Its refreshing to see a good rock band coming out of the US, and theyre definitely planning to give the dominant Indie scene a run for their money when their new album hits our shelves in the New Year.Female First caught up with drummer Barry Kerch to get the lowdown on the uS rock scene, what its like going on tour with Disturbed and his distaste for bands whose name begin with The.
What have you been up to recently?
Its been a very exciting week as we finished out tour with Black Stone Cherry in the states and our last show was just outside Chicago to 12, 000 people and it was a festival that we were headlining so we left on a high note and on Monday we were in Hamburg, Germany to do some press and then we flew out that night to do press in Munich and now were in the UK doing press in the beautiful London.Youre on your way to the UK this October to support Disturbed, how do you feel about that?
I think its going to be great Im excited not only to see the countryside and new cultures but its going to be quite an interesting tour as theyre obviously quite a lot heavier than we are but to take the opportunity to support a band thats already established over here in some great venues and get the chance to introduce ourselves to the European communities as a whole is going to be awesome, we cant wait to get started!Have you been to the UK before?
Once; about two years ago we played the London Astoria and it was a great show and there were fans there with T-Shirts they had bought online and it was brilliant and we loved it and weve been waiting to come back ever since and now were finally getting back here and theres going to be an album released its a very good time to be in Shinedown.
To anyone who hasnt heard of you before, how would you describe your sound?
Straight up rock and roll. Its aggressive when it need to be and it also has a lot of emotion and honesty in the lyrics and when you come to see us live its just a good old-fashioned rock show with lots of running and jumping around.
It doesnt matter how many people are there, we give it everything every single time.
Youve supported the likes of Van Halen and Rob Zombie, have you always had good reactions from other bands fans?
Yeah, Van Halen was a little tough because they had just reformed so everyone who came to the show were there to see Van Halen and had paid premium dollar for the tickets so by the time we went in they were still filing in and grabbing beers and t-shirts. Overall though it did very well for us and they were receptive to us and listened to us, it was an older crowd so it was a lot harder to win them over as it wasnt like the younger kids where theses a mosh pit and lots of jumping around but it was a great time.
With Rob Zombie, even though his music is heavier; in the States were in the same vein because theyll play a Zombie track and a Shinedown track back to back so it worked very well. Also on that tour were Godsmack so it was a great tour.
If you could support any other band who would it be and why?
There are two bands wed love to support; firstly, Muse, because theyre amazing live and Ive only recently got into them because theyre not as popular over here in the States but my guitarist Nick is absolutely infatuated with them, and has their t-shit and watches their video once a week! He introduced them to me and now I cant get enough! It would be great to open for them.
Secondly the Foo Fighters for many of the same reasons, I think wed sit well together with them and I think theyre a great live act.
Are there any bands around at the moment you dont like or who you turn over when they come on the radio?
No that I can think of but to be honest I dont listen to the radio that much because when youre out on the road you really focus on yourself and if you listen to music its usually on your iPod to get pumped up for a show or to pass the time on an aeroplane so to be honest I dont listen to a lot of new music.
Are there any genres youre not too keen on then?
Im not really into the real Indie scene; not because I hate it, just because I dont get it. I like a little heavier rock than that and obviously it does well and there are a lot of talented musicians on that field but its just not what Im into. All these The bands are not my type of thing.
Youve got your debut album set for release next year, how have you found making the record?
Making this record was the best experience of my life, it was a lot of fun making this record unlike the last one which was like pulling teeth. It was a lot of fun and I think that had a lot to do with the producer and engineer on the record who are great guys and they are extremely intelligent together.
Brent Smith and I had a blast despite having some issues with our old band members and things.
Oh dear; anything you could share with us?
We lost our guitarist and bass player in between this record and our last one. The guitarist and the singer just couldnt get along anymore and then the guitar player had a lot of personal issues that he couldnt rise above. So we had to lose them and after spending seven years with somebody it becomes like a marriage - I spend more time with these guys than I do with my wife!
Its unfortunate and was very hard to go through but at the same time Brent and myself we having such a great time making the record we refused to let anything bring us down and we refused to let Shinedown die so we pawned our friends Nick Perri, Eric Bass and Zach Myers to join us and become band member so it was a very easy transition and actually a blessing in disguise because the band is stronger now than its ever been.
Do you have any favourite songs off the album?
As far as the album goes I love them all because we spent so much time working on them but when we are playing live I think Sound Of Madness is probably my favourite because the crowd reaction is great and the drum part is relatively simple and has an AC/DC feel to it but its very easy to lose the groove on that song so when Im playing it and I look out at the crowd and see them pumping their fists I know Im right in that pocket of sound and it gives me energy back.
Is the life of a rock star what you thought it would be?
Not at all! I love it and I cant complain about it, and in some respects its a lot better than I thought it would be but youre not an instant millionaire and you dont meet bunches of women or do a bunch of drugs because then you wouldnt be able to do your job. But thats a good thing!
The bad thing is that its a lot more work than you think it is, but thats also a positive because you do what you love for a living so the busy days and lack of sleep is so worth that hour and half on stage.
What makes you guys different from all the other rock bands that are emerging from the US at the moment?
I think there are two things. Firstly, the honesty in the lyrics as Brent writes from the heart when he writes and anyone can relate to the words, whether theyre five or 50 years old.
Secondly I think our work ethic and the fact that we truly enjoy what we do and we understand that the fans are our boss and we do everything we can to make sure they are taken care of and to put on a great show for them. Then afterwards we get off the stage, change our clothes and go out and meet all the fans and sing things and give them the attention that they all deserve.
Who do you look up to within the industry?
I would say the bands who have a legacy behind them, bands such as aero smith as well as newer bands like the Foo Fighters; bands who have had multiple albums but still remain at the top of their game. I look to them for inspiration because I want to be able to do the same thing one day. We are on that path and we have three records and weve been together for 10 years and we look to establish that.
Where would you like to be 10 years from now?
Wembley Stadium would be nice! I dont think us as a band is ever satisfied; once you get one thing you want another. We had out top 10 debut in the States and that was amazing, but then we wanted a number one, then a Grammy. I dont think theres one thing that will make me say Wow weve finally made it Just as long as we keep getting bigger and better and stay viable Ill be very happy.
We ask everyone we interview to come up with a question for the next person we interview....and singer/songwriter Dan Crisp wants to know; If you could so something other than what youre doing what would it be and in contrast, what is the one thing you wouldnt want to do?
I would be a biologist which is what I was doing before this, and Id also hate to be working as a biologist because I love this job!
Haha, good answer! What would you like to ask the next person I interview?
Are there any pre-show rituals you have to go through before you get on stage?
Find out here what pre show rituals Sam and Amanda have
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison
Tagged in Shinedown