Shinedown joins us on #AudacyCheckIn to talk about their 2025 plans, including their upcoming tour and new music!
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00:00Are you feeling this rock resurgence because oh, yeah, you know the greatest thing about rock and roll is that it's an attitude
00:06It's a way of life. It's not just the genre of music the rock and roll community is some of the most
00:11Wonderful people you could ever like they're the greatest strangers you could ever meet
00:18It's brent smith shinedown
00:20new tour
00:22Two new songs came out which are both awesome songs dance kid dance and three six five
00:28Two completely different vibes one's like a banger one's more of a ballad, right?
00:33yeah, I mean I think uh
00:35it definitely
00:36Had a bit more tempo than maybe the last song that people were familiar with on more of like, uh
00:43Maybe the more mainstream leaning pop leaning
00:46Uh type songs so we kind of bumped up the bpms a little bit on that and dance kid dance
00:52Uh, we just went to the wall with that
00:54We were like I we we know there are certain people that are going
00:59It's interesting. I had a friend of mine the other day say to me. Are you a
01:03Rock band, are you a metal band? Are you an alternative band? Are you a pop?
01:07Like what are you and i'm like, let's shine down. We play in a big sandbox. There's a lot of good
01:13You know what?
01:13I mean like we've always been a genre bending band because we're inspired by a lot of different styles and we're constantly evolving
01:20so we felt like that it was
01:22um
01:22We felt like the right move with the first new material that people would hear from us that we gave them kind of two
01:28Sides of us. Yeah, you know in the 80s
01:31The pop stations all played sweet child of mine, you know, like yeah, well the pop stations all played. Um,
01:37Uh, nothing else matters by metallica too back in the day
01:41Exactly. So it's like that's that's a good thing when you can't define you don't want to be defined in like this box
01:47It's great if like everyone's like oh these people like me these people everyone likes me like you said just shine down music
01:54I like the fact that you're making a very
01:57you know
01:58Realistic statement with that like I think along the way people started to get pigeonholed or they started using boxes
02:06Or stay in your lane or you know, you're only this genre when you when you expand your your palette
02:14You know sonically or what have you you're just trying to reach as much of the audience as you can some days you feel like
02:20You know, you want to throw down and rock some days you're a little bit more emotional
02:24um, but that's the beauty of music man, it constantly evolves and I mean the only thing that we've ever done in this band is
02:31Anybody from anywhere at you know any time?
02:34We wanted them to be able to know that
02:36Shine down has a lot of peaks and valleys and kind of like a roller coaster ride, but there's something for everyone
02:41Yeah, and this tour the dance kid dance tour one of the band's opening for you is bush and so
02:4816 stone. I think you were 16 when 16 stone came out, right? So pretty much
02:53Yeah, how awesome is it that you guys now have this band?
02:56But i'm sure you listen to bush right when you were a kid when you were younger
03:00I just was on a call with gavin literally three nights ago. We were just kind of
03:06Reintroducing ourselves to one another we met like a while back and um
03:11We we really hadn't had a chance to connect but I gotta give a lot of credit to zach myers
03:16Um and shine down for bush coming on this tour
03:19Also, he really was like man
03:21It would be amazing if we could get them for this and then obviously having
03:25Who we think is like the epitome of like the fearless female outlaw
03:31Uh morgan wade is coming out on this tour as well
03:34So there's a lot of diversity but bush specifically
03:37Having a 30 year anniversary for 16 stone then also I think the 20 year for razorblade suitcase
03:44i'm kind of getting I might be getting those confused, but they have
03:47This kind of nostalgia era coming into their new record where they're still this band that is very much very current
03:55and
03:56They're they're just a force to be reckoned with man. Bush is like they're badass. Oh, yeah
04:02And like I said when you were 16
04:04Could you have imagined that now you're on tour with and not only on tour with I mean, they're not you know
04:08It's not like they're opening for I mean they are opening for you, right?
04:11I mean, I know no, we don't look at it. Like everybody's got like a different time frame for the night
04:15We're all on the same stage
04:17Have you been invited to the uh dinner with gavin rosdale show yet? Have you heard about that? I just uh,
04:23Saw something about that. I think he had brooke shields on or he's got brooke shields
04:28Coming on he has like a bunch of people coming on the first season
04:30But I maybe he'll bring you on because he like cooks for you and interviews you that's pretty cool
04:35I just kind of saw some of this the other day and was like this is rad. So yeah
04:40I I mean i'll take a free meal any day
04:43Exactly. I saw you guys you guys put up an instagram live video. You were in times square and you were
04:49You're like my first question is how much did this cost us?
