ActionReaction

According to Jason Gleason, ActionReaction’s spark and individuality relies not on any single member, but on their combined personality and styles: “We’re all very different people, but when it comes to the band, those differences are what makes ActionReaction special.”

After leaving his post as front man for Further Seems Forever in 2004, Jason left sunny Florida and headed north to Verona, NJ, joining Bella and Salvatore from the band, Element 101. The three bonded while working for a construction company, painting houses and sanding floors. Though their work was physically challenging, they still found energy to make music in the evenings. “It was so satisfying to just create without agenda or boundaries; ideas would just flow freely,” Gleason muses. Moving in together under one roof, the trio started taking their music more seriously and fine tuned their jam sessions into songs. “We all have different backgrounds in classical, jazz, funk and have been really getting into reggae lately. Every band hopes to do something unique and move beyond what has been done in the past. Hopefully our music is part of this evolution and people will identify with it.” The three agree on a few bands over the past few years which have influenced them: Sunny Day Real Estate, Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Fiona Apple, Bjork and Mazzy Star.

Lyrically, Gleason asks questions of morality and nature. “I think I am obsessed about the Armageddon while writing this,” he mentions. “The world is so challenged right now. We just can’t seem to learn from our own mistakes. I wonder what would happen if it ended tomorrow.” Gleason still finds hope in nature, by taking inspiration from the sun and moon. He also feels that the essence of the band’s name is expressed in the lyrics. “We live in a technological environment where everyone is so distant from one another. They forget that their actions have some bearing on other people and the earth…it’s a reaction.”

Playing a handful of local shows led to ActionReaction signing with Hope Division Records, a subsidiary of Equal Vision Records. “I don’t know if we fit in with other bands at the label,” Gleason admits, “but they gave us the freedom to do whatever we wanted artistically, and that really means a lot to us.”

After the self-released ActionReaction EP and a national tour, the band returned to the studio to record their full-length debut, 3 Is The Magic Number with producers Junior Sanchez, Ray Martin (Gorillaz, Bloc Party) as well as Rick Ruben protégé, Jason Lader (Nightmare Of You, Men Women & Children, Rilo Kily). 3 Is The Magic Number further demonstrates ActionReaction’s ever-growing musicianship, maturity, and a rapidly developing sense of unity. When asked about the title, Jason answers, “this is my third band. It’s been 3 years since I left Further Seems Forever. There are 3 of us. There were 3 producers and it was definitely our favorite School House Rock song. On a more metaphysical level, there are themes of 3’s throughout history. It’s at the core of religion, it’s the most commonly occurring number in nature, but I don’t want to get too deep…3 just has a lot of meaning to us”.

Though generally defined as alt-rock, it is difficult to accurately fit ActionReaction into one genre. On stage, Jason’s charismatic, marathon vocals, Bella’s sultry, commanding presence and Sal’s heavy bass coalesce into a striking sensory assault, rounded out by an additional three musicians. ActionReaction knows that they have a long road to travel to deliver the message, but can’t wait to get in the van and go.