Don't bother asking Jason Byers if he's "workin' hard or hardly workin'", because this wiry and oddly sedate punk fronts one of hard core's hardest working and toughest rockin' bands around. If he's not recording or thrashing it out on stage with his band Disengage, he's busy with painting, sculpture, curating, or just making ends meet - with never a dull moment. Jason is all gusto and full of wit; currently, he and the band are putting the final touches on their new CD release. We pinned Jason down for a rather engaging conversation. Here's what he had to say about staying in Cleveland.

LB: Why do you stay in Cleveland?

JB: The band. We don't have a U.S. deal right now, but we're about to sign a deal in Japan. We should have a new release in Japan by January. It's a great deal, really - Sony. I mean we'll do MTV and everything. I feel like I'm in Spinal Tap, ya know, "We're really big in Japan...."

KB: With the concept of originality basically out the window, what keeps Rock and Roll alive for you?

JB: People always ask me what I listen to. I don't really listen to anything aggressive. If I listen to Rock and Roll, it's usually the Stones or Led Zeppelin. The only real heavy music I like listening to is our own - I guess that keeps it fresh. I'm stressed out a lot - I want to calm down - I don't want anything to fire me up more than I already am. I don't want to hear Pantera. I want to listen to Spiritualized type music and relax, but, with us and with our shows - we work hard. If we're not sore the next day, it probably wasn't a good show.

LB: So, aside from music, you make art as well.

JB: Yeah, the band takes up the majority of my time, but when I'm on tour, I'm stuck in the van for hours and hours. I just think about all these plans I have for sculptures, but they are projects that will really require my time.

KB: Tell us about your lyrics - what do you write about?

JB: There's a lot of "Cleveland" in them lately - especially in a new song called Pharmacy Land. It basically addresses our city's overabundance of hot-dog stands, funeral homes, and of course, pharmacies. It kinda looks at this in relationship to the joke of the "come-back city."

LB: Let's talk about that in context to the whole issue pertaining to the arts in Cleveland. What do you see happening, and how can we revolutionize the scene here?

JB: It's funny, because in many ways, the arts are still very underground. I think giving more attention to public projects could be beneficial. People don't seem to take it all that seriously, so maybe if it were in their faces more often, they'd start to take interest or take the time to understand. Plus, I really think that there needs to be more unity between our art galleries and museums. Basically, everyone that I know at least, is doing their part to make Cleveland better. Nobody's slacking off. I have a lot of friends in the same situation I'm in - no steady income - but we're not going to the bar every night and sleeping in all day. There are always things to do, and people who want to do it.

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