04:53Yeah, they're doing it. We're like doing the whole thing like all right this and that and here's the tour and i'm like
04:58Uh-huh. How much is this costing?
05:01It's just like
05:02Did you find out it's like five degrees outside? No, it's a blast man. It was it was super super fun
05:08It was cool to be able to do it announce it in time square like that
05:11Did you find out what it cost you guys?
05:14Nobody wanted to tell me actually they said it wasn't as much as I thought and i'm like, okay
05:19We'll just leave it at that. Maybe live nation covered it for us. It'll just bill us back
05:24Yeah, so you say 365 is like a love letter to your fans, right
05:29man, it it is a bit of
05:32There's so much wrapped up in that song. Um
05:36because
05:37that one really
05:39uh took hold
05:41Very quickly last year was for us. Um
05:46There was a lot of loss last year personally in our families and friends of ours that
05:52Um, you know, it was their time and you know, none of us know when it's our time and
05:57you know
05:59Our fan base over the years have really talked about how our music and the songs that we write
06:05really help them at times when
06:08Uh, they're going through
06:10uh, just difficulty, um with what their daily lives can be and
06:16How shine down is kind of like a security blanket in a way it's very emotional when I think about it, but
06:24people
06:25We're always we've always been considered a cerebral band
06:28Like the lyrics are like the number one thing specifically with myself and and the guys, you know, we always focus on
06:35You know what?
06:37The muse the message dictates the music
06:40So a lot of times like what are we saying? What are we trying to convey?
06:44Um, so we're always talking from the heart. We're always speaking from the heart
06:49Um, so three six five, you know when I think about last year
06:54Eric lost his father last year. I lost my granny
06:58Last year eric also lost his his aunt his wife kelly lost her sister
07:04um
07:05It was just a really really heavy year. And I think that I remember when we were
07:10When we were writing that song three six five
07:13I remember looking across from eric and and all of us myself
07:18eric
07:19Zach and barry, you know, you think about these people when they pass away and a lot of times
07:25The statement that's made is I can't believe they're gone. I'm so sorry for your loss. It's like
07:30They're not really gone. They're everywhere
07:32They may not be here, but they stay with us like we represent them
07:36We keep that memory alive with us and as you you know, you go through your life, you know
07:42The people that have passed on they're still with you
07:45You know, they kind of wink at you from time to time out in your life
07:49You know and let you know that they're watching over you
07:51And that's what I mean by you know
07:53It is kind of a love letter to just the people that mean the most to us and the ones that teach us
07:59um the most valuable life lessons, um, but also there's another side of three six five where
08:05You know
08:06You should roll the dice sometimes because you're not promised tomorrow life is very precious and you don't want to waste time
08:14because
08:15You know
08:16Anything can happen and a lot can happen in a year
08:18so whatever you're going for or whatever you might have been holding back like
08:22I don't know if I can accomplish this. I don't know if I have time to do this
08:25I don't know if you know i'm gonna be any good at this
08:29Stop saying that and just go for it. Just lean into living
08:33You know what I mean?
08:34Sometimes you just have to go for it no matter what it is and believe in yourself and you know, allow yourself some grace
08:41to um
08:42To to go after what you want in this lifetime
08:45And and do it head on
08:47And if you make a mistake give yourself like you said that grace
08:50Okay, like if you're trying to lose weight or whatever you're trying to stop drinking you drink one night
08:54Okay, I drank last night tonight. I'm not gonna drink. Yeah, forgive yourself for doing that
08:59And you know, I remember this interview with david bowie when he's like you have to be uncomfortable and totally walk into the ocean
09:07Keep walking until your feet are not touch are about to not touch the ground where you're like right there
09:13And it's like that's probably how uncomfortable you need to be and that's how you should live your life
09:17Yeah, an interesting thing too. Like bowie knew that he was gonna pass away
09:22You know, he knew that the clock was ticking too and he still continued, you know to be
09:27As mindful of it and his art he was an artist to the the very last moment the lazarus video
09:34Yeah, and but also with that like the man lives on
09:38You know what? I mean?
