Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Jason Hook has spoken about the time he was a member of pop star Mandy Moore’s touring band.
Speaking with the Evansville Courier & Press, Hook recalled that at the time, he was a struggling musician, who was willing to play anything: “When I moved to Los Angeles, I was broke. I just made a pact with myself that if I could just get into the field, I was going to take the job so I could learn whatever I could. It beat working at Home Depot.”
He added that he had to overcome some fierce competition to get the gig: “I had to beat out about 50 guys at the audition. And then it was like, ‘Pack a bag! We’re going on tour!’ I was pretty happy about it, you know?”
Despite the vast difference in genres, Hook said that what he learned whilst on tour with Moore helped him to shape his career with Five Finger Death Punch. “[It] taught me a lot: There were rules, you had to be on time, you had to be prepared, you had to be focused, you had to be responsible. It taught me discipline and how to work in that environment. I’m very grateful to have the history that I have. Some people think it’s not cool, but that’s OK. I had the option to do roof tiling and all that stuff. I just didn’t want to.”
Following his time in Moore’s touring band, Hook worked as a sideman for Vince Neil and Alice Cooper before joining Five Finger Death Punch. Hook explained that the band’s intense focus was just what he needed. “[They're] pretty disciplined. We’re doing business during the day, constantly. We spend time making music and we’re always trying to prepare new material. We’re very proactive in that way. We set goals for ourselves. We don’t just sleep all day and party all night.”
Comments 0