Behind the Video: SWAGGERMOUTH Frontman Jason Ebs on “Let It Roll”

If the core ingredient to rock n’ roll is spirit or swagger, then SWAGGERMOUTH is rock’s new poster child. The band has started to heat up this summer, ahead of the release of their debut album, NEVER SHUT UP. The record is due on September 18th via Rock Avenue Records USA, an eleven-track introduction to the Las Vegas rockers. It’s a two-tiered attack regarding SWAGGERMOUTH with co-lead singers Jason Ebs and Janea Chadwick Ebs. Their intertwined vocals are well arranged, featuring a mix of heavy rock glory and killer pop melodies. They refer to their sound as ‘controlled chaos,’ which is self-explanatory when you hear their music.

Jason and Janea worked closely together for the recording of NEVER SHUT UP. They received assistance from the great Chris Slade who helped co-write the album and recorded most drum parts. When you have a former member of AC/DC and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band ready to help, you very willingly agree to it. The album features very heavy moments but also some more emotional ones. The album’s title is inspired by the determination to stand up for what you believe in. Jason and Janea feel that in this age of political correctness, we have to watch everything we say. The album is a call to use your voice and not back down in fear or intimidation for your beliefs. Get involved, speak out, and be heard.

Jason Ebs joins us today for an edition of Behind the Video to discuss SWAGGERMOUTH’s video for “Let It Roll.” He discusses the concept, the shooting locations, his general point of view on videos, and much more.

What’s the concept behind the video? Help us to understand the video’s concept in more detail and how it ties into the lyrics.

Jason Ebs: “First off, thank you so much for having us! The concept for ‘Let It Roll’ was one of both hope and survival. We wanted to have a juxtaposition of the glitz and glamour of success and following your dreams contrasted with the down-and-out possibilities that befall some of those who come to Las Vegas. Besides coming to Las Vegas for fun, people also seem to come with hopes of winning riches or re-branding themselves. People can lose everything with a few bad decisions, which is what the ‘Wheel of Misfortune’ represents. But in the end, life is a roll of the dice as we strive for our successes.”

SWAGGERMOUTH “Let It Roll” bts, photo by Laura Borgini

Where was it made?

“The video for ‘Let It Roll’ was actually shot at three different locations throughout Las Vegas. The first location was at the now defunct Wheel Of Misfortune, which was an apocalyptic graffiti-ridden mad-max vibed abandoned Manganese mining site formerly located in Henderson, NV. It really was one of the coolest sites I’ve ever seen, with six massive 250’ in diameter massive ‘wheels,’ with one of them painted like a wheel of fortune… except instead of winning money and gaining riches, the pie slices said negative things like ‘go broke’ or ‘lose all hope,’ ‘lose a job’ or go ‘bankrupt.’ This was perfect for representing the potential downside of Vegas and the losses that can be incurred with bad judgment.

“When we went to scout the area, a local told us that it had recently been purchased and they were breaking ground to level the area and build 3,000 new homes. We were really worried that we might miss our opportunity to shoot there, so we moved up our shoot date. On shooting day, we were pleasantly surprised to see that they had actually flattened the ground up to the Wheel of Misfortune so we were able to drive our vehicles and equipment right up to where we needed to be. It was awesome, and I’m really glad that we were able to immortalize the last light of such a cool and unique Vegas landmark before it was destroyed. And Kaptain Ken Keil did a great job of being a vagrant lurking among the ruins in survival mode.

SWAGGERMOUTH “Let It Roll” bts, photo by Laura Borgini

“The second location was at RockStars of Tomorrow, Las Vegas. This place is amazing, with Don and Chris working in tandem with us to get the stage performance shots. We really wanted to promote this place, as they really have a wonderful thing going with keeping music and theatre at the forefront in the minds of the youth as they develop and find their inner creative voices. We featured a few of them in the video in support of the cause. I wish they had something like this when I was a kid!

