The Real Time Debacle

“My original goal with ‘The Debacle’ was to be able to cover ‘Billie Jean,” Jason Norman Wellsandt tells me from his drum stool. I met up with Jason, also known as The Real-Time Debacle, on his porch studio in Wymore, Nebraska.

Jason currently plays as this debacle that is a one man band, which is “mostly electronic, but I’d classify it as experimental; maybe a little psychedelic thrown in there.” At Knickerbockers in Lincoln, Nebraska, opening for Rude Awakening and Perfect Strangers, he rocked a many piece drum set along with synthesizers and samplers. “I get tired of carrying stuff, and what do I do? I add more stuff.“ He defines The Real-Time Debacle as “ridiculous…a lot of stuff at the same time.”

Although Jason sang once at the show, a tune called “Nebraska Weedeater Massacre,” where he sings about coming “from the country,” and moving “to the town--and all it made me wanna do is jump in that ole’ creek and drown,” he sings frequently throughout his albums. He sites Waylon Jennings and Kris Kirstofferson as inspirations as wells as Beck and Faith No More, and channels such artists through his vocals.

Along with drums with the extra electronics, Jason also plays guitar, piano, bass, and says he fakes flute and trumpet, and has “been known to play some banjo.” The flute is “faked” throughout “We’re All Just Shooting Stars,” the album that features “Nebraska Weedeater Massacre,“ but it’s apparent that if it’s faked, he’s been faking it for a while. “If you give me enough time, I can figure it out, or at least make you think I know what I’m doing.”


The History of Jason

The journey began with the piano, taking lessons for two years, “so I could become a drummer.” He started with the snare in fifth grade and moved to a full trap set in seventh grade. Over twenty years later, Jason has been “playing that whole time--never stopped.”

Although, the journey dates back further than Jason. His grandfather, Norman Wellsandt (who was adopted; his original name was Miller), was a self-taught drummer who played in Swing bands across Southeast Nebraska. When Jason reached fifth grade, he discovered that he “had a drum set I didn’t know existed,” that was up in his grandma’s attic and still sounds amazing to this day. Norman, however, passed away before Jason was born, but he admits “having not known him kinda gives me more inspiration--have this legend created in my mind….I’d like to think he’d be proud of me--and then kick my ass on the drum set from time to time.” Besides Grandpa, his brother and uncle (on mother’s side) also play drums, and his mother plays piano and saxophone.


Jason’s Former Bands

Before launching The Real-Time Debacle, Jason performed in several bands and projects in the Lincoln original band scene, which Jason regretfully informed that he has seen many such bands come and go. He mentioned a site called thebandbrokeup.com that offers free downloads from former original bands in the Lincoln and Omaha area.
Jason sat in with Producers of the Word, whom he recorded an album with and are still together, and Metafold, a Progressive Metal band who would play thirty minute instrumentals “just for the hell of it.” Others, that he called projects, were Nuclear Mystery Temple, in which the “music was good; our singers were pretty horrible,” ESP, where the bassist from Temple played sax, and along with saxophones, ESP also contained lineups of cellos, synthesizers, and Rhodes pianos.



Jason as “The Admiral”

Another project of Jason’s was The Admiral, which was a nickname he received in college. Jason said that he hung out with two other Jasons and that they felt they all needed nicknames, in which he accepted the “drunken sailor.” Jason described The Admiral as “Austin Psychadelic,” similar to such acts as the Butthole Surfers and ST 37, and played a few shows under said moniker that employed him on the acoustic guitar.

He also recorded a few albums as The Admiral. Only one (“The Bastard Bush 1.0“) was released, but he says that he plans on releasing a couple others still in the archives (“Bastard Bush 2.0” and ‘The GM/Dick Cheney Conspiracy“). Although the titles sound political, Jason described the subject matter as more ranting than anything. Bastard Bush was written after his neighbor, who was trying to watch television, became angry at the loud guitar next door, “….and man, that really hacked me off…you’re watching daytime television for one--that’s some bad TV.” “It’s basically about how my neighbor has hacked me off. And then what’s also on my mind is my buddy going off to Iraq.”


Jason with “Crow Foot and The Omen”

Another project, that Jason still plays for, is Crow Foot and The Omen, a “Sludge Metal” band with Jason on drums and Joey Grey on guitar. The band started as an internet project and progressed into one that performs in the summertime at such venues as Duggan's Pub in Lincoln. Joey, “a Metal guy wanting to play Blues,” records his guitar tracks and then sends them to Jason for the drums and vocals. In the future, they would like a bass player, and might possibly perform in suits due to a suggestion from Jason’s wife.