09:39Like if we ever want to visit him, even though he may not physically be here
09:43But like we can always listen to his music you can always watch
09:46You know what he did you can still the thing is like younger generations like you can still be inspired by these people
09:53Even if they're not here
09:55That's why you know
09:57emotion
09:58Built with time with awareness with you know, the space that we're all in with each other
10:04You know, i've often said this. I think that we're all made up of energy. I don't think that we ever truly
10:10Um, we don't there's never really truly a deceased moment. I think we just go out
10:16If you know what I mean, I think we just you know, whatever the next journey is
10:20Uh, we kind of ride the lightning yeah
10:22And like even like at aftershock this year pantera played with you know without vinnie paul and dimebag daryl
10:27I saw the original pantera probably I don't know 10 times and I was one of those people that said I would never go see
10:33Pantera without dimebag and vinnie, but I went I saw them at aftershock
10:37And I see all these kids eight-year-old kids. Yeah, discovering the music of pantera
10:43Would have never ever discovered that music
10:46So it's like to just continue the music like that, I think it's pretty cool
10:50Yeah, and I think that you know, look, I mean specifically that band
10:54I mean, I know a lot of people that when they heard the announcement of that
10:59You know, they didn't know how to like take it necessarily
11:03But I think that you got to understand that those guys that are in those positions for dime and for vinnie, man
11:11They're they're doing their absolute best to be respectful
11:15And um to understand that they want the music to continue to be out there
11:22Yeah, everybody has an opinion about phil, you know, um rex same thing
11:28But I will tell you this i've never had more friends of mine and i've not had a chance to see that lineup
11:34Yet, but a lot of guys a lot of my friends that have saw it
11:39They like they were facetiming me
11:42like
11:43In the middle of it and I these are some of the most hardcore dudes you would ever you know
11:48That you would ever that you would ever meet. Yeah, and they're facetiming me
11:53bawling
11:54Like they're just they're they're just like I don't understand. Why am I crying right now? Why did this like get me?
12:00Yeah, it's because it's powerful
12:02Yeah, you know zack was a huge like best friends with dimebag. Yeah, so, you know, it's I I think it's cool
12:10Um, are you feeling this rock resurgence?
12:13Because oh, yeah, like, you know, i'm at 98 rock in sacramento. We have the golden one center here, right?
12:17You guys are playing the golden one center papa roach are playing the golden one center
12:21The deftones are playing the golden one center disturbed are playing the golden one center
12:26All you bands that were in that cat like, you know a little like you weren't all playing arenas your whole
12:32Non-stop, you know, so it's like this is so awesome
12:35Then and i'm feeling new bands are coming up like i'm really feeling a rock resurgence
12:39You heritage bands are putting out some of the best music you've ever put out
12:43And and all these new bands. It's really a great time for rock
12:47Yeah, I think that hey look, I I don't want to be the guy that you know
12:52Or maybe I do I think that you know, we were talking earlier when we when we uh, when we started, you know, our
13:00our conversation
13:02About just the broadness of music and genre and what have you I think last year you saw
13:07such a
13:09Not that country needed a renaissance, but last year it was kind of like this country just explosion
13:15Yeah everywhere everywhere and it's still continuing to do that where you know
13:20You have these kind of genres blending in with each other and what have you?
13:23You know, the greatest thing about rock and roll is that it's an attitude. It's a way of life
13:28It's not just a genre of music the rock and roll community is some of the most
13:32Wonderful people you could ever like they're the greatest strangers you could ever meet. Yeah
13:38You don't need to be afraid like I tell people that all the time metal shows rock shows of that style
13:44sometimes people are like
13:45I'm, like that's gonna be like frightening and this and that and it's like just go and and see what it's like
13:50And then they go and they're like, this is the greatest thing ever
13:53Yeah, you know because everybody is so like into it and
13:58You're in a room filled with strangers, but everybody's there to have a great time and that's the spirit of rock and roll
14:03But I think in 2025 you're gonna see
14:06Definitely a a rock and roll revival. I mean at the end of the day man
14:11I've always looked at it as there is something that you're never going to be able to replace
14:17There's something special that happens
14:20When you take drums bass guitar badass vocals and a killer song
14:24Just something magical happens between us as human beings with that
14:29So that's one of the reasons why you have songs that you know
14:32It's kind of like a declaration that you know rock and roll is never gonna die
14:37Yeah, and and you go all these festivals. It's all rock bands 20 30 40 50 000 people. So people want to hear rock
14:43It's just people like you putting out great songs
14:46And
14:47Two there was a song that came out last year that I was kind of early on and I I challenge anybody
14:52that's in the rock space to go and listen to this song because it was a bit more of a
14:57um, it was definitely more in the top 40 world and you know, kind of like the the mainstream in that, uh,
15:03Popular music pop stars or what have you but there was this kid benson boone with a song. Yeah
15:08He's headlining coachella. So but that young man
15:13When that song came out I was like one of the first like 20 000 views on the video for beautiful things
15:19Like I was like early on that if you go in and listen to that song and it's a rock song
15:24It's a rock song man. Those guitars are wide open
15:28On that song and that kid is singing his ass off on that
15:33So, I mean the influence is always there man. It was one of the biggest it was one of the biggest songs of 2024
15:39Oh, yeah, I I think purple rain is a rock song
15:43Yeah, absolutely. I mean
15:45Listen to purple rain if if he wasn't a pop artist, yeah, that would be a rock song
15:50It's it's like a stairway to heaven like epic rock song. It's not slow and then it just goes crazy on the guitar
15:57It's it's wild, you know benson boone. Did you see the uh, the clip where he was at his concert?