“The third location for our after-hours and studio scenes was at our newly acquired Dragon Castle Studios location. My wife Janea and I just purchased this studio home from the band Imagine Dragons. This is the studio house where they recorded ‘Radiactive’ and many of their hit records. I believe the Killers also did a record here. So this is hallowed musical ground, and the large back area was perfect for us to film our after-hours party. I named it Dragon Castle Studios, paying homage to the former owners and also to my father, who said, ‘Congratulations son on your new castle.”

SWAGGERMOUTH “Let It Roll” bts, photo by Laura Borgini

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever had to do or seen being done during the making of a music video?

“Well, I’d have to say the strangest thing I saw in this video was the surprise shot of (drummer) Billy (Kesner) taking a bite out of whole chicken with Kaptain Ken Keil stalking him with the mock shotgun! That was very impromptu, and we were on a quick break when the filming occurred. Janea and I turned around and saw the shot and started cracking up but also had a concern for the involvement of a gun pointed at Billy. We in no way condone gun violence, so we were concerned with how the shot would read. But after seeing the edit, I loved it… Billy’s chicken-filled grin tied it all together! I must say, that scene caught us all by surprise and in retrospect was really a cool moment captured and a good idea by the director.

“The strangest thing that I ever had to do in a music video was as an actor in someone else’s music video. There are two that come to mind. The first was being painted head to toe (including my dreads) for a Collective Soul video called ‘Breath.’ In the audition, the casting directors asked me if I could do a flip. ‘Sure,’ I said, and they verified this multiple times as it was going to be a featured shot.

“Well I show up on shoot day in Malibu at Westward Beach, and there were a bunch of us that got painted from head to to in various colours of yellow, blue, green, red, etc. I could see a platform built out in the water, and they said, ‘Ok Jason, this is the platform, hop in this boat and we’re going to take you out to it. You only have one chance to get this right, since it would take too long for you to dry and get painted again.’

SWAGGERMOUTH “Let It Roll” bts, photo by Laura Borgini

“Well, they boated me out to the platform and I got on it. It was very wobbly because the ocean was choppy that day, and I mentally prepared to do the flip. They then changed their mind and said, ‘Actually, don’t do a flip, just do something that hyperextends and makes your hair fly back.’ So I did and it the shot came out really cool.

“The second was in a Joe Cocker video called ‘The Finer Things,’ where somebody lied on their resume, saying that they could trampoline. Unbeknownst to me, it turns out they couldn’t. I had seen the trampoline and gotten all excited, mentioning to a few people how much I enjoy bouncing around. Meanwhile, the trampoline instructor/owner had seen my dreads and asked me if I wanted to 4/20. Since it was a mellow day, I said ‘why not’ and went into his Spicoli-type van to indulge.

“In the midst of it, there was a knock on the door. He opens it, and through the plume of smoke I see the director who says, ‘Is Jason Ebs in here, we need someone to do the trampoline.’ I was a little nervous being freshly baked and all, but the trampoline instructor comforted me and coached me through the shoot. The trampoline was in the middle of a cornfield in the heat of summer, and it was black and absorbed all of the 95-degree heat that day. My feet were getting burned upon contact every time I bounced, but I had a blast – giggling with the instructor as he coached me! I only messed up once, bouncing off of the trampoline into the cornfield while laughing my ass off! Ahh, good times…”

SWAGGERMOUTH “Let It Roll” bts, photo by Laura Borgini

What should a music video set out to accomplish? Do you feel like yours did that?

“Though all music videos are different, I believe that a music video should set out to reflect what the song is about while capturing the personality of the band. My favourite music videos paint a picture and allow room for interpretation, not being too specific or precise in what it is trying to say. In other words, they can be ‘specifically vague’ as I like to put it.

“To me, a music video should make the viewer want to be involved and give them a little escape from their reality for a moment, much like a movie can do. My favourite music videos made me want to jump inside the screen and join in with party and hang with the band.

“I think that our video did a good job of capturing these things, as it paints a vague picture of survival while showing the high-life of what Las Vegas can be as we captured what I call ‘our version of Vegas.’ We paid tribute to some Vegas staples, such as Showgirls and The Drumbots. I think that we all need to form our own version of things, and this is a moment of ours captured for eternity while immortalizing the Wheel Of Misfortune.”

