Shinedown
Shinedown are my new favourite band, and their new album The Sound Of Madness in completely mind-blowing and on constant repeat in my CD player; so it was a total honour when I got to chat to the incredible drummer, Barry Kerch to find out about the inner workings of this fantastic band.
Hey Barry, how are things going in your lovely Shinedown world?
My lovely world is amazing, I hope yours is as well. The band is doing great, healthy, and happy. Thanks for asking.
To anyone who hasn’t heard of you yet, how would you describe your sound?
It is just straight up Rock and Roll. Big vocals, heavy guitars, and loud drums. The way rock and roll should be.
Tell us a bit about the inspiration behind your foxy new record…The Sound Of Madness (we love it!)
Foxy? Awesome, that is the new definition of our sound. I want to change my answer from above. I would now describe our sound as 'FOXY'. The inspiration for the record was our everyday life and how we see it. It is an autobiographical reflection of what we have gone through over the past 4 or 5 years.
I love the transition between heavy rock and epic anthems on the album, what process do you go through when working on an album?
Thank you. When working on an album you just try your best to write great songs, and then you put them in an order for the album that seems to make sense. We strive to take our listeners on a journey. There seems to be a trend of bands that just write one or two songs that are made to be a single, but they don't focus on writing an album that you can listen to front to back. We like the old school mentality of the latter.
If you were going to give us just one song of yours to listen to so that you would become our new favourite singer, what would it be?
Seeing as how I am the drummer I am going to have to pick for Brent, but one off of the Sound of Madness that I think truly captures his voice is Call Me. I remember being next to him in the studio while he sang that song and it gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. He is absolutely amazing. I am really humbled by his gift.
If you could cover another musician’s song, what would it be?
Well we did a cover of Simple Man on our first record, but I would really like to do an Otis Redding cover. Otis Redding is how Brent learned to sing. I think it would be great to hear him do one of his songs like 'Love Man' or 'Dock of the Bay'.
And can you sum up your band in just five words?
Maybe. Let’s try...... Honest, Humble, Driven, and Kick Ass.
What makes you stand out from the crowd?
I believe it is the emotion in the lyrics, our passion, and the 110% that we give at every live show. Also, it is our relationship with our fans. We love our fans and always say that we have one boss and that is the fans.
You know we’re having a bit of an economic crisis here at the moment, if people wanted to spend their last £10 on a cd this weekend, why should they buy yours?
Because it will take them away from whatever may be going on in their life. It is an hour long escape that everyone needs once in a while.
What three bands would you have to headline your dream festival?
For me personally it would be Nine Inch Nails, Muse, and Prince.......
What has been your favourite musical memory to date?
Opening up for Van Halen back in 2006 was a dream come true. I got to play with some of my heroes and that was amazing.
Who do you think is the greatest artist around at the moment?
That is a tough one. So many people are so talented it is hard to choose one. However, since I am biased, and I know his inner workings the best, my personal greatest artist is my singer Brent Smith.
If you could only listen to one CD for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Probably Nine Inch Nails 'Downward Spiral' . That was a big record for me when it came out and it definitely helped me through some times. I love that record and still listen to it all the time.
Okay, now we want to ask you some random questions; What was the last book you read?
The last book I read was Why We Suck by Dr. Denis Leary. It was hilarious.
If you had only 9 minutes to live, what would you do in those 9 minutes?
What a morbid question. Hmmm, I would call and tell my family how much I love them and then do some seriously naughty things with my wife. I mean 9 minutes is plenty of time for that right? :-)
If you could take over a foreign country tomorrow, which would you take over and what would be your first law?
I am not too much of a dictator, but if I could take over a foreign country I think it would be China. My first law would be the establishment of a Democratic Government. Not really a law, but it would be my first move.
Cheers, good luck with everything & thanks for making my day slightly more entertaining!
CHEERS and thank you. This was a fun article to do. Sincerely, Barry Kerch
Read our review of their new album here
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison