Gene Simmons Band guitarist Jason Walker was born to play music – literally. “One of my first memories is actually me singing in my crib,” he tells Guitar World. “It woke my parents up – I found this thing I liked to do!” That “thing” soon became less of a habit and more of an aspiration, though it wasn’t the guitar that initially piqued his interest.
“My first instrument was a coffee and creamer tin drum kit I fashioned on the floor from various cans. I used welding rods for drumsticks. I even used a can opener on the bottom of an empty one to loosen a makeshift cymbal – my young ingenuity! Then I would play along to tapes.”
Article continues below“My father had this 12-string acoustic that he kept in their bedroom and I would get at it sometimes. I remember him picking it up occasionally and playing a thing he’d written here and there.”
From there, Walker learned to tune his guitar and started learning chords. “As far as deciding what type of player I wanted to be, I never made a conscious choice. I just wanted to do the best I could.”
This encounter stuck with Walker, so when he ran into Varney 10 years later at Guitar Center – of all places – he made sure it stuck.
“We’ve kept in touch since. He invited me to jams and it changed my course. His guidance and friendship have been crucial. He’s an amazing person and a genius. Many things improved in my life because of his friendship.”
Not long after, Walker auditioned and passed with flying colors. And it’s a prime gig: “I knew about some Kiss songs growing up, of course. A lot of my influences were also influences for members of Kiss, like Zeppelin and The Beatles. Gene knows his Beatles. There are a lot of parallels of influence with these guys and me. And I hear a lot of Page in Ace Frehley’s choices and feel, for sure.”
But Walker had to lay down his Les Paul. “I eventually settled into the Flying V,” he says. “It goes well aesthetically and sonically with Brent’s Les Paul on stage left. It’s a great blend. It doesn’t make any sense to have two Les Pauls up there.” Beyond that, it’s a typical array of Marshall 50- and 100-watt jobs, with a few boutique pedals by Interstellar Audio Machines and Mayasonic for taste.
Walker is excited about the future of guitar-driven music. “The guitar is more popular than ever right now,” he says. “It is not going anywhere. There are going to be some interesting players coming out in the next decade that will redefine the instrument. It’s already happening!”
I’m fronting a Soundgarden set. I love singing the Cornell stuff because it’s so demanding
As for what else is happening in Walker’s world, he has “a couple of lanes being paved at the moment” – his band, Gravity Amplifiers, will release their debut this November on Ripple Music.
“It’s called Disclosure Vol. 1. Half of the bass tracks feature Nick Oliveri. It’s a project with an underlying purpose that’s close to my heart. And I’m fronting a Soundgarden set from time to time, called Jason Walker’s Badmotorfinger. I love singing the Cornell stuff because it’s so demanding.”
But for now, his attention is on the task at hand. “The Gene Simmons Band have shows coming up in May and throughout this year, so that’s where my energies are focused – because this band is so great.”
- The Gene Simmons Band’s next tour kicks off on May 2.