SWAGGERMOUTH “Let It Roll” bts, photo by Laura Borgini

Is there any part of the process you’d do differently now?

“Yes, I’d do some things differently and actually did on our second SWAGGERMOUTH video called ‘Turnin’ On A Dime.’ The video for ‘Let It Roll’ was more off the cuff, commando and raw. We found the locations and then had someone shoot footage and edit, but we didn’t really have a storyline like we did on ‘Turnin’ On A Dime.” There was no video team per se, it was more of a one-man operation with the director and a few people that we provided (who were invaluable). It was our first video outing as a band on our new label, so it was a learning experience.

“Although Janea and I made a lot of judgment calls and shot suggestions while acting as producer and director during shooting, we had very little input in the editing process. Personally, I would have captured and used a lot more of the outdoor footage from the Wheel of Misfortune and would have preferred a lot more communication with the director over the course of shooting and editing.

“We all bounced ideas off of each other throughout the shoot and got the best possible outcome. Don’t get me wrong, I love the ‘Let It Roll’ video and I think that it captured what we needed to in order to properly bring the song to life. Life’s about the journey, and in the end, the outcome was achieved on a very tight shooting schedule with a quick turnaround with great results.”

Do you prefer writing a video around the theme of a song or just going to a warehouse and banging out a live performance?

“I would have to say that the approach to making a music video is unique for each song and dependent on what you want to achieve. I think variety, in this case, is the spice of life, and we want to show a different side of the band for each video. ‘Let It Roll’ shows a more raw mad max approach juxtaposed with a cleaner performance and a hip and trendy after-hours party at Dragon Castle Studios.

“Our video for ‘Turnin’ On A Dime’ is more sophisticated, showing a playful side of the band with mystery and darkness with a game of ‘Spin the Dagger.’ We are getting ready to do another video to coincide with the release of our album on September 18th. This one is going to be more of a road video capturing us on the road to Sturgis.”

SWAGGERMOUTH “Let It Roll” bts, photo by Laura Borgini

How important a role does social media play in sharing videos and increasing exposure?

“I think social media is an amazing way to share music videos! It’s really opened up the ability to reach a worldwide audience with the click of a button. That works for live videos as well as short clips and such, showing the personalities of everyone in unique and also everyday situations. We’ve become a world staring at screens of all sizes, and the fact that you can send a YouTube link across the world and have it seen in an instant is really amazing.

“I have a hate/love relationship with social media, because it is a great way to communicate, but also keeps our youth from living in the real world and doing things like playing baseball or guitar for hours sitting in your bedroom as a kid. As a Libra, everything is a balance, and finding the happy medium with social media has been and will continue to be one of the greatest challenges of this century. I find myself stepping away from it for periods of time, which is probably a good idea for all of us to do periodically.”

SWAGGERMOUTH “Let It Roll” bts, photo by Laura Borgini

Is a well-made DIY video just as good or beneficial as a professionally made/directed video?

“Well, I believe in variety and in doing what’s right for each song. I suppose ‘Let It Roll’ was partly a DIY video. We scouted the three locations and had a general concept of what we wanted to capture, but we left a lot up to chance. Granted Paul Gervasi shot much of it with a RED camera, which automatically brings it to a professional level no matter what content you shoot. But with iPhones and cell phone cameras being of such excellent quality, I think the DIY approach is a cool and viable direction. That’s the approach that I think we’re going to use for our tour-themed music video of our time in Sturgis.”

How much of your new video was self-made?

“Well, I would say much of ‘Let It Roll’ was self-made, by choice more than necessity. We scouted the locations and developed the mad-max survivalist them to contrast the polished and posh after-hours moments. Then we did the casting and everything from top to bottom. I brought in Paul Gervasi to direct and shoot and then the record company gave us a budget for us to get the job done. This fits the mindset of this record, as it was also self-made. I think it’s really cool and advantages to be able to have the flexibility to do what we want, and Rock Avenue Records USA is really supportive of letting us develop our vision.

“Thank you so much V13 for having us and for letting us share our SWAGGERMOUTH stories with you! We look forward to seeing you on the road and please hook up with us on all the socials! Be good to each other and thanks for listening…”