Most of the songs on Jason Mazzotta’s ‘Jason To Jason’ were already fairly complete by the time he went into the studio. He recorded the main sessions with Scott Amore at InnerSpace SoundLabs, with Brian Marchese on drums, before adding vocals and other parts at home with a wider group of musicians.

The result is a warm, slightly loose pop record. Mazzotta himself talks about wanting both polish and rough edges. He talks about wanting a balance between polish and rough edges, rather than making everything too neat. The album title came from his young nephew, who turned David Bowie’s ‘Station to Station’ into a joke using Jason’s name. The songs often started with fairly ordinary things. ‘Over the Lunch Café’, for instance, was inspired by a print hanging in his bedroom. While making the album, he was listening to Harry Nilsson, 10cc, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Dean Wareham and The Lemon Twigs. The arrangements were not fixed, though, and the other musicians were given room to change things. One of them changed completely when Brian Marchese brought in a bossa nova feel. Another began with Mazzotta trying to imagine Air playing a Bacharach and David breakup song. We talked about making the record, working at InnerSpace, why he still likes cassettes, and some of the records that were playing while ‘Jason To Jason’ was being finished.

Can you tell us a little about yourself? How did you first get into music, and what eventually led to this album?

Soundtrack albums pulled me in first. As a kid, I’d typically want to listen to music from my favorite movies. A little later, The Beatles, The Stones, and The Kinks came into my life, turning my boots pointy and my hair into a mop.

The album is called ‘Jason To Jason’. Was the title meant to suggest you talking to yourself, or did it come from somewhere else?

My nephew, who was about two and a half at the time, came up with the title. He’s a vinyl dude and can identify album covers like a seasoned record store clerk. Bowie’s one of his favorites, and one day he made a little rhyming joke by subbing my name into ‘Station to Station’. This title beat anything else I had.

The record has a lovely homemade feel to it. How did the songs begin? Were they mostly worked out before you went into the studio?

I’m glad you hear it this way. I strive for a tight meander and a marriage between polish and rough edges. I’ll also admit that anything I play on is going to be a little loose because I’m not the most precise player. In terms of songwriting, I have a few different approaches, though most of the songs here were fairly complete before I drove up to the studio.

‘Over the Lunch Café’ is such a curious title. Where did that song come from? Do everyday things often end up in your songs?

Absolutely, though this one is more of a fantasy. The lyrics were inspired by a print that lives in my bedroom, featuring a personified moon shining down onto a peaceful forest. I imagined my wife and I floating in the air, over the painted trees, and then reaching a lunch café once we made it to town.

You worked with Scott Amore at InnerSpace SoundLabs, but you also did quite a lot at home. How was the recording divided between the two?

For the most part, the InnerSpace sessions had Brian Marchese on drums and me on electric guitar or Fender Rhodes for basic tracking. All of the vocals and a handful of overdubs were done at home studios, but InnerSpace was the main hub and the place that shaped the sound. I wished we could’ve done everything over there, but the home recording allowed for a larger cast of characters.

What happened to the songs once Lesa, Owen, Ken, Brian, Henning, Bryce, Ryan and Annie started adding their parts?

Whenever I have the opportunity to work with great players, I try to come in with a blank canvas in terms of arrangements. Let ’em cook! ‘Over the Lunch Café’ changed the most in the studio. I had a more straightforward rhythm that wasn’t really working, and Brian took us into a groovier astral plane with a bossa nova feel. Henning moved over to guitar and I took the bass right before we got a take.

I like the titles on the record: ‘Mondegreen’, ‘Number Four in Norway’, ‘Strawberry Moon’, ‘Movie Love’. Do titles usually come easily to you, or do you spend much time looking for them?

I don’t fuss with titles. But maybe I should meditate a little longer? One song is called ‘May Song’ because I wrote it in May!

You released single mixes of ‘Strawberry Moon’, ‘Number Four in Norway’ and ‘Mondegreen’ before the album. Why those three?

I would get excited while we were working and think, “I ought to peel this off and put it out tomorrow.” So, these three weren’t part of a strategy or theme. They just came alive more quickly during the process.

There’s also a green cassette edition, and the Bandcamp notes are aimed at people who love hiss and warble. What do you like about hearing the album on tape?

There’s something about a cassette that makes the tracks congeal in a special way. Is it the analogue-ness of it, or the dumbing down that occurs during the transfer that softens the edges? I dunno. We should get somebody in a lab coat to weigh in on the scientific sonic aspects.

‘It’s Over’ and ‘You Make Me So Happy’ sit next to each other near the end of the album, even though they seem to say almost opposite things. Was that deliberate?

You’re the first person to make this connection. I imagined ‘It’s Over’ as Air playing a Bacharach/David breakup song. I don’t think I achieved this, but that was the starting point. And when I was sitting at the piano, stuck on lines, I would play the chord sequence in reverse and sing “you make me so happy” in my best Eddie Kendricks falsetto as a reset. And then that became its own thing. So it was a bit of an in-joke to put these back to back on the album.

The whole record feels very relaxed and unshowy. Is that close to how you hear it too?

I think I hear it that way, too. And I’d never take points away from someone being romantic. Don’t ever change, Klemen.

What were you listening to while you were making the album?

Certain albums were on a loop during the process, especially once Scott began the mix: ‘Son of Schmilsson’ by Harry Nilsson, ‘McLemore Avenue’ by Booker T. & the M.G.’s, ‘Sheet Music’ by 10cc, ‘Charm’ by Clairo, ‘That’s the Price of Loving Me’ by Dean Wareham, and ‘Everything Harmony’ by The Lemon Twigs.

What’s next?

Breakfast.

Klemen Breznikar

Jason Mazzotta Instagram / Bandcamp