US post hardcore heroes THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS returns to Australia this November/December and this time they are armed with their recent album ‘The Awakening’, their first studio album in 4 years. Expect to hear tracks from the ‘The Awakening’ and the band will also delve into their extensive bag of hits. We talks to vocalist Ronnie Winter about the tour and what fans can expect.
Metal-Roos: Hi Ronnie, nice to speak with you! Congratulations on the latest release “The Awakening”. It has received a warm welcome from fans and critics alike, and the lead single is ruling over the charts. Now you and the rest of the gang in The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are headed back to Oz for a string of shows. You have been nice enough to allow an hour for a genuine conversation, I have a bunch of questions, and please let me know if there is anything else you would like to talk about…
How does it feel that “On Become Willing” has been at the top of the Christian rock chart for over 10 weeks?
Ron: Feels great! But it’s not the first time, we’ve had some charting singles, actually 10, but this one in particular has stayed up there for so long, which is really great. A lot of times you have a number one for like, 2 or 3 weeks and that already feel good… but when it lasts three whole months, I think 12 weeks total, what can you say…it’s awesome, good to be back on top…not gonna lie…
Metal-Roos: What do you think connects you to the Christian fanbase?
Ron: Well, that’s the genre that we submitted to. So, if I submitted to another genre it would have done well, maybe not as well as we definitely resonate with this genre. I manage the band so I do all the business and background work. When you upload the album to a DSP (Digital Service Provider) which sends your music through to Apple music, Spotify and the like, when you do that you are forced to select a genre. If you didn’t have to I would have probably just put “HAHAHA” or “Good Luck” but they make you pick one… We have a lot of records with lots of different kinds of songs so we don’t quite fit into one genre.
Metal-Roos: Is there a concept behind the album? The songs definitely lead the listener on a journey…
Ron: Yes, this is a concept record, that’s what sets it apart from all our other records. This is the first time I’ve tried writing anything like this. Song one directly leads into song two which directly leads into song three and so on…but I also did something different to put my own spin on it: I wrote it in three movements, the first three songs are all digital, very glossed over with meta and post hardcore overtones, which you’ll notice immediately through the first three songs. Then when movement two kicks in all of the arrangement and production changes. We strip down to just acoustic which is pretty much the opposite of movement one. We bring in piano and strings. Then on the second song, we still don’t bring back distortion, we have additional instrumentation like organ and bass guitar. By the end of movement two it goes back to full on rock, which then transitions into movement three. That is what I would like to call the old school movement which sounds like the stuff we put out in the beginning of our career. So, the lyrics is one story, but the music is in three separate movements.
Metal-Roos: Can you tell me the story behind the track “Saul to Paul” it seems to have a strong message behind it?
Ron: Oh, it does. Like I said, this is a concept album, and the character goes through a lot during those songs. But even when we first started as a band we have always tried to champion awareness about depression, anxiety and suicide, also alcohol and drug abuse. We believe the mind the body and the spirit are linked and that if you can understand that then you can treat it. Most of us have been through that process ourselves, so we’re not just telling people things that we’re reading online. I’m singing to them cause I’ve actually been there, and I’ve come out on the other side. So on that particular song, “Saul to Paul”, it’s the first song in movement two, the first three songs are very chaotic because that’s where he is in his life and mind, his mind, body and spirit are not linked. But on “Saul to Paul” it’s the first time where he gets right with God. Now lots of different cultures have different ways of saying that and the way they say the word God, but in the country where I’m from that’s how we hear it so that’s how I word it.
Metal-Roos: “In there somewhere” has some delicate violin and female backing vocal which makes the track stand out. Where did that come from?
Ron: So, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I really feel like I said everything I had to say on this record, so when I was attempting to take on this endeavour because I respect all the great concept albums and anyone who is a fan of them knows there is a bunch ore bad ones then good ones. So, there’s a risk. I didn’t want to be another artist who is looked at as a guy who tried something cool. One of the things I did was I went back to all the concept records that I love and one of those stands above all the rest: ”The Wall” by Pink Floyd in that record you will hear multiple times a female vocal come out of nowhere and every time it happens it’s the most elegant beautiful thing. I wanted to take inspiration from the old school guys. So, that’s where the idea came from, and the vocal is actually my co-producer and wife Angela, who is a session singer and artist as well. It was really fantastic because I just had to look over at her and say “I need you to sing right here” and she was like “OK, got it”, boom.
Metal-Roos: How was the experience of Co-producing “Awakening” with your wife?
Ron: I thought it was great. I mean, that’s my opinion, it went really really well. I’ve been making Jumpsuit records a really long time. I’ve used a lot of co-producers, I’ve produced, I’ve co-produced, like I did on this one. I’ve also taken a backseat sometimes and each time I did that I learned more a different complete style. I actually met her in a recording studio, working with a different producer who flew me in as a song writer, as I write songs for other musical projects not just Jumpsuit. I saw her working a pro-tools board and I couldn’t believe it. I had never seen a girl that looks like her that could do what I could do, in producing music. So, I figure all I have to do is convince her to like me, which wasn’t that hard to do and the rest is history.
Metal-Roos: It takes you guys an average of three years between albums. Has the writing and recording process for the band evolved over the years? Do you have a ‘usual’ way?
Ron: I’ve always been the main writer. I always will be. Usually I write songs and my friends, who I hire or fire are in the band. That’s the way I’ve always rolled, so that hasn’t changed per se. Occasionally over the years I have done some co-writes like the title track on this album is actually a song that I wrote with my brother Randy. All the rest of the songs I wrote, he usually brings one or two to the table. I think he brought two to “4” as well. He’s my brother so he is similar to me in the way he thinks so I like writing with him. On “Am I the Enemy” I wrote a few songs with the producer John, and I didn’t do any co-writing on the first two albums. It’s something I don’t do very much, essentially it’s still pretty much me. Then I teach the guys the parts, and then, they bring in new idea, which makes it a band and I pick the ones that I like. I delete the ones I don’t like and put it all together, then you have an album.
