EMQ’s With A FOOL’S MOCKERY

A Fool's Mockery Logo

EMQ’s With A FOOL’S MOCKERY

Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview courtesy of Victor, with Manchester, England based Progressive Metal/Rock band, A Fool’s Mockery. Huge thanks to drummer/keyboardist Jase Tyler for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

I’m Jase Tyler, the drummer and keyboardist in A Fool’s Mockery. The band originated in North Wales, where me, the guitarist Eddy Bleasdale and the bassist Scott Gurnett began recording our debut album while completing our master’s degrees at University. We were joined a year later by Emannuel Thorsen for vocals. It was all recorded in a very “on-the-go” way using my laptop, composing and recording whenever we had spare time.

How did you come up with your band name?

It was Scott who suggested the name; I think the “Fool” part was inspired by the Jester who appears on the cover artwork of the band Edguy. “Mockery” was a euphonious word to complete the name.

What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

We are based in the UK, and most of us live in the city of Manchester. Here the rock and metal scene is thriving – before 2020 there were plenty of rock and metal gigs in various venues, ranging from bands making a stop on a world tour, to small performances in bars. I hope to see this continue in the near future.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

At the beginning of February, we released our debut concept album “Empire of Doubt”. This followed the release of the two singles ‘The Great Lie’ and ‘Plea for Forgiveness’ in the previous month, which were each accompanied by a music video and a lyric video, respectively. These are available to watch on our YouTube channel. We are all extremely pleased with what we’ve come up with, and we look forward to making the next one!

‘The Great Lie’ (Official Video)

‘Plea For Forgiveness’ (Lyric Video)

Who have been your greatest influences?

For me personally, the bands Dream Theater, Avantasia, Ayreon, Ghost and The Neal Morse Band have captivated my ears like no others! But one thing I find so refreshing and wonderful about working together with the other AFM members is that we all herald from different musical genres – so if you were to ask any of the other guys the same question, you’d get a totally different answer. I’m also partial to the more “classic” metal bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest etc – but then, who isn’t!

What first got you into music?

It was through learning to play the drums and joining my first band that I became infatuated with music – both in listening and performing. That pushed me into finding out what other drummers were doing in famous bands, so I explored their discographies and learned some of their songs. The composition side of music became much more exciting for me personally with this album “Empire Of Doubt” since it’s my first real use of the keyboard in song writing.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?

I’d love to work with Tobias Sammet, since his voice has always seemed so powerful yet expressive to me. I also think Jordan Rudess’ keyboard playing is in a class of its own, and it would be majestic to jam with him some day. I love Arjen Lucassen’s musical arrangements, so it would be pretty cool to collaborate with him too!

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Definitely Wacken! I’ve dreamt of playing there since I was about 15. I love the community that is present there, and the pure emotion from all the acts on stage. As Eric Martin said when he was there – it’s the Mecca of heavy metal!

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

A pair of shoes.

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

I would emphasise the importance of perseverance – don’t let circumstance stop you from achieving a goal! I believe our album is a testament to that effect: we recorded it without expensive equipment, while at University, and finished it during the abomination of a year that was 2020. Keep on reminding yourself that there is always another way to accomplish something!

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Ronnie James Dio.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

I love how it allows me to be creative and express myself, and specifically in the setting of the band, how collaboration results in a melting pot of ideas. Someone might come up with a riff, which gets reinterpreted by someone else, and ends up in various iterations throughout a song from having different people’s perspectives and input into that musical idea. I hate the tedium that is an inevitable necessity of the recording process: I am something of a perfectionist, so I’ve recorded some parts many more times than I’d care to mention for the sake of them sounding the way I want.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

More music and less ego.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Conceptual albums have always stood out to me. I’m torn between naming Dream Theater’s “Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory” and The Neal Morse Band’s “The Similitude Of A Dream” as my favourite! Both feature excellent virtuosic musicianship and storytelling, with brilliant thematic reprisals which complement their respective narratives. If any of the readers have not heard these albums, I can thoroughly recommend having a listen! The artists have each made a huge contribution to the Progressive Rock genre with these albums.

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

Vinyl, Cassettes and CDs for sure.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Headbangers Attack Festival.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

I suppose I’d be doing the same job as I am now, just with less to occupy my free time. I currently work in a genomics company, developing diagnostic products for cervical cancer. I’ve also been involved with microbiological research.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Angela Gossow, Michael Kiske, Doro, Eric Adams and Rob Halford.

What’s next for the band?

Hopefully, after the pandemic we can get together to work on a second album, and all being well we can play some live shows! This depends on a lot of things though, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and you can listen to our music pretty much anywhere! The main website from which you can purchase the album digitally is Bandcamp, and most of our other websites (merch etc) are linked to from there as well.
www.facebook.com/AFoolsMockery
www.twitter.com/afoolsmockery/
www.instagram.com/afoolsmockery/
www.youtube.com/channel/UCE8BkNLxaMi2fErdcBSI8eg/
www.afoolsmockery.bandcamp.com/
www.afoolsmockery.dizzyjam.com/ (Merch)

Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?

Cakes harden as they go off, whereas biscuits turn soft. Jaffa cakes become hard if left out for a while, so I’d say they are cakes.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Rock on.

Victor’s original review of “Empire Of Doubt”

https://www.ever-metal.com/wp-content/2021/07/02/a-fools-mockery-empire-of-doubt/
A Fool's Mockery Promo Pic

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

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