Jason Newsted formed his Newsted band in 2012, put out an EP named Metal and a record named Heavy Metal Music in 2013, and shut the project down in 2014. Now one decade after the release of Heavy Metal Music, Jason is bringing back Newsted for one show on May 20 at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Though there might be more to it.
In an interview with Let There Be Talk, Jason said the show might spur him into doing more with Newsted, but it'll ultimately be up to the people to decide whether that happens or not.
"This is gonna be the gauge. Is it possible for them to spring me back into it like they did [when I played with Metallica in 2011] at the Fillmore? This we will find out on May 20th, if they bring me back. If they bring me back, then they do, and if they don't, they don't, and here I am and I'm still happy. It's gonna be a crazy fucking show. We've been working hard on the songs, and I'm ready to give it."
As for new Newsted, Jason said he's got some new material worked out for the show. And look – even if Newsted doesn't carry on after the May 20 show, can we at least get a proper studio version of the new stuff?
"I put together this kind of Motörhead-flavored thing about a year and a half ago and wrote these Motörhead-flavored songs on bass as the first instrument. I took the main three Philthy Animal drum beats and just picked that one and make a song and pick that one and make a song, and go around a couple of times and write that many songs.
"So I wrote some fun songs. And now we mix those in with 'Soldierhead' and 'Heroic Dose' and the ones from the videos that people know, but mostly playing new songs. And they are way less complex — way less complex than Flotsam, Metallica or even the [early material from] the Newsted band or Echobrain certainly. Just real punk rock, straight ahead like Motörhead — a lot of fast stuff, a lot of double bass. Most of them are pretty quick. It's just fun, though — fun as fuck."