16:02And he saw a girl in the crowd. He's like didn't I date you in eighth grade and she didn't say this
16:07Yeah, she's she's like yes I did like he just called he's like, oh, yeah, I was in seventh grade
16:11You were in eighth grade. We dated. He's like great to see you in the seventh and eighth grade. We dated. Holy crap
16:17I'm i'm getting older these days. My oh my good greece. He noticed her in the crowd
16:22How do you I always like to ask people like you because you have an amazing voice and you're not
16:27You're it's like I saw you guys at thunder valley. Um, you brought jacoby shaddix out. It was awesome
16:33That's my dude man, I love he's he's the best and that new papa roach song. Oh my god, it's good
16:39It is great
16:40That band doesn't miss I don't care like I I will
16:44I'm happy to debate with anybody like about that band that you didn't tell you what papa roach is
16:49Papa roach is what I like to to call that band is necessary
16:54That's what papa roach is those guys don't miss man. They work harder than anyone i've ever seen
17:00They have the best attitude they are filled with the most incredible positive energy and it's all real man
17:06It's very very authentic those dudes. Those dudes are necessary. We love them and you just described the way everyone feels about you
17:14Because on a good day, maybe no, that's no you are the night
17:17You are known as being the nicest guy in music
17:21You are you and jacoby right there like you guys are the always so nice like you always have time for everyone
17:27You guys embrace radio you guys embrace everything you're just the nicest guys and that's why you're successful because you you've stayed kind
17:34I I feel to every you're always kind and that goes a long way
17:38Thank you. It means a lot to me. It really really does
17:40I just try to we just try to treat people how we would want to be treated
17:44We've never really strayed from that, you know, we were all born and raised in the south, you know
17:49We were uh, we were raised by good women, you know strong women. I think that that's part of you know, trying to be
17:55Chivalry is not dead
17:57Yeah, you know we try to just be gentlemen
17:59Yeah, I was raised by my mom and my grandma also like I I you know, very strong women
18:04So I was going to ask you I always ask people like you have these amazing voices
18:07What's it? I mean besides your your your ability obviously
18:10But besides that what would you tell someone like just a tech a little technique thing to singing?
18:15Like what's it to sound better because you see all these people trying to sing karaoke singers just for fun
18:20what's just something a tip you could give them because
18:23You know, I know you do a warm-up. Okay, but just what's something like I remember. Um
18:27I I was interviewing actually jacoby and uh, chris daughtry
18:31I forgot which one told me this but they said you have to sing from the taint
18:35like like that's like
18:38I don't know which one that is. That's it. That that's that'd be a hard one
18:41I don't know if chris would have said that or maybe it was jacoby
18:43But he's like you have to like kind of sing from your team
18:49I've never heard that. Oh my god
18:51So what what would you say what's your what's your tip?
18:55Uh, he took my answer. Um
18:59No, I would honestly god like for me
19:02I wasn't taught, you know, I didn't I my mother would tell you that I arrived
19:07Into the world and I was singing from day one
19:11um
19:12but uh
19:13what i've always learned is
19:15that
19:16if you
19:18like my teachers
19:21For me personally
19:22It was chris cornell axl rose. It was
19:26threading it was
19:28You know marvin gaye sam cook. It was nina simone. It was ella fitzgerald. It was billy holiday
19:33It was ozzy osbourne and what i'm saying is like I would listen to a lot of diversity like
19:40What you know singers that use their voices as an instrument?
