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THE RED JUMPSUIT
APPARATUS
Art often thrives in the
aftermath of adversity, and since we last heard from The Red
Jumpsuit Apparatus, there have been plenty of variables that the
five-piece alternative rock act had to endure. But for the
Middleburg, Florida-based band, hardships eventually ironed out
thanks to unrelenting perseverance, paving the way for the
band’s incredibly ambitious (and aptly titled) The Hell Or High
Water EP in 2010, followed by its third and highly anticipated
long player Am I The Enemy (bowing in August 2011).
Like the EP that preceded
it, the project comes under a partnership with its management
company The Collective Don’t You Fake It on the heels of the
band’s voluntary parting of ways with Virgin Records, the
company that first signed the band for 2006’s gold selling
(spawning the smash single “Face Down”), followed by 2009’s
Lonely Road (which debuted in the top twenty of the Billboard
200). Reconnecting with its DIY roots, Am I The Enemy finds the
guys sounding more on fire than ever before, exuding confidence
at every razor sharp turn of the amplifier or bellowing vocal
execution from impassioned front man Ronnie Winter.
“It’s been three years
since our last full-length album, and in the time between,
there’s been a lot of rebuilding where we’ve gotten a lot more
focused, sorted out all our behind the scenes issues and got to
the point of just really wanting to make a new record,” the
front man asserts. “We knew that the fans were behind us after
their support of The Hell Or High Water EP, but we wanted to
take our writing to the next level without having to worry about
any of the business stuff and just put all our focus on the
music. It was just like riding a bike; right after we got into
the studio, the training wheels came off and we were ready to
get dangerous and test our limitations.”
Besides the band’s
enthusiasm and tenacity, additional creative prodding came from
producer John Feldmann,
perhaps most familiar for his role as Goldfinger’s ringleader,
but also known for behind the scenes work with The Used, Story
of the Year, Good Charlotte, Plain White T’s, Saosin and Neon
Trees (amongst countless others). Though the Red Jumpsuit
Apparatus guys were lifelong Goldfinger fans, the connection
came very organically after a co-producing session.
“It was totally genuine
and we weren’t even looking for a producer type of deal, but
just wanted to come up with some new ideas,” notes Winter. “We
sat around with two acoustic guitars and right off the bat we
clicked. We wrote the first single “Reap” (out April 26) and
then turned around and wrote “Salvation” on the same day. We
jumped right into demoing both of those songs a week after that
and one thing led to another. Our work ethics blended really
well, it was a ton of fun and there was no drama, which all made
a huge difference in creating a record we’re all really proud
of.”
Adds Feldmann: “It was a
piece of cake working with the Red Jumpsuit guys. They were full
of ideas and a real pleasure to record. Every one of them
brought something unique to the record. This was a really fun
record for me to make. Super talented musicians. Plus I kicked
all their asses at ping pong.”
As for the tracks
contained therein, die-hards and newcomers alike can look
forward to a slew of sonic risks, wrapped around the group’s
signature, post-hardcore, alternative rock romps. “There’s some
cool digital programming and drum sound experimenting that we’ve
never tried before and some crazy new chords with some really
cool half step progressions,” reveals Winter. “John really
opened some doors for us and I think any of our fans who are
also musicians will notice it right away. Some of the chords are
really peculiar sounding, but crazy awesome and cohesive with
the rest of the record.”
A major case in point
comes from the aforementioned “Reap,” which Winter asserts
spawned the direction of the entire record thanks to its searing
choruses, chugging verses and a ballsy “goes around comes
around” attitude. The singer and producer’s second collaboration
“Salvation” is an in your face anthem for anyone who’s ever
faced adversity, while “Fall From Grace” firmly addresses the
major label red tape from the group’s past and eventual
realization to make music on its own terms. “Dive Too Deep”
demonstrates the decade-nearing band dusting off an old riff
that guitarist Duke Kitchens dreamt up when the guys were mere
teens, but with a campfire crackling and the beer flowing,
Winter finally found the right melody to match the undeniably
catchy, emotional apex of the record.
As for the underlying
theme, Am I The Enemy continues in the group’s
thought-provoking, politically-charged direction that’s peppered
previous projects, but has yet to be this bold. Regardless of
one’s party line or personal beliefs, the band is sure to get
listeners diving deep into the linear notes as they’re faced
with probing rhetorical questions.
“We travel abroad all the
time and I definitely feel like there’s a weird cloud in other
countries regarding their perception of Americans,” explains
Winter. “There seems to be this feeling that they think of us as
bullies or the world police, though I don’t see it that way,
especially when we’ve played for troops in Iraq, Cuba and here
in the States. Sure there are problems, but if Am I The Enemy
had a question mark after it, I would respond as a 28-year-old
American by saying we’re actually trying to help strife-ridden
countries learn about democracy, capitalism and freedom. We may
have a bad economy and lying politicians, but as a society, I
think we live in one of the greatest countries on earth.”
Listeners can certainly
judge for themselves as The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus loads up its
tour buses for its first proper North American tour since the
last long player, backed by a bevy of international appearances.
“We want to show fans we still care about them, even though
we’ve been away for awhile,” sums up Winter. “We’re really
excited about this record, more than anything we’ve ever
released before, and we finally felt free to do what we wanted
without having some huge shadow hanging over us.”
For More
Information Contact
Christen Thomas at christen@presswolfpr.com or Nikki Herceg at
heynikkih@gmail.com
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