Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: January 2010

Brian Rademacher: Hey Jordan, this is Brian from RockEyez. How’s it going today?

Jordan Ziff: Very good, I really liked the review you did on our new EP. Thank you.

Brian Rademacher: To start, tell me a little about your school years.

Jordan Ziff: I am pretty much the same, maybe not as good on guitar as now; I’m still working on it. I always wanted to be in a band since I was about seven but in eighth grade I finally decided this is what I’m going to do. I use to skateboard a lot and play ice hockey than I quit all that because I didn’t want to hurt my hands.

Brian Rademacher: You started out playing piano and switched to guitar. When you went home to practice did you use to mimic anyone?

Jordan Ziff: Mostly when I started I just started playing on my own and tried writing music and not take influences from anyone. I jammed to other people’s songs and one of the first was Santana and he was one of the first people I heard that made me pick up the guitar.

Brian Rademacher: Do you remember the first record you ever bought?

Jordan Ziff: Damn, I don’t even think I can remember that. I don’t know, I really don’t know. It probably wasn’t even rock or metal. It was probably some kind of kid’s thing (laughing)

Brian Rademacher: The band started in 2005 under the name MORTUARY TRIBUTE. I was watching some of the videos on YouTube. At that time I would compare you to DANZIG.

Jordan Ziff: I think when we were doing MORTUARY TRIBUTE and listening to newer metal a little bit and basically we then switched to AGE OF EVIL and said lets go more old school and eighties with this because it really doesn’t exist anymore.

Brian Rademacher: And your first show was at Jeremy's bar mitzvah? Tell me about that.

Jordan Ziff: Probably, I don’t know what name we were at that time. It wasn’t MORTUARY TRIBUTE. We probably went through thousands of names. We had people come and jam with us but not official members. People were coming and going.

Brian Rademacher: in 2007 you released "Living a Sick Dream" with guest guitar by Marty Friedman MEGADETH. Did he actually come in the studio with you?

Jordan Ziff: He recorded his tracks in his studio in Japan and sent them over. I wish he would of flew over and hung with us (while) recording.

Brian Rademacher: In 2009 on the CD "Get Dead", you had two covers "Slave to the Grind" SKID ROW and "The Hellion/Electric Eye" JUDAS PRIEST were their others you were thinking about to record also?

Jordan Ziff: There was; we wanted to do a bunch of covers because we had studio time. I wanted to do "Revelation Mother Earth" by Ozzy which I t thought would be cool because I haven’t heard anyone cover that song. Everyone covers "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" but I haven’t heard "Revelation Mother Earth" which would be sweet. We recorded "Still of the Night" but that was never released but we have that. We did a pop song and made it metal but I can’t tell you what song because we might release it one day.

Brian Rademacher: KNAC radio named AGE OF EVIL the band to watch in 2010. What does it feel like to get that recognition?

Jordan Ziff: I think 2010 will be a very good year for us. For me 2010 will be the new 80’s!

Brian Rademacher: You played with HEAVEN & HELL. What was that like?

Jordan Ziff: That was really fun. They tore it up in 2008. We played with SOULFLY too.

Brian Rademacher: Being so young and you playing European festivals do your parents give you advice when traveling?

Jordan Ziff: No (laughing). We don’t take any advice. We just do what we want. We learn from own mistakes.

Brian Rademacher: With the new EP Get Dead what is your favorite song to play live?

Jordan Ziff: Good question. They are all so different but it’s cool to jam out to "Slave To The Grind" when we play that.

Brian Rademacher: Was anything difficult to record?

Jordan Ziff: It was a breeze to record the EP, "Slave To The Grind" was a last minute thing that we didn’t know we were going to do, so we did our own thing. We didn’t even know we were going to record it that day either.

Brian Rademacher: What was it like giving your first autograph?

Jordan Ziff: I felt like why the hell does anyone want my autograph? It’s worthless!

Brian Rademacher: I think it will be on eBay eventually.

Jordan Ziff: Hopefully! (laughing

Brian Rademacher: I think you guys are really amazing and young and have time to grow, it’s fantastic. How many hours a day do you practice?

Jordan Ziff: Maybe six hours a day or less (laughing).

Brian Rademacher: At this point in your career what is a typical day for you?

Jordan Ziff: I run to the post office and mail CD’s to radio stations and we write music during the vampire hours of the night.

Brian Rademacher: Were all the CD’s sent out to press autographed?

Jordan Ziff: I remember signing a bunch of them, most of them were signed. Unless someone said your autograph is worthless. I wouldn’t want my autograph ruining my CD (laughing)!. Unless you buy two; one autographed and one not!

Brian Rademacher: Do you feel more comfortable with a festival atmosphere than a club?

Jordan Ziff: No, definitely not. Festivals are always screwed up and the sound on stage is weird and you don’t get any slap back from the PA. You get no reverb because it goes out into the air.

Brian Rademacher: If there was one festival or a legendary venue to play what would that be to you?

Jordan Ziff: Budakon, that took me two seconds!

Brian Rademacher: What are your hopes for the rest of the year?

Jordan Ziff: As of right now we are writing music like crazy and hopefully we will have a full length album out by the end of the year.

Brian Rademacher: How do you separate people who are friends and people who are just trying to jump on the bandwagon?

Jordan Ziff: We figure it out real quick. We had plenty of people trying to screw us over! (laughing)

Brian Rademacher: Since everyone in the band are brothers do you ever get pissed at each other on tour?

Jordan Ziff: Sure…It wouldn’t be right if someone didn’t piss someone else off every night!

Brian Rademacher: What would a dream come true for you be?

Jordan Ziff: For me not to get a job, even though this is kind of a job! (laughing)

Brian Rademacher: Do you wanna talk about anything else I didn’t cover before we go?

Jordan Ziff: We are in Revolver Magazine as the band to watch in 2010 and everything is going well with us.

Brian Rademacher: Would you like to say anything in ending?

Jordan Ziff: Rock on and I am sure we will have a chance to meet in the future and check out the new EP. See ya.