I asked about the new track “Seven Times Down” and wanted to know what it was like putting that song together (New CD will be available December 3) after being away for 12 years. Brown states “Our music is honest and genuine and Seven Times Down is a snapshot about battling with drug addiction. The song title actually a verse out of scripture that says a Righteous Man Falls Seven Times, Seven Times He Gets Up. Life is
not just about mountaintops. There’s lots of valleys and lots of wars. The song is about fighting the fight and
getting back up and it’s where I am at in my own life.”
We spoke about the history of the band. I asked Josh
what the experience was like being a new band and all
of the opportunities that were starting to stockpile at
that time. “It was a great experience as it was what I
dreamed about my entire life.” says Brown. “I played
shows with Stone Temple Pilots and Slipknot. Slayer,
Creed and Nickelback. We played with just about every band on the radio in the late 90’s. It showed me
that people wanted to hear my voice and the music.
At the same time, I was battling hardcore drug addiction back then.” He continues by saying that “Drugs at
the time were a part of my scene, my spirituality. As I
was playing those shows, more drugs came as more
fame came and I had to get away and regrouped. I
have lived a lifetime since then but the battle is always
there.”
Our conversation came back to now and the new record. The one interesting thing was that the band started a
Kickstarter campaign for this upcoming release and I asked about how that experience worked for the band.
Brown stated that “Kickstarter is an amazing tool. It really helped the band get into the studio but it also
showed how much fans care about what I do as a band. Kickstarter showed me we have some great fans.”
Brown continued by saying “Any band that’s worth its salt should give it a try. It’s much easier to be more involved with the fan base and so many different avenues to take. I am excited to get this new music out for
everyone to hear it. This music is just like it was when I was 19. I wake up and I am singing it and can’t wait to
get it to the fans.” I then asked if being more of a DIY project this time around if it feels like the band was more
on the same playing field with the record labels, Josh said; “No doubt about it. The internet has changed everything. There are pros and cons. The big difference is that with the labels, you could get promotion money
and a lot of people can hear your music quickly. What’s cool now is that we are building our own working model, and it’s very exciting.”
I asked about the next steps after the CD is released and Josh told us that “Full Devil Jacket has always been
a live band. We will be touring all throughout all over 2014. We hope to be on some package tours as well as
some headlining tours.
As we close the interview, we talk more about the release date and Josh tells me that at first it was g oing to be
a 7-song EP, but there were so many songs, that they decided to put out a full CD. He continued to show his
excitement and that he was “Having a blast.”
Full Devil Jacket is back and hopefully they will be here to stay.
- Jim Santora
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