buying Retaliate, or the new album from some fabricated pop music product, I would hope they throw their money into metal or the underground, or at least into a good c.d. burner.

What do you have planned for this winter?
We are going to Europe in November and December for about four weeks with Nile and a load of other bands. Should be fun, we will see what happens. After that I think we will keep doing shows and touring well into the new year, and write more songs for the next album which we hope to record next year sometime. Also, possibly look for a new 7" in the spring.

Final comments?
Thanks for the interview, and if you have not heard us, give us a spin. See ya on the road.

Discography:
2003... Retaliate (Nuclear Blast)
2001... Overthrow

Current line-up:
Jason Netherton... vocals and bass
Sparky Voyles... guitars
Bruce Greig... guitars
Matt Byers... drums

Misery Index

TTM reviews of albums by Misery Index:
	2003 - 'Retaliate'