The Obelisk Questionnaire: Jason Hartley of Black Acid Prophecy & Jason Hartley Art
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Jason Hartley of Black Acid Prophecy & Jason Hartley Art
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
To me, what I do, is a sort of therapy or a type of escape. For both my artwork and music. When drawing or playing, I’m just somewhere else.
For the artwork, I can’t recall ever not doing it. Some of my earliest memories are of me tracing my Mother’s drawings of Disney characters from her high-school sketch pad and receiving art supplies for birthdays and Christmas. But I never really took it too seriously until I was around 19. I got a job as a “desk guy” at a tattoo shop. The owner of the shop was a portrait guy. One day I decided to give it a go(on paper, not skin). My first attempt was Christopher Lee as Dracula. And surprisingly it came out great. So I just kept at it. After a few years of pencil work, I switched to Sharpies. Dabbled with different sorts of brush pens and other “drawing pens”. A few years back I got an iPad and had a whole new world of drawing and creating open up for me. After some pestering, I was finally convinced by friends and family to start up an art page. And that has given the opportunity to do some really fun and cool artwork for a few bands that I really dig.
As for the music, I never had any instruments when I was a kid. But I would mess around with friends’ keyboards from time to time. Maybe one of my Dad’s friends would have an acoustic laying around that they would let me pluck away at. But I could never really play anything. When I was around 16-17, a buddy mentioned something about some kids he knew who were in a band that had just lost their singer. Without any experience, I told him I could do it. I just wanted to be in a band. That lasted a little while. We weren’t great, but I was having a blast. After that fell apart, I met a guy who could kinda-sorta play guitar. I would play an old Yamaha drum machine through house speakers while he played through a tiny Gorilla amp. One day he tells me that someone he knows mentioned that their dad has a cheap kit he was selling for $125. And he would take payments. Figured it couldn’t hurt so I bought it. We jammed together for years and years. Learning off of each other. Just the two of us. In 2005 I went in to the Tattoo shop I used to work at to visit the guys while in town(I had moved away), I spotted someone in the waiting area wearing a High on Fire shirt. Struck up a conversation and discover she played guitar and was looking for a band. We joined up with her and that was the beginning of being in a real band and playing shows.
Describe your first musical memory.
99 percent of my early music memories involve my Dad. He always had music on. Always. Classic rock, of course. He was always saying “Good tune! Listen to this one!” And he would crank it up. I remember specifically Pink Floyd’s “Have A Cigar”. That part at the end where it phases and gets all distant like it’s coming through an old telephone. I thought something happened to his speakers. That’s when he told me about studio tricks and production. He had a cousin who was also his best friend, who was an amazing musician. Played a lot. Recorded a lot. So my Dad knew a lot about the processes but could never actually play anything. My Mother also listened to a lot of music. But it was more R&B, adult contemporary stuff like Whitney Houston and Lionel Ritchie. And I loved all of that music as well. I absorbed it all. But her and I never connected through tunes like I did with the Old Man. He still rocks out and comes to my gigs. He actually met Wino when we played with The Obsessed recently. He was stoked!
Describe your best musical memory to date.
The first time me and my old jamming buddy wrote a full song. When we nailed all the changes perfectly. I didn’t play anything too slow or too fast. We sat there listening to the tape with smiles on our faces. It felt so great.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
Like a lot of folks, I’ve always believed that family is family. No matter what. But as I get older, I pick up on more things about family members that I never noticed growing up. And on top of that, I’ve got social media showing me the sides of family members that I never knew existed. Some of them are just toxic, narcissistic shitty people. Not something anyone needs in their life. So I’ve tossed that “no matter what” belief out the window.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Artistic progression leads wherever you let it lead to. Nothing in art should be forced. Progression should be a natural thing. But not a necessary thing. Sometimes what you have going on is perfect the way it is. If it changes and progresses, then so be it. Let it. Clearly that’s what it’s supposed to do. When you start intentionally holding back or trying too hard to change and progress, then you lose something special.
How do you define success?
Obviously, recognition and some monetary gain always helps. But ultimately, for me, it’s being proud of what I put out there. Standing behind your work. Hell, I still listen to a few tunes I recorded with an old band. I love them. I think I did a great job. But almost no one else even knows we existed. It was a successful run at writing a few good tunes that I’m still enjoying almost 20 years later.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
My Grandmother a few days before she moved on. She hadn’t been doing well for some time. In hospice. Most of the family had been visiting her regularly. But I had a vision of her in my head that I wanted to keep. I didn’t want to see my sick, dying grandmother. But she asked for me. I had no choice but to go. I sat outside of her room for a while. Just listening to other people in there with her. If this was something I was gonna do, I didn’t want to do it with an audience. Room cleared out and I went it. My Grandmother always had her hair permed. She had a round face with a great smile. Big, wide eyes. What I saw laying in that bed what not my grandmother. This is nothing I would ever joke about and I mean this in the most terrifying way. She looked like the Crypt Keeper. Gaunt. Sunken eyes. Extremely thin, stringy white hair. I can only see the other version of her if I look at a picture. I can no longer remember it in my head.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I’d like to write and record a truly full-length album. For one reason or another, every project I’ve been a part of has only done EP’s, demos or a single here and there.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Connection.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Just life, man. Growing up wasn’t fun. After all these years, I’m finally in a place where I’m comfortable. I’m happy. Finally able to do things that I would’ve never done a few years back. Like this questionnaire. I don’t put myself out there. It’s taken a lot of encouragement from my wife and a few folks who truly care to convince me to create my art page. I didn’t want to at all. Attention has always been a strange feeling for me. Especially positive attention. I saw your post and thought it seemed like a good chance to do something a bit uncomfortable and at the same time, positive and therapeutic.
http://www.facebook.com/officialblackacidprophecy
http://instagram.com/blackacidprophecy
https://blackacidprophecy.bandcamp.com/
https://facebook.com/jasonahartleyart
https://www.instagram.com/jasonhartleyart/
