Check Out Jason Dozer’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Dozer.

Hi Jason, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Got into singing and machining in my early 20’s in Kentucky. Moved to Atlanta in 2000 to pursue a career in singing, while supporting myself with working in a machine shop. Doing cover band work in Atlanta, I decided to make myself my own custom mic stand. Shortly after, I was able to meet James Labrie of Dream Theater, one of my idols, and told him I’d make him a stand for free. Started my own machining business in 2007, along with a myspace page for Metaldozer Custom Mic Stands. Monitor tech Bruce Danz, for Marilyn Manson, found me there, and I started making props for Manson. It was a slow build until I got the call from Prince’s people, and made him some stands and accessories for 3rdeyegirl.
Since then, and even before, Metaldozer Machine Works has been blessed to work with some of the biggest artists in the business. I’ve even been commissioned to do some large music themed art pieces locally. I currently have a 12′ tall metal Stratocaster guitar on display in Suwanee’s town park.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Owning my own machine shop during the recession was extremely difficult, and I nearly went out of business several times. During those lean years, my cover band work had to put food on the table. It was exhausting and scary.

Sometimes dealing with artists who ask for the world, and need it in a week, is daunting, to say the least! I always want to do exceptional work, but sometimes the timeline I’m given just doesn’t allow it, so that’s frustrating. But that’s part of the business!

At 51, finding a balance of owning and operating my own business, booking and performing 60 shows a year with my 2 tribute bands, and spending time with my beautiful wife Shay and our 3 children is difficult, but always worth it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m quite proud I’ve been able to have 2 different careers at the same time, and be fairly successful in both. I still sing in two tribute bands, and I typically play around 60 shows a year, Friday’s and Saturday’s all over the southeast typically. I love that I made a mic stand for Joe Elliott, the singer of Def Leppard, and I made one for my tribute as well. And I love that I made my own “Davesickle”, a copy of David Lee Roth’s classic acoustic guitar, and it’s the only other one I’ve ever seen besides his. Just met him, and showed him the pic, and he smiled like a king!
www.84vhtribute.com
www.excitabletribute.com

I feel like being a singer/machinist has allowed me to understand how custom mic stands are supposed to feel on stage. I understand what they’re put through, what is expected of them, and how they’re supposed to look aesthetically. As a singer, I also understand what having a personalized piece can mean. And to get to fabricate something that becomes part of the singer and the show is something I take very seriously, and I’m honored to do.

It’s a one man shop, and it’s all made right here outside of Atlanta.
I have come up with a remote control LED mic stand that weighs only 6 lbs, and it’s absolutely gorgeous!
My Instagram is #metaldozer

Oddly enough, I also have another niche that was quite successful until the writer’s strike, and now AI. But for at least a decade, I made custom aluminum sound carts for those that work in the film industry. I averaged about 10 a year for a long time, but unfortunately, so much of that work in Atlanta and Hollywood has dried up. I absolutely hate it for all of these wonderful individuals that I worked with for so long. I made some great friends, and it’s a shame that so many have had to find other work.
www.facebook.com/metaldozerAV

Of course I’m proud of making Prince’s stand. I was floored when TMZ showed footage of his bedroom after he passed, and there was one of my stands in his hallway! A couple of years ago, my wife Shay and I went to Paisley Park, and the curators took me upstairs to Prince’s “board room” to do an interview about my work with him. So surreal!!!! And they let me pose for pics with the gold version. I was leaning on it, and they came up and whispered “Sir, we know you made this stand, but please don’t touch it, it’s an artifact….”
I’m always shocked to get to work with my singing idols. James Labrie was the first. He was instrumental in shaping my singing style. And now, after working together for nearly 20 years, he sends me artwork for the new albums, calls and texts me, and we come up with designs together. And there’s always backstage passes to go back after the show and say hi. He’s given me shout outs during the concerts, and we take promo pics before the show, and I cannot even believe it still! At this point I’ve worked with 8 of the top 10 vocal “idols” that influenced me deeply, and I’m humbled and honored by that.
(If you’re curious, the last two would be David Lee Roth and Bruce Dickinson)
Really proud of the complex stands I’ve made for Warren Zeiders, James Labrie, Daughtry, and equally proud to have made stands for legends like Ringo Starr, Robert Plant, Reba McEntire, Wynonna, Toni Braxton, Janet Jackson, and so many more. But the icing on the cake is both getting to meet some of these stars, but mainly getting my family backstage! Just a couple months ago, my daughter and her friend got to go backstage to meet Megan Maroney, and that’s just incredibly special.

