Page 16 - Black Velvet Issue 97

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and mixed by Shinedown’s very own multi- actly what that statement was. Going from get warmed up, we’d go through it a few
talented bassist Eric Bass. Having already ‘Sound of Madness’ and then coming to this; times then we’d just start knocking it down.
done some production work on songs in of course there is an evolution of sorts. You He knew where he could push me and where
Shinedown’s back catalogue - ‘Cut The get older, you learn, you meet more people, I was going to go but he didn’t have me
Cord’, ‘Diamond Eyes’, ‘Her Name Is Alice’ - you have more life experiences, you’re in dif- doing something over and over and over
Eric was up for the challenge of working on ferent situations, scenarios and what have again just for the sake of doing something
a full-length album. When Black Velvet inter- you. What I’ve learned is don’t get comfort- over and over again. I’d sing it a few times
viewed guitarist Zach Myers in 2015, we able, don’t believe in a ceiling. You should and he’d be like, ‘moving on’, because he
spoke to him about the production work Eric never believe in the top. We’re the type of wanted to get that initial excitement.”
had done for the band. At that time Zach told band that we would rather find a bigger
us that he had no doubt that Eric could do it, mountain to climb once you’ve reached the here is a beautiful motivational track
but he would worry about putting him top of one. It’s more about keeping your- Ton ‘Attention Attention’ called ‘Get
through doing an entire album with the band, selves together with each other, by holding Up’. It offers words of support; it’s about
in case it burnt him out. each other accountable for your artistry and having belief in yourself. It includes the
So, how did it come about for this re- especially being a musician and being a per- lyrics, ‘If you are ever in doubt, don’t sell
lease - did Eric himself suggest it? “I spent former. The four of us are together so much yourself short, you might be bulletproof. It’s
179 days in Charleston, South Carolina last that we hold each other accountable, and I hard to move mountains when you’re paral-
year with Eric. The moment the conversation think that’s why this record came out the ysed, but you’ve got to try.’
started about producers I stopped it,” Brent way that it did, because it came exactly the We wonder who Brent turns to when he
answers. “I said, ‘We’re not gonna need to way we wanted it to and we’re extremely needs some words of encouragement. “Who
look at producers.’ I was talking to the label proud of it. We were a hundred percent right do I turn to when I need some words of en-
and I was talking to the band’s A&R about it. by producing it ourselves.” couragement? My son always has some
Everybody was kind of questioning, ‘What pretty good quotes here and there,” Brent
do you mean?’ I said to them, ‘I know who rent reveals that, although he wrote smiles. “You know, it’s interesting, in answer
needs to produce it, it needs to be Eric; it’s Bthe lyrics for the album, each band to your question...the band. We’re with each
time. I don’t think in the earlier years that he member - Eric, Zach and drummer Barry other so much, we encourage each other a
was ready to do an entire record, but I knew Kerch - also contributed lyrically to each lot, we also bust on each other all the time! I
a hundred percent that he was ready to do song. “They pushed me in certain directions. mean, there’s a lot of laughing that goes on,
this one, and he agreed with me.” Brent I wanted their input early on for the lyrical on tour. You walk on that stage, that’s when
goes on to tell us that having Eric at the helm side of the record. When I would bring some- it’s serious. The best advice that I get on a
made perfect sense and the environment in thing out, I would say something and they daily basis is, when it gets too much take a
the studio was totally focused. would spar… I wanted them to, I wanted to deep breath, count to ten, reset and then
“There were never any moments with know how they thought about things and if start over. You know that helps out a lot.”
Eric during the studio process where he was they felt like I was on the right track. I valued Brent pauses, he then begins to share with
scratching his head, or where he wondered their input. On the other records I didn’t nec- us how ‘Get Up’ came about. “I’ll tell you the
what he should do. You know, he didn’t really essarily do that, I wrote it and that’s what it truth. With encouragement and about what
question himself and I didn’t question him - was. This was way more of a collaborative that song relates to and where, what, why
we didn’t question each other. There were no record as a band, and you can hear it in the and who it reflects,” he pauses again as he
moments in making this record where there record. It’s not an album, in my opinion, that collects his thoughts. “It was an earlier song
was like a big hurdle or there was a moment takes like 25-30 listens. I hope the public em- that was written. I’m usually pretty quick with
of ‘I don’t know, what do you think?’ or ‘I just brace it. It’s a one-listen record,” Brent the lyrics, once we get the melody down, we
don’t know what to do, oh shoot what have states. “What I mean by that is, the first time get the music down, we start to work
we done? This was a bad idea.’ That didn’t you hear it I’m hoping that it’s instantaneous. through things, the words come pretty quick.
