You might say Jerry King has gone bananas. We’re talking in the literal sense; he eats six or seven of them daily, his wife even more. As confirmed vegans who consume ample amounts of fruits and veggies, they’re not shy about spreading the gospel on healthy eating. “Dave Newhouse became a vegan five months ago. I coached him a bit and Dave just loves it,” he proudly notes. Newhouse, a founding member of vintage experimental jazz-rockers The Muffins, didn’t come to know King as friend and musical collaborator until recently, through Muffins mate Paul Sears. And Sears learned of him by happenstance, intrigued enough to initiate contact after hearing a radio track from Jerry’s band Cloud Over Jupiter. It matters little that these kindred spirits are separated by thousands of miles or haven’t yet met in the flesh. Partnerships are being forged, music is being made, even lifestyles are changing long-distance thanks to world-shrinking perks of the digital age. “One thing leads to another; it’s an expanding spider web of communication,” King says. “The threads are many. We’re all scratching each others’ backs via phone, Internet file-sharing and Skype! It’s a family of artists who have the same vision, pretty much. I would say we believe in music that promotes Rock In Opposition, experimentation, progressive rock and jazz. That basically is where we’re coming from.”
