Jason McMaster HOT SHOT Interview
A few days ago, it was announced that Jason McMaster, Paul Lidel, Jack Pyers, David Beeson, and Mark McLain would be releasing a new EP under the banner of HOT SHOT. If you're a little long in the tooth or just have an insatiable appetite for Rock N' Roll, you already know these guys are straight-up Rock royalty, having played major roles in bands like Dangerous Toys, Dirty Looks, Broken Teeth, and Sacred Reich.
Naturally, The Rev. and I were all over it. We immediately reached out to cover the EP and lined up an interview with Jason himself. We wanted to keep the spotlight squarely on HOT SHOT so we and the rest of the world could get the full scoop.
The Rev. took the reins on the interview. His questions were spot-on, so I didn’t mess with a thing. Sometimes you just let greatness speak for itself.
So, grab yourself a strong drink and dig in, this is one you won’t want to miss.
Hot Shot is about to hit the scene—what lit the fuse for this project, and how does it reflect where you are creatively and spiritually right now?
This is just another extension of me and my friends who play and write strong dirty Rock n’ Roll. I have Broken Teeth and Dangerous Toys still going. Dirty Looks was a good tribute to Henrik Ostergaard and it was so much fun, we started to write some new songs on the side with Paul and Jack, the main Dirty Looks guys. These tunes came out great and we just wanted to share them under a new name, HOT SHOT.
Dangerous Toys always felt like a meaner, sleazier, more unhinged cousin to Toys in the Attic-era Aerosmith. The name itself sounded like a warning label. What was it that kept you rooted in the dangerous side of rock when so many of your peers softened or polished up over time?
Those are big words you are saying, I mean, I do not want to correct you, I don't know about sleazier, maybe a more four on the floor slightly less funky version… I will take that compliment for the Toys, but we were not really taking from just Aerosmith, it was a lot more than that. Any sort of soft side that we might have had was still coming from the same influences. We were just writing fun songs that made us feel good. We might have been following our noses a bit.
You’ve fronted some wildly different bands—Watchtower, Broken Teeth, Dangerous Toys, Ignitor, Cassius King, Gahdzilla Motor Company, Evil United —and now Hot Shot. What’s the connective tissue across all those bands that still feels like you?
I love heavy rock of any kind. I love all kinds of music, really. I started writing Country and some kind of weird yacht rock stuff during the covid years, and some Christmas music, too. There is not one thing that I like to sing better than the other. Even if I write something new, there has to be some kind of nostalgic feeling, or emotional connection of the story that turns your emotions on, otherwise, the song is no good.
There was always a touch of Horror in Dangerous Toys—especially in songs like “Scared.” How much of that love for Horror and the macabre lives on in your new work?
It is not just Horror; it leans more towards what I was saying. I love old 70’s music and film, and the stories told through film, tv and books, and even old magazines and posters, that seems it was a pulp culture, and all that stuff took off back then. Jaws and the Exorcist might not be even considered Horror anymore, but that nostalgia is like an added emotion that I have. When writing anything, it’s important that those things are channeled in my writing - like I am trying to describe a feeling or the story of one. It might not be directly borrowing from anything, but it has connection to something that moved me when I was young.
Do you remember what first sparked your interest in Horror—was it music, movies, comics? And what role does that inspiration play in how you write or perform?
The classics, Hammer film stuff, but then, it was 70's TV, the Nightstalker, etc...
By the time I heard KISS in 1975 and saw the album covers, it was this ah-ha moment. I knew there could be no limits. Alice Cooper and "The Crazy World of Arthur Brown" with "I am the God of Hellfire"... I knew that this stuff was melting and molding into something really cool. I am not sure how it plays into what I do on stage, but the crazy faces and attitude the music has, is definitely showing the stuff from my insides.
Dangerous Toys blended comedy and menace in a way few bands pulled off—songs that made you grin even as they growled. What’s the secret to keeping that balance without slipping into parody or losing your bite?
It is gonna be the tones you are using to tell the story, or even suggest that grimace, when you are smiling sweetly. The sounds, the tones and some of the lyrics. Tongue in cheek is still a good way to describe the song, or the parts. Beetlejuice and silly stuff like that bring it to a truly acceptable place, even though that's closer to parody of the Darkside. But, when jack Nicholson says, "Here's Johnny", in the SHINING - that's when it can be funny and frightening. Like you are almost violating someone's comfort for a second. That might be more of where I’m trying to take it when I wear that hat.
In terms of Hot Shot’s sound and vibe—should fans expect echoes of your past, or does this band exist in its own sonic world?
It really is more tribute to what Dirty Looks was doing. Broken Teeth was started by Paul (Lidel) and I, so it will seem to have some of our vibe in it, but, to me, this HOT SHOT stuff screams Paul and Jack's Dirty Looks heartbeat. If I had to pick bands other than Dirty Looks, it would be KISS and AC/DC.
What was the first song written for Hot Shot that made you go, “Yeah, this is the direction”? Was there a moment that defined the project?
This is more of the same thing that I’ve mentioned. When Jack (Pyers) and Paul asked me to front the Dirty Looks thing, we did not plan on writing material until way later. Now that the DL live record is out and we did a few really killer shows as a sort of DL2.0, we worked on the tunes a bit more and finished them up. It is satisfying to release them as something fresh, yet it still hearkens the sound of old Dirty Looks.
You’ve lived through multiple musical eras, formats, and scenes—from cassettes to TikTok. What do you think still matters about Rock music in 2025?
It has to move you. Any music must move you. Emotional response is important. If it does not make you cringe, or fall in love, then it should be easy to ignore. When you cannot ignore a song, that means it is talking loudly to you whether you wanna hear it or not. This is all that matters.
Looking ahead—will Hot Shot hit the road, drop a full album, or maybe throw some blood on stage? What should fans get ready for?
I don't wanna get anyone excited, or bummed out, but, right now, I have zero plans other than to write songs with my friends and release those songs under the banner of HOT SHOT. No plans to play live, or anything. But you never know, do you?