‘Breaking Dawn’s’ Jackson Rathbone schools us on music
In person, cute Jackson Rathbone looks nothing like his onscreen character, Jasper Cullen. Probably because he’s not hungry all the time. Instead of the pinched, pained visage of Jasper, Jackson is open, smiling and totally in his element. He’s reclining in a comfy armchair, strumming a – um, actually not quite sure what that is:
MYSPACE: You’ve got a – what is that?
JACKSON RATHBONE: Well, it’s a guitalele, but I call it a guitarulele
It’s actually supposed to be tuned differently. But I tune it down to guitar, because I’m lazy.
And it keeps me company. It’s kind of like a little teddy bear, you know? A safety blanket, if you will.
MYSPACE: Well, it’s funny that you have that with you. Everyone in the cast plays an instrument or sings. Did you get to play with any of the cast members on set?
JACKSON RATHBONE: Yeah, a lot of us have played together! I never go on location without my guitar or harmonica with me. So I’m definitely always playing. And, you know, Rob plays. Nikki plays. She’s a great singer and songwriter, actually, as well. Kristen plays… Ashley was learning how to play ukulele in this last movie. Kellan’s been learning lately how to play the uke and guitar.
And it’s fun. I think a lot of people don’t really understand it. But, you know, artists aren’t really dead set in one form of the arts. And I think everybody is multifaceted in–in life and in–in their love.
MYSPACE: Music is a really big part of the ‘Twilight‘ franchise…
JACKSON RATHBONE: Well, it’s a big part of film, you know… And music and film have gone together since there’s silent pictures.
MYSPACE: Well, of course. But ‘Twilight,’ in particular, a lot of bands have broke from appearing on the ‘Twilight‘ soundtracks. Acts like Muse and others really made a name for themselves by being a big part of ‘Twilight‘
JACKSON RATHBONE: Weren’t they big before Twilight, though? I mean,
I know they were an independent band. I was big into Muse before the ‘Twilight,’ and before I even got the role of Jasper. Um, it’s funny. I know it’s in one of the books, and I want to say it’s Twilight, but there’s definitely a dedication to Muse, as Stephanie’s muse, because she listened to them while she was writing. So they were definitely prevalent beforehand. I definitely see what you’re saying though with Paramore.
Paramore blew up. And then, with a lot of the other later films, there were a lot of big bands that had already had a nice footing. Especially in the independent music scene. I think they’ve all had pretty good footings, though. The only one I can think that really broke from the Twilight series was Paramore.
MYSPACE: What’s your favorite track from this film?
JACKSON RATHBONE: I don’t know which is really my favorite. I really like the dynamic of utilizing both male and female vocalists in songs to emphasize, I would assume the union between Bella and Edward just, kind of, coming together. I like that. I really love the blend.
MYSPACE: And you recently started your own record label?
JACKSON RATHBONE: Yes. Happy Jack Music….
MYSPACE: And you also signed your first act…
JACKSON RATHBONE: I did, a Vancouver based band that I fell in love with while filming the Twilight series. They’re a band called Bleeding Horse Express. And the first album is called Going South. They’re a band that utilizes a female vocalist and a male vocalist, as well so, they’ll share songs. She’ll be the lead on songs, and then he’ll be lead on some songs. And they’re an incredible band. I really loved working with them. They’re amazing musicians. And their live show is phenomenal.
MYSPACE: How would you describe their music?
JACKSON RATHBONE: I’d say it’s like, Southern rock with an emphasis on banjo and slide guitar. And they have a horn section, so it’s a very big sound. It’s fun. You know whenever I go to a concert, I want to have fun. I don’t want to listen to music that I could be listening to sitting in the living room, you know, by the fireplace. I don’t want to sung to sleep. I want something that wants me to get me on my feet, get me tapping, get me moving.
And they do that. They have such high energy. When people hear them live, that energy is infectious. And everybody in the crowd starts moving and dancing.
MYSPACE: What kind of other acts are you looking to represent on your label? More of that kind of get-on-your-feet music or a different kind of variety?
JACKSON RATHBONE: Oh, definitely. I’ve always been eclectic in my tastes and my sensibilities when it comes to art and music. And I’m definitely looking for all types of acts. There are a couple of other bands out of Vancouver that I’ve met, just from being there so much that I’ve kind of fallen in love with.
I have a collective record label with 100 Monkeys called Awesome Sauce Records. And that’s something that we put out music on and other bands we’ll take up.
We have a Baton Rouge based band called Windborn that’s kind of like power rock. Like very up-tempo, almost what you would hear on the radio today. I really love them. They’re amazing guys, amazing musicians, as well. We also work with a band called The Kissing Club that we tour with. They’re like psychedelic freak-out rock, which is amazing music that people are really blown away by. And, there are our friends’ bands, like Tin Tin Can, which is a very independent, movement band, very indie rock.
I love music that’s all across the board. I love different. I love something new and unique. One of my new favorite acts right now is Tune-Yards. It’s an amazing, duo that is using a lot of looping pedals and devices. They’re fantastic, as well. If you don’t know them, I really suggest checking out their live sessions. Just YouTube it.
MYSPACE: I’m asking everybody in the cast the same five music questions. Your turn: What was the first concert you ever attended?
JACKSON RATHBONE: The Moody Blues.
MYSPACE: Interesting. How about the first album you ever bought?
JACKSON RATHBONE: Uh, hip hop. ‘The Source Presents Hip Hop Hits Volume One.’
MYSPACE: That’s very different from The Moody Blues!
JACKSON RATHBONE: Very different, very different. I did not know what I was doing when I bought that album.
You know, the second album I bought, though, was Squirrel Nut Zippers Sold Out. So it’s kind of weird and eclectic and diverse.
MYSPACE: Totally. How about a music video that totally blew you away when you were younger?
JACKSON RATHBONE: Video Killed The Radio Star.
MYSPACE: And was the most recent album you bought or downloaded?
JACKSON RATHBONE: Tom Waits, Bad As Me.
MYSPACE: Cool. I actually heard that song on the way over here today. It’s fantastic.
JACKSON RATHBONE: So f*$^ing good.
MYSPACE: Finally, what was the most recent concert you attended?
JACKSON RATHBONE: The most recent? Oh man. I’m pretty sure–was it–was it that long ago, really? Prince. It was definitely Prince when he was doing the 25-Day Residency.
MYSPACE: That was this spring; right?
JACKSON RATHBONE: Yeah. That was right before we went on tour. I can’t believe that was the last one I went to! I’ve definitely been to one since then. But it was more–it was, like, a bar. It was, like, a friend’s band. Actually, I went to a bar last night, it was Suicide Sam. Just like, a local guy who plays very, very small crowds.
I like going to dive bars with, like, singer/songwriters, you know.
And I still do open mic nights. You know, I just do it under a different name. I love it.
MYSPACE: Do people ever figure out who you are?
JACKSON RATHBONE: Uh, sometimes. Sometimes. Very rarely, though. I mean, I like to fly under the radar. You don’t see me in tabloids because I don’t want to be in them.
MYSPACE: Yeah, go incognito. That’s very cool…
JACKSON RATHBONE: I let the art speak for itself.
Source => MySpace / Via => Jackson Rathbone Online
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