Photo credit: Cory Morton
Today’s a good day. You know why? Because Dustin Davidson from powerhouse August Burns Red took some valuable time after touring in Europe and wrapping up recording of the band’s forthcoming album Rescue & Restore, out June 25th to answer some questions straight from I Am Tuned Up. You can view the album art and track-list after the interview, which is a good one. We don’t usually do album announcements and track lists but this one promises to be a game-changer for the metalcore community. Read the full press release here to find out why.
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Ryan Getz: If August burns red, what colors do the other months burn?
Dustin Davidson: Surprisingly nobody has ever asked me this question before but I gotta think that if August is burning red that December would be burning blue right?
RG: A friend recently commented on the contrast between the nonsensical nature of your band name and your faith-ridden lyrics. How do you guys view the August Burns Red moniker today?
DD: I don’t really view our band name in any certain way. The band name came from an unfortunate event involving our old singer John’s dog Red and his ex gf August which I’m sure that everyone has heard of by now.
RG: What’s something about your band that you wish fans would notice more?
DD: Our good looks… That was sarcastic, haha. I honestly don’t know. There really isn’t anything that falls under the radar that needs to be brought to light that I can think of.
RG: What songs are your favorite to perform? Which gets the most enthusiastic crowd response? Are they different?
DD: The songs “Leveler” and “Divisions” are my two favorite songs to play live. They aren’t hits so they don’t get crowds going like White Washed or Empire do but they go over well. Leveler is a lot of fun to play because of how technical it is and I love the last couple lines in Divisions… “I made you carry the casket of an innocent man when it should have been me” is a line that I absolutely love.
RG: Are there any collaborations on the forthcoming LP we should be aware of?
DD: There weren’t any collaborations in the writing process other than the 5 of us and there aren’t any guest vocals on the record either. Just Jake and myself!
RG: Describe a typical day in the studio.
DD: A typical guitar day in the studio is Brent, JB, and myself show up just before 10am, Carson makes his coffee, we’d turn on the amp to warm it up, change the strings, and then get to work by about 10:30. We wouldn’t take a break besides lunch and we would work until about 6 at night or whenever we felt like we got enough stuff done for the day. It’s not really eventful. Just lots of “That wasn’t good enough, do it again and try not to suck this time.”
RG: What artists are at the top of your playlist(s) right now?
DD: I’m real into vinyl as of recently and I’ve been jamin’ out to The Story So Far’s latest record What You Don’t See any and every Jimmy Eat World record, Architects latest jam “Daybreaker,” (which I don’t have on vinyl) and of course some good ol’ John Mayer.
RG: Speaking from your current status as a successful band, discuss one positive and one negative part of working in today’s music industry climate.
DD: The positive side to playing in a August Burns Red definitely outweighs the negative side. For instance, it’s enlightening to hear from kids that say that our songs helped them through tough times in their lives. As a teen I use to find meaning in my favorite bands lyrics as well and they would help put me in a good mood. The only negative side that I can think of now is being away from friends and family. Sometimes it’s rough on the road and you really miss home when you’re over 3,000 miles away. That being said it’s rough for me staying at home for a long period of time as well. I often miss the road just as much, if not more than I miss my home.
RG: What trend in music business are you most excited about?
DD: I guess that you could consider vinyl a trend in the music business. When I first started collecting vinyl it wasn’t as popular but now it seems like sales are through the roof which is awesome! I’ve always liked getting vinyl over anything digital or cd’s because of how big the artwork is and how beautiful the colored LP’s are. To me that’s a cool trend and I hope that it sticks around.
RG: What would be your dream lineup to perform with? Watch?
DD: I would love to both watch and perform with bands like Jimmy Eat World, John Mayer, Blink 182, Thrice, Minus The Bear, etc. My taste in music is all over the place if you couldn’t tell.
RG: Is there an unknown artist band we should be paying attention to?
DD: We just toured with this band in Europe called Adept and they’re great dudes/they put on a freakin’ sweet set nightly!
RG: Thanks for your time! Any final words for I AM TUNED UP readers?
DD: Thanks for reading this interview and be ready for news on our new album shortly!
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AAAANNNNND here’s that news Dustin hinted at!
Track list:
1) “Provision“
2) “Treatment“
3) “Spirit Breaker“
4) “Count It All As Lost“
5) “Sincerity“
6) “Creative Captivity“
7) “Fault Line“
8) “Beauty In Tragedy“
9) “Animals“
10) “Echoes“
11) “The First Step“
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