SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith and guitarist Zach Myers were guests on a recent episode of the Rock Sugar Magic podcast, hosted by Kerri Kasem, daughter of legendary DJ and media personality Casey Kasem. You can now watch the entire discussion below.
When Kerri told Smith and Myers that SHINEDOWN’s music helped her friend through her battle with stage four cancer, Brent said:
“I’ve gotta tell you, though, that’s something that, especially in the last few years, I’ve noticed more: music is a powerful thing. And especially when you’re talking about songs, but exactly what you said — I’ve seen songs cure cancer. It’s pretty powerful. There’s just a different level inside of that because we’re all connected to one another.
“The whole idea of rock and roll as a genre is one aspect, but rock and roll really is a spirit. It’s more of a way of life for people. I’ve said this a few times, but in that community, it’s not necessarily about a genre; it’s about a community of people where anyone from anywhere at any time is welcomed all the time. That’s what rock and roll represents.
“I remember when N.W.A. got inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and Ice Cube went straight to the mic and was like, ‘Rock and roll is the spirit and we’re honored to be here.’ It’s that inclusivity and not having any… There should be no barriers or any boundaries when it comes to music. And that’s the beauty of it: when you put people together in a room, you’re never gonna replace the dynamic of drums, bass, guitar, badass vocals in a killer song. It just will never go out of style.”
In a recent interview with “The Mistress Carrie Podcast,” SHINEDOWN drummer Barry Kerch said that he has laid down “six songs of drums” for the band’s follow-up to 2022’s “Planet Zero” album. “We’re actually further along than I thought we’d be this early in the year,” he added. “So I think new SHINEDOWN music will probably be by the end of the year, early next year. So, it’s kind of exciting.”
In a separate interview with WMMR’s Brent Porche, Kerch spoke about the musical direction of the new SHINEDOWN material. He said:
“It’s gonna be what SHINEDOWN does, which every record is completely different than the last one. It still sounds like SHINEDOWN. You’re never going to change [singer] Brent Smith’s voice, but I can’t make ‘Leave A Whisper’ again. I can’t make ‘Planet Zero’ again. I can’t make ‘Sound Of Madness’ again. That was then, that was that snapshot of time… We definitely try to grow and evolve and do something different because at the same time, we’re artists, we’re musicians. We want to create what we hear in our heads, and that’s what we do. So it’s coming soon, and it’s going to be cool.”
