CW: When and how did Jason Freese from Southern California get involved with one of the biggest bands in the world from the Northern California Bay Area?
Jason Freese: I got into Green Day six years ago through word of mouth. They wanted to add a keyboard player to their line-up, and I was in another band with the same management so they got a hold of me through him. Now, it's all history. I love playing in the band; it's like a family.
CW: Which came first music or motorcycles?
JF: I grew up in Orange County, and both of my parents are musicians. My dad was the leader of the Disneyland Band for 15 years. I grew up surrounded by music and instruments all around me. I also had a huge passion for motorcycles ever since I can remember. I got a Yamaha 80 Enduro when I was about eight. I always had some kind of minibike in the garage and when I got into high school, my dad started buying and selling high-end Harleys. At any given time, there would be two or three showbikes in my garage. My dad always kept the keys in a basket in the kitchen and told me I could take them whenever I wanted. Nice dad, huh? Anyway, I always had a bike in the garage and always wanted to ride.
CW: What bikes do you have now?
JF: I have four Hondas. I have two XR650s; one is set up for desert riding and one is a customized supermoto bike. I also have a really nice 1969 CT70 trailbike and CRF70 pitbike.
CW: Is it true that Green Day has a Broadway musical?
JF: The new musical opens on Broadway on April 20 at the St. James Theater. It's based on the album American Idiot and follows a group of working-class characters from the suburbs to the city to the Middle East as they seek redemption in a world filled with frustration. It's directed by Tony award-winning director Michael Mayer.
CW: What do you for motorcycle fun when the band is on the road?
JF: We have two Honda CRF70s that we ride around the venues, and we have two 2009 Kawasaki KLX250 dual-sports to buzz around town.
CW: And on tour out of the country?
JF: On tour, I love checking out all the awesome bikes in Europe and Japan that aren't available in the States. I get so jealous! There are lots of awesome streetfighters in Europe, and we love the Honda Monkeys in Japan. They have them in Australia, too, but you can't buy them in the U.S. Totally stinks. It seems like Europe gets all the cool colors, too—like the Kawasaki ER-6n streetfighter. It comes in all these killer colors in Europe but, again, not in the States.
CW: What bike would you like to be able to get here?
JF: The Honda CB1000R. That thing is killer! Best bike I've seen in a long time. But...we can't get it. Touring is awesome because I get to at least see these bikes. Too bad I'll never get to own one.
CW: Anything available in the U.S. that turns you on besides your bikes that are featured in the video?
JF: I feel like when the U.S. gets an awesome, fierce bike like the Suzuki B-King, it gets discontinued right away. It feels like that bike just came out and ruled the streets, the biggest, baddest, fastest bike around! Now, it's gone. What happened?
CW: Do you find time for anything else besides music, motorcycles and your new baby?
JF: I'm also very involved with Rock Moto. Rock Moto is put on by Jessica Prokup and "Discover Today's Motorcycling," which is a branch of the not-for-profit Motorcycle Industry Council.
CW: What is Rock Moto?
JF: It's a website designed to help younger riders get into motorcycling, to have fun and be knowledgeable with their bikes learning how to ride. There are lots of different links on the website, like how to pick out which bike would be good for you or different videos with musicians in bands showing them riding and talking about parallels to rock-'n'-roll, that sort of thing. It's geared toward the YouTube rock-'n'-roll generation. It's really exciting to be a part of it, and I'm glad to know I'm helping younger riders learn how to ride safely.