Jono caught up with Zach from Shinedown on the eve of their European tour to discuss the tour, the differences between the UK and US audiences, and get the lowdown on the new album.
Cack Blabbath: Hi how are you? Are you looking forward to your trip to the UK?
Zach: I’m good thanks, and yes I’m very much looking forward to coming back to the UK.
CB: It’s been quite some time since your last visit hasn’t it?
Zach: Yeah, the last time we were there was 2009. We didn’t get over there in 2010, as we’d like to have done, but during 2010 we toured Australia, then did a few other things, and of course we did Carnival Of Madness so we were really bummed out, as the UK is one of our favourite places. The crowds are just amazing.
CB: The album is due out soon isn’t it?
Zach: Yeah it’s due out on March 27th, and we’re going to do a worldwide release where it’ll be released hopefully on the same day all over the world, although I’m not positive.
CB: The new single Bully is already out, and doing fairly well too isn’t it?
Zach: It’s a song that Brett and I wrote, and it’s doing very well in the States and the UK. Maybe back at home though, if everything pans out, hopefully it’ll get up to number one, which would be amazing.
CB: So fans coming out to the gigs will get to hear some tracks from the new album?
Zach: Yeah we’ll be playing three tracks from the new album in the set, and it’ll be really interesting to see how the new tracks go down live.
CB: You’re only playing a few dates first time around, are there any plans to come back to the UK in 2012?
Zach: Yeah we’re going to be coming back to the UK in the summer during festival season. There are some great festivals in the UK, and maybe we’ll get on the bill for one of them.
CB: You mentioned the UK crowds earlier, do you get good crowds back home in the US?
Zach: Not necessarily all the time. People in Europe and the UK aren’t as jaded about music as they are in the US. We have got a great fan base in the US, but generally the US doesn’t care as much about music as you guys over there. That said though, there are a few cities in the US like Detroit, Kansas City and places like that, they still come out, and to us playing in those cities are more like playing to a European crowd. When we first came to Europe, we were supporting Disturbed, and we weren’t sure how our music would fit. Now we’re getting to headline the types of venues that we played with those guys, and it’s great to see just how much people appreciate our music.
CB: So your new album, is it a lot different than your older records?
Zach: It’s definitely different to our other stuff. I know it’s clichéd, and a lot of bands say this, but we’ve really grown a lot as a band on this record comparatively. We’ve evolved naturally, and as long as we stay true to ourselves as songwriters, the band will be what the band will be.
CB: So what kind of music do you like listening to, and who are your favourites at the moment?
Zach: The new Ray Lamontagne record I listen to a lot. There’s also a band from UK called The Crave who I love. Their album Breaking The Silence is really good. Wasting Light from the Foo Fighters is also one of my favourites. By far though, my favourite record from the last year or so is Adele’s 21, which is just amazing.
CB: So quite an eclectic taste then?
Zach: Yeah man, I listen to everything. It all comes down to the song. A good song is a good song, no matter what genre it sits in. It could be fucking polka music, but if it’s good, I’ll listen to it. Of course it has to be believable. If you write songs that mean something to you, then it’s always going to be good. Although of course you can’t write the same song over and over. You can bullshit people for some of the time, but you can’t bullshit them forever. If you don’t do something different, people will see through that.
CB: Going back to your back catalogue, do you have any real personal favourites?
Zach: Yeah, my favourite songs are actually the slow ones though. From Us & Them my favourite track is Shed Some Light, from Sound Of Madness my favourite song is Call Me, and from Leave a Whisper my favourite song is Burning Bright. Ballads are where it’s at, coming from an “old school musician’s” point of view. They’re something that you have to get right, to have a certain pocket, or groove, and when you do it’s awesome. There’s a new song called Through The Ghost which is along the same sort of lines as Call Me, and that’s my favourite song on the new album.
CB: So how about live tracks? Are there any songs that go down really well live?
Zach: Sound Of Madness is always a good one, and also Second Chance always goes down really well. I also love playing The Crow & The Butterfly as that’s my favourite solo. All the heavy stuff, like Devour really gets the crowd going, but Sound Of Madness is definitely my favourite.
CB: So are there many heavy tracks on the new record, or don’t you want to divulge too much just yet?
Zach: Oh sure there are, and this record is a lot heavier than Sound Of Madness I think. But then Sound Of Madness was quite a bit heavier than the one before that. The heavier songs on the new album are heavier, but the ballads are a little lighter if that makes any sense? For me though, when I listen to it from start to finish, it’s definitely a heavier record.
CB: So is there anything you’d like to say personally to your fans in the UK?
Zach: I’d just like to say thank you for your support, and the early acceptance of our band. I’d like to think that we’ve grown pretty fast over there, especially starting out in really small venues, and coming back now playing bigger places. There are a lot of people who get our band, and honestly we haven’t been able to put as much work into promotion over there as we’d have liked, so it’s really great that we’ve got such a response from you guys. There are so many great bands around, so we feel really lucky that so many people like us. It really means a lot to us that you guys come out and support us the way you do, so thank you.
CB: Well thanks a lot for taking time out from your tour prep to have a chat with us. Best of luck with your tour, and of course the new album.
Zach: Yeah thanks a lot, and thanks for the chat, we’ll see you in about a week or so.
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