19:44um
19:46Also, you know people like amy weinhaus like in a lot of ways like she was the last like
19:51She was the last artist that I felt like truly used her voice as an instrument. So
19:58It's not that you mimic these people
20:00but sing with them and
20:03You know listen to how their inflections are
20:06In certain things especially if you're wanting to like be a songwriter
20:09You want to like do your own stuff and what have you and even if you're just covering?
20:13You know the artists and what have you like really focus on your pitch control like
20:18Be very very diverse with who you listen to and then the other thing is like control of singing
20:25You just kind of have to be fearless in a lot of ways too
20:28Like when you're going after big notes your voice might break or your voice might not be so strong in that area just yet
20:33But the more you do it the more um practice
20:37Uh is always going to help you
20:40You know and I would also say look get out in front of a live audience because it's different because people can rehearse and rehearse
20:46And rehearse and rehearse. Yeah, as soon as you put somebody in front of a audience
20:50Adrenaline kicks in you have all these different chemicals firing that weren't firing when you when you were just like in a rehearsal room
20:57Doing the stuff like you got to get out there and tour
21:00Or you got to get out there and play in front of an audience and the only other thing and not everybody likes it
21:04When I go down this road
21:06But i've been doing this a minute and I you know, I would just let people know from my end
21:11um
21:12Your body is your temple man
21:14So the more you take care of yourself, you know
21:16The cleaner you eat the more water you drink the more you exercise you're gonna have a more powerful voice
21:22You're gonna have a better voice. You gotta remember your instrument when you're a singer, you know, it's you
21:26Well, you look younger now than when you started which is crazy. Like you look 20 years younger than your first album
21:32I think you're being nice. I don't know
21:34You look really good everyone always says
21:36Have you ever seen these reaction videos on youtube to your music like monsters? There's so many good ones on youtube if you're bored actually
21:46Yeah, i've never seen any of those actually i've heard about them but i've never had a chance to go watch them
21:51You should if you're bored on tour one day, what do you do? What do you type into youtube?
21:54What do you how do you like reaction videos to shine down?
21:58Yeah, we'll type in shine down monsters reaction video, but then there's a ton of other ones but uh
22:04There's this family that watches all your videos
22:06Uh, it's like it's like a mother a grandmother and a daughter and then there's all these different
22:10There's all these groups of people, but wow, I didn't know. Yeah. Yeah, they're all you should check it out one day
22:15It's it's really cool. Uh last two questions. Um, are you guys gonna sell your shine down hot sauce at the merch stand at your shows?
22:22a thousand percent
22:23That's good stuff, man torchbearer and barry kirsch. By the way, i'm just gonna let everybody know that's all bk. Yeah
22:31that's all barry kirsch like
22:33You know
22:34He did almost an eight month flavor profile with torchbearer where like it was going back and forth and back and forth like dude
22:41there were so many boxes of like
22:44Un like unnamed like like he was blending stuff with them and taste testing everything
22:50And the other thing that was crazy about that like the symptom sauce, which was the chipotle
22:55You know berry did like two or three big hot sauce conventions last year
22:59He did the big one in brooklyn and won first place first year
23:03Oh wow, which is like crazy like it's not like a normal thing
23:07So they they have a hard time keeping them on the shelf
23:10We're kind of in the midst right now figuring out like stores and you know
23:14There's some people coming to us now going. Hey, we would really you know like to
23:19You know get this sauce out and to other locations across the united states and even abroad
23:25But yeah, you'll definitely be able to get the hot sauces. Um at the shine down shows
23:29So it's shined down the dance kid dance tour the two new songs dance kid dance
23:33365 both awesome songs if you ever checked them out go check them out huge tour, maybe one of your biggest tours ever
23:40Definitely the biggest one. So yeah, yeah, I would say to to write definitely the biggest one so far
23:45You're gonna buy tickets your support this band these nicest guys in rod great band great lives
23:49Just such a great live show also to just to make a point about this because I want your listeners to know it
23:56When you buy a ticket so one dollar from every ticket on this tour is going to go to a wonderful wonderful organization
24:03Uh called musicians on call
24:05Um, they work with multiple hospitals all over the united states of america. They're an incredible organization
24:11So when you buy a ticket to this show, you're also helping out a great organization
24:15Wait, is that the group that goes to like hospital rooms and plays for people who are sick? Oh, I love that
24:20Yeah, that's great
24:21Wonderful wonderful community of people and we wanted to help raise money for them
24:25So when you buy a ticket, you're also helping musicians on call, which is a great organization
24:30Brent smith from shinedown. Thank you so much. Awesome talking to you. My pleasure. Thanks so much