exist. Look, when bands self-produce their Like, ‘Oh, this is for real, they went in there That song wasn’t like that. It took me eleven
own records it can go awry and not be the and did something that was not only organic days to write the lyrics to that song. The rea-
best decision, but quite frankly this is the but they sound like they are one hundred son it took eleven days is because I kept pro-
best work we have done in probably over a percent’, because we are completely com- crastinating and procrastinating and
decade,” Brent says proudly, adding, “this is fortable in our own skin. That is exactly what procrastinating, to the point that Eric was
about the band, this is about what the band the record is about, it’s about being unified getting really, really annoyed. He called me
wants. Eric was at the as a band. It’s on day ten and he says to me, ‘Let’s just
helm of it all and he also a story, you move on, let’s just do another song, we’ll
was just very, very “What I’ve learned is don’t get know, that’s the just write another song. Apparently there is
clear about everything comfortable, don’t believe in a ceil- difference of the something about this that you’re just not
he did. He was very ing. You should never believe in the record too. All of feeling.’ And I’m like, ‘No that’s actually not
poignant, his ideas top. We’re the type of band that we these songs are true. I am feeling it...I’m scared.’ Eric said,
were spot on and he necessary for ‘Scared of what?’ So I’m like, ‘I can’t really
had reasonings for would rather find a bigger mountain this record, they tell you... I tell you what, just tell me you
everything. We would to climb once you’ve reached the are the only won’t be mad. Promise me you won’t be mad
talk about things and top of one.” - Brent Smith songs that can and I’ll have it written by the end of today’,
we would collaborate be because, it’s so Eric replies [Brent mimics an exasperated
back and forth and not a concept Eric] ‘I promise I won’t be mad.’” Brent
what have you. The vision from the band, record per se, but it is a story, it’s all one laughs, as he recalls the conversation. “Four
that was what we had to make sure stayed complete thought – there’s a beginning, hours later I had the lyrics!”
pure the whole time.” there’s a middle, and there is a finale.” Brent continues to tell us how he went
“The good thing about this particular Brent tells us that he loved going to work into the studio the next day, telling Eric he’d
record ‘Attention Attention’, is that we’ve every day when creating the album. He was got the lyrics down. Eric was keen to see
had a lot of great teachers over the years, a so inspired by the music and by the state- what Brent had come up with but Brent was-
lot of great engineers, a lot of great produc- ment being made that he wanted to give it n’t keen to show him, instead Brent re-
ers and what have you. We’ve been very, everything he had. “I kept telling myself dur- quested to head straight into recording it.
very fortunate to have that calibre of profes- ing the process, ‘Sing it like it’s your last The process took about five hours to com-
sionalism. But, this was a record that…Eric night on earth’, even though it’s not gonna plete and during that time there was not a
has a good way of saying it, ‘We would be, knock on wood. I was like, ‘This is your word spoken to each other. “He was hearing
rather go crazy making it ourselves, rather legacy, this is your life, this is who you are it as I was presenting it to him,” Brent ex-
than watch someone else go crazy trying to and this is who your band is and you have plains, “but he was in total producer mode
make it.’ Because we knew exactly what we so much that you want to show the world and doing his thing. After we were done he
wanted to do, we knew how we were going with this record’. From a technical stand- said, ‘Give me until this time tomorrow’, I
to do it; we knew how we were going to ap- point just from Eric being the producer, he think it was 7 o’clock at night. He calls me
proach everything. Everything was very fo- was very, very smart, he didn’t wear me out about 4 o’clock in the afternoon the next day
cused, everything was very literal, and he got me fresh every day. With the vo- and he goes, ‘Yo! I got it. You wanna hear it?’
everything had a statement and we knew ex- cals, Eric would give me a minute to kind of And I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll be right there.’ So I get
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