My mic stands are typically aluminum, so they are far lighter than any other stand out there. I make probably the lightest mic stands in the world. I also love being challenged, and recently I’ve come up with some crazy designs that have worked really well. It’s so cool to see pics of Arnel (Journey) holding his 3 lb mic stand way out over the crowd! Or to see Gojira open up the Olympics using my mic stand!

Who has used #metaldozer gear?
Pop stars like Prince, Ringo Starr, Journey, Backstreet Boys, Janet Jackson, Twenty One Pilots, Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake, Avril Lavigne, Barry Manilow, Machine Gun Kelly, Tate McRae, John Mellencamp, Imagine Dragons, Kesha, iann dior, Gracie Abrams, Alessia Cara, Elle King, Tiffany Young, ABC, Boyce Avenue, and Owenn
Rock stars like Robert Plant, Foo Fighters, Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Motley Crue, Pearl Jam, Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold, Kid Rock, Five Finger Death Punch, Creed, Breaking Benjamin, Gojira, Nine Inch Nails, Disturbed, Marilyn Manson, Matchbox 20, TOOL, Heart, Geoff Tate, A Perfect Circle, Megadeth, Billy Idol, The Fray, Black Veil Brides, Stone Temple Pilots, Poison, Cage the Elephant, Richie Sambora, Sebastian Bach, Mudvayne, Puscifer, Whitesnake, Lenny Kravitz, Tesla, Todd Rundgren, Collective Soul, Butch Walker, Night Ranger, 3 Doors Down, 3rd Eye Blind, Chris Daughtry, Marvelous 3, Great White, FOZZY, Steel Panther, Overkill, Set it Off, Sons of Apollo, At The Drive In, Survivor, Tim Ripper Owens, Fitz and the Tantrums, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, Stryper, Hillbilly Vegas, Spread Eagle, We Are Harlot, Elegant Weapons, Jeff Scott Soto, Starcrawler, Jack Russell, Landon Barker, Mitch Malloy, Blackfoot, RATT, Kobra and the Lotus, Ted Poley, Roxy Blue, Trixter, Demon Hunter, Girlfriends, Tokyo Motor Fist, Psychosexual, Lillian Axe, Orgy, and Eva Under Fire
Country stars like Morgan Wallen, Lady A, Reba McEntire, Wynonna, HARDY, Brantley Gilbert, Bailey Zimmerman, Megan Maroney, Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce, Brooks & Dunn, Alexandra Kay, Warren Zeiders, Billy Strings, Lainey Wilson, A Thousand Horses, Dustin Lynch, Parmalee, Gabby Barrett, Ingrid Andress, Brett Young, Lauren Alaina, Creed Fisher, Kiefer Sutherland, Kacey Musgraves, Ryan Hurd, Parmalee, Ashley Cooke, Nate Smith, Lennon Stella, Anne Wilson, Rae Lynn, Zach Williams, Tenille Arts, and LoCash
R&B stars like Wiz Khalifa, Khalid, New Edition, Bad Bunny, Romeo Santos, Prince Royce, LL COOL J, NeYo, Missy Elliott, Charlie Wilson, Maluma, K. Michelle, Toni Braxton, Jacquees, Cypress Hill, Teddy Swims, Anderson .Paak, Stephanie Mills, Normani, Sisqo, and Maxi Priest
And Kevin Hart!!!

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Some artists know exactly what they want, but more often, I just ask potential clients to send me screenshots, sketches, or more recently, AI interpretations, and I come back with real life ideas and quotes. The website is www.metaldozer.com, and I get a dozen emails a day at [email protected].

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.metaldozer.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/metaldozer
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/metaldozermachine
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@metaldozer