Jamey Jasta on 30 Years of Hatebreed + Never Having a Backup Plan

When Jamey Jasta formed Hatebreed in Bridgeport, Conn., in 1994, he didn’t have a backup plan — and that was by design.

“I was a young dad and I was like, I cannot be a deadbeat dad,” Jasta told Chuck Armstrong on Loudwire Nights Wednesday (May 15).

“I cannot be a deadbeat dad. I cannot be someone who doesn’t have a college savings for their kid. I always wanted to be the dad that was able to buy my daughter a car when she turned 16 — so I knew I had like 16 years to get it right.”

Jasta admitted that the first five years of Hatebreed‘s life were really difficult, but thanks to his girlfriend, he never lost hope for what the band could do.

“I credit her [for] believing in me,” he said, “and believing in this crazy idea because everybody else was like, oh, good luck with that.”

Thirty years later, Jasta still comes across those who doubt him, but he generally takes those experiences as compliments these days.

“It just goes to show, you have to really believe in yourself and what you’re doing and as long as it’s authentic and as long as it’s from the heart, it doesn’t matter what other people think.”

Will Hatebreed Release New Music Soon?

As for the future of Hatebreed, Jasta is excited to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary with a massive tour alongside Carcass — and he’s hoping to release new music sometime soon.

“I have a bunch of stuff written,” Jasta revealed.

“I think it’s the first time in years we’ve been free agents, so we definitely want to see what’s out there. I’d love to get something out by the end of the year…I feel like whenever we really put our nose to the grindstone, we can make something happen.”

READ MORE: Serj Tankian Admits ‘The Door Always remains Open’ For New Music From System of a Down

Jasta admitted, though, that he isn’t in a rush to get new music out.

“For a band like us, we never really thought there was going to be this long of a career, so we want to revel in it a little bit.”

What Else Did Jamey Jasta Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• What it means for him to have Carcass touring with Hatebreed for their 30th anniversary shows
• What it was like hearing White Zombie on the radio for the first time and then seeing Rob Zombie working his own merch table, hand-painting T-shirts
• Why he wanted Hatebreed to always embrace a positive mental attitude in their music, even when they tackle dark and heavy themes

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Jamey Jasta joined Loudwire Nights on Wednesday, May 15; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.