Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Special Forces?

Jason Mark Everman has lived quite an interesting life. Not many people can say that they have played with two of the most well-known bands in modern rock history. In addition, not many people can say they completed the intensive training and deployed as a Special Forces Operative. Everman is the only person on this planet to achieve all these accomplishments. A veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, Everman saw combat in both theaters.

Everman joined Nirvana in the early days of the band’s road to fame. He had an in through Nirvana’s drummer at the time Chad Channing. He toured in 1988-89 with the band after the release the album “Bleach”. Ironically, he did not record for the album, but did put out the upfront costs for production. After paying around $600 for the band, Everman’s picture was put on the front and he was given credit for the second guitar parts of the album. It seemed he was a quieter member of the group. At first, lead singer Kurt Cobain came to liking him, but after a few months on the road the relationship deteriorated. Not long into 1989, he left Nirvana only to brush paths with another grunge era favorite…Soundgarden.

Soundgarden had just broke mainstream and had recently signed a record deal with A&R Records. Almost overnight the band went from sleeping in vans to a tour bus and over a dozen staff and crew. The newfound success did not sit well with bass player Hiro Yamamoto. On the eve of the band’s first major headlining tour, Yamamoto quit and Soundgarden called up Everman to audition. He toured with the band for a couple years and was devastated when Chris Cornell told him the band’s dynamic was not working out. The departure impacted him deeply, and he decided to leave the Seattle area and move to New York City. Everman joined a band called Mindfunk, after a few months of touring with them an interest in the army had started brewing. He abruptly left the band, put all his belongings in storage and walked into a recruiter’s office with ambitions of becoming an Army Ranger.

Private Everman enlisted in the Army in 1994 and immediately become a ranger after initial entry training. His first deployment was to South America with the 75th Ranger Regiment in anti-drug trafficking operations. After some time with the Rangers, Everman decided he wanted more…and pursued becoming a member of the elite Army Special Forces. After the events of 9/11, he was one of the first American soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan. Everman participated in the operations supporting the Northern Alliance in the fall 0f 2001. These soldiers infamously rode on horseback through the northern mountains of Afghanistan attacking Taliban strongholds.

Everman attended Nirvana’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 2014. Since, he has stayed out of the public spotlight or conducted interviews. No longer in the military, he lives in upstate New York. Everman completed a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Columbia University, and is a member of the Pat Tillman Foundation.