Jason as “The Real-Time Debacle”

After witnessing That One Guy, Jason decided that a one man band was the way to go. With only himself as a band mate, Jason didn’t have to worry about clashing personalities and egocentric musicians who try to play “boss.” If That One Guy, also known as Mike Silverman, was a “bass player looking for more sound,” Jason Wellsandt is a drummer looking for more sound. Therefore, The Real-Time Debacle was born.

In 2006, a self-titled album was recorded, which Jason says he was basically “showing off on the drums and ranting some poetry.” The next album was the aforementioned “We’re All Just Shooting Stars,” which contains a track entitled “If I Could Only Be On Sesame Street.” In a Facebook message, Jason wrote “I picture myself singing that on Sesame Street. I often conceptualize Muppet videos.”

His newest album, recorded last Thanksgiving, “The Hanging Tree,” was mastered by Jeremy Hutson, whom I interviewed last summer. Jason planned on employing a female singer and a fiddle, but then settled for what he was able to do by himself. Jason explained that “Tree” is a concept album about a girl who kills her abusive husband and then gets lynched for it. He also said that he wrote some lyrics that never made it to the album; unlike “Shooting Stars,” “Tree” is strictly instrumental.

Each Debacle album has been released under Confusion Valley Records. Created by Jason and Crow Foot and The Omen band mate Joey Grey, Confusion Valley started with the 2006 self-titled Debacle album. Named after his grandfather’s nickname for his ranch, the concept was thought up by Jason and pushed by Joey, who is described as “more of a motivator.” A website is in the works, and eventually the label plans on signing, or at least helping out, other acts.



Jason as “Tribes”

Another project that Jason toys with is Tribes, which is of a techno/hip-hop nature. Tribes uses a synthesizer once again, but instead of live drums, he uses a drum machine, that way he “can just program some music and sing or rap or whatever.” After asking about his songwriting, Jason sang a ditty that he plans on recording as a Tribes song: “Go, Dog, Go,” which was written for his son and shares a name with a children’s book. Jason hopes to book some DJ gigs under Tribes, as well.



Jason’s Songwriting

Besides songs for his son, Jason also writes tunes for his wife. “You know I gotta write her a sappy Country song--I’m always in the dog house.” He’s also working on one about a group of misfits who recently attempted to break out of jail. “There’s a hole in the wall in the Gage County Jail…and the moon’s telling secrets to me,” he sings.

Besides his own, he has been known to sing covers of Waylon Jennings, Pink Floyd, and John Prine. “He’s making me wanna write songs again,” he says of the latter, whom inspired the “County Jail” tune.


Who inspires Jason?

Other inspirations Jason sited were:

* Aphex Twin
* Boards of Canada
* The Melvins
* Elton John
* Jethro Tull
* Morphine
* Townes Van Zandt
* Jeff Buckley
* Gene Krupa
* Buddy Rich
* Neal Pert of Rush
* Bill Bruford of Yes, Gong, and King Crimson
* Pierre Moerlen of Gong
* Brenden Canty of Fugazi
* Billy Martin of Medeski, Martin, and Wood
* Drums and Tuba
* Neutral Milk Hotel


Who has been seen with Jason?

“The best way to sum up Lincoln is its just a really big small town,” Jason touched again on the ever-changing original scene, when asked of bands whom shared a bill with an act of Jason‘s. Besides the ones at the Knickerbockers gig, he listed:

* Once A Pawn (who shares a bassist with Perfect Strangers)
* Tangelo
* Dean the Bible
* The Awkwards
* Chocolate Cake
* Paper People



How can we hear Jason?

Jason’s musical projects can be found online at:

* Sound Cloud
* Band Camp
* Myspace
* The Real-Time Debacle on Facebook
* Tribes on Facebook
* Confusion Valley on Facebook
* Reverb Nation

“Basically, if you Google ‘Real-Time Debacle,’ you’ll find some stuff.”



The Real-Time Debacle will also be the first act at "Jammin' For Josef," a benefit for the late Josef Parker, at Holiday Inn Express in Beatrice, Nebraska on February 26, 2011.


Questions or comments about this article? Click here to leave feedback.
Credits

Written by Allen Dean Lyons

References- Taped interview with Jason Norman Wellsandt on January 3, 2011; Facebook message between Allen Dean Lyons and Jason Norman Wellsandt dated January 4, 2011; "We're All Just Shooting Stars" (2008) by The Real-Time Debacle, "Hangin' Tree" (2011) by The Real Time Debacle.

Photo 1- Taken by Allen Dean Lyons at Knickerbockers, Lincoln, Nebraska, October 23, 2010

Photo 2- [Online Image] available at http://www.reverbnation.com/#!/page_object/page_object_photos/artist_272267?sel_photo_id=3761673 [2/10/11] - Lyons Freelance