I am super excited to be able to do a brief interview with Jason Dunn. For those of you who don’t know who Jason is, we are pleased to introduce you. Jason is the owner of Facedown Records which is THE place to get the best hardcore/straightedge music in the Christian market. With an unwavering commitment to DIY ethics and a solid line up of artists, Facedown has been bringing the best in hardcore to the community for well over a decade now. A couple of the things that are awesome about the label (besides great music) is that Dave Quiggle is the art director, but also these guys have stayed true to the spirit of the hardcore/punk scene with a quality output that is super reasonably priced. It is just about impossible these days to find any other place to get $10 CD’s and $12 t-shirts! Some of the best bands in the genre come from Facedown as well. Some of the finest bands around were a part of the family back in the day, bands like No Innocent Victim, xDisciplex AD, Hanover Saints, Thieves and Liars and Symphony in Peril once called Facedown home. The roster continues to crush to date with some of my favorite acts around including War of Ages, Saving Grace, Onward to Olympas and A Hope for Home. Check this label out if you are into hard music, it truly is the best around!
When did you start Facedown Records?
Facedown started as a distro through mail-order and at shows in 1997. I announced Facedown Records in 1997 and our first release came out in early 1998.
When was the first Facedown Fest?
We uploaded a bunch of the old Facedown fest posters and fliers on our Facebook for people to check out, that can be seen on our Facebook page.
I know you played in NIV, any other bands you were/are a part of?
I joined NIV when I was 17. Before that I was in a San Diego hardcore band called Built to Last. I did some projects here and there, but NIV was always the main focus. Dodgin’ Bullets was a fun side project that some of us NIV guys did with guys from xDisciplex AD and Shockwave. We put out a couple of EPs on Facedown in the early days of the label.
Hardcore has come from the underground and relative obscurity and exploded on the national level. With that type of exposure comes the watering down of the scene and/or the message…what does hardcore mean to you and what are you trying to convey to today’s kids?
I was exposed to hardcore in my early teens when I heard bands like Sick of It all, Judge and Agnostic Front. I instantly felt connected to all of those old New York bands and it definitely shaped me into who I am today. I always said that Judge got me through high school! All my friends would party and drink and I was just never interested in that, and I know a lot of the reason is because of the lyrics and message of that band. As far as hardcore getting bigger, it did get watered down in a lot of ways, but it’s also good that there is more exposure to it than before. Sure there are some negative effects that come along with that exposure, but there still are bold bands out there today that speak and play with conviction and the impact they can make on the lives of teenagers and young fans can be very powerful!
Besides the Facedown and Strikefirst roster, who are some bands that you are excited about?
I listen to a wide variety of music on most days. Some of my favorite bands or artists that are always on rotation here are Thrice, Coldplay, Loreena McKennit, Within Temptation, Florence + The Machine, ISIS, In Flames, and many more. I think that short list alone shows quite a bit of diversity, hah!
What is on your iPod/cd player/record player right now?
Besides the list of bands I mentioned above, I’ve really been enjoying O’Brother’s newest album Garden Window. I just recently picked it up and have been listening to it like crazy! Also, we just got in some great new upcoming facedown releases for War of Ages, The Burial and Leaders, so I’ve been playing those quite a bit too. All three of those are incredible albums!
Anything that you would like to say?
I’m thankful everyday for the opportunity to do what I do. God has blessed us with amazing bands and incredible people that support those bands and make this all possible. There’s always a lot of talk about music piracy these days from anyone involved in the industry but I would rather just take the time to thank the people that do support us and our bands financially. It keeps us going!
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