Metal-Roos: Do you still start the process on acoustic guitar and go from there?
Ron: That’s something I have always done and I figure “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Metal-Roos: You have had a long relationship with Australian fans. What can you remember about the first time you performed here, was anything surprising or really weird that you didn’t expect?
Ron: Yeah, we have been coming there for a while… almost every album. I do remember my first Australian show because it was a festival called Soundwave, so I’ll never forget it. There was a controversy behind it, we were supposed to play the main stage the year before that, but our label wanted to go and do another record. If you know anything about bands and labels… usually labels get their way… so we had to pull out to go back into the studio. That was disappointing for everyone and we were not happy about it, but we weren’t the bosses then. We’ve been independent for 8 years now so that’s never happened again. Anyway, so the first thing we did after making the album was promise to make that up and we made good on that promise. My first show was Soundwave and I was blown away. I didn’t know that we had that many fans there, it was a really big crowd, one of the biggest I have ever seen and over half were there to see us That was right of the bat, so we just knew that we had resonated pretty good with the fan base there and we have consistently came back there. They supported us on every record. We aren’t visiting every country on this tour. We’re going to the places that we like and that we know like us, cause we can do that now.
Metal-Roos: In your opinion has the music scene in Australia changed in your eyes?
Ron: Yeah, in my own opinion as an American I won’t say I’m the authority on the Australian scene. However, the band that I chose to support us does give me an indication on how the scene has changed and I would say that it’s a little electro-pop heavy now. That’s very reminiscent of the States electro-pop is in right now. When I was first coming there it was all post-hardcore, punk, and metal. We haven’t taken that direction into electro cause we’re Red Jumpsuit and it wouldn’t work for us. I’m not interested in writing that style, but I have noticed it catching on and it’s a very defined genre that’s happening and all the Australian bands I’ve seen gain traction are in that scene. So that’s my opinion.
Metal-Roos: Have you ever had a local support band that really stood out and has gone on to bigger things?
Ron: We have helped launch many band careers that are now big. We were one of the first bands to take out ‘New Years Day’ who are really big now. They were great we liked them. There was a band we took a risk on and it paid off because they had a really nice pull. They were called ‘Set it Off’ they are also doing really well. The list goes on. We help a lot of guys along the way because we got a lot of help in the beginning too. I’ve never said that we did all of this on our own and we’ve always been appreciative of that, so those are two that stick out off the top of my head, but there has been many…
Metal-Roos: Your last tour here was the 10 year anniversary ‘Don’t you fake it’. Did you guys have a good time?
Ron: It was killer, absolutely killer. We knew it was going to be. Lots of people don’t know this about the band but when that album came out we never played the full album because most of the time we were the support. We were not a big enough band yet, even with “Face Down” and “Guardian Angel” being big. To do a run as headliners, so we were supporting bands like 30 Seconds to Mars, Starting Line, Seether and Godsmack. Anyone that would let us open, we took the slot. So the first time we came to Australia it was Soundwave, and you don’t get an hour when you’re the new kid band. You get thirty minutes, so it was impossible, plus we had a new record so we wanted to play at least one or two songs. Australia never got a chance to see it, you literally waited ten years for that. You could see it in the crowd it was a special time for everybody.
Metal-Roos: You have asked for song requests on social media for certain shows. How did the idea come about, how successful was the idea, has the results ever surprised you with some deep cut fan favourites?
Ron: Typically it’s always the same. I mean, that would be great if it actually happened, but typically its always the same songs. Unfortunately they are usually the songs that we were going to play anyway, but we do pay attention and we watch and if there ever is one of those gems that pops up we’ll play it. Just like we said we would.
Metal-Roos: After Australia you guys are heading to Honolulu, what’s playing Hawaii like?
Ron: We have been there many times as well. As a matter of fact, almost every time we play Australia we end with Hawaii. We love it there, it’s a very special place for us for many reasons we’ve played multiple sold-out shows there. We actually are playing two days in a row there which is different for us. That’s kinda the end of the year for us, then after that we start up a new album.
Metal-Roos: As you were trying to break out of the local scene in Florida, was there a real turning point? What made you think “We can really do this”?
Ron: Here’s the thing, when you’re a real band you have to do everything on your own. Before you sign that record deal, you all still have jobs. Everyone in my band was working forty hours a week to pay the bills. To survive in life you have to work, and it’s even harder when you’re a musician because then you have to rehearse, write, promote your band. We were only able to travel about three days’ worth of distance which essentially covers Florida, not even the whole state. We tried, we would pack up in the mini van with all the gear and stuff, play shows on the weekend then go back to normal life during the week. We did that even after we finished “Don’t you fake it”. Before the record came out, we’re sitting here signed by Virgin records, with an album that nobody has heard. They don’t give you a bunch of money when you sign, you’re not immediately rich. It’s not like how people think, basically you just sign the contract, then you go back home and live a double life for six months. When we started being put on these long tours and support slots I mentioned earlier, that’s when we noticed the difference. Well, we’d already sold a bunch of our stuff, quit our jobs… we put everything into it, it was make or break. Luckily enough for us, it was make, so I’m grateful for that.
Metal-Roos: Did it ever seem too much? Did you ever lose hope of continuing as a band?
Ron: Many times! You kidding me… we’ve been a band for a long time, we’ve had a lot of ups and downs, lots of hit and misses. We had albums that were received extremely well with legendary status and we’ve had albums that have been completely overlooked and looked at as a bad record. You’re emotionally tied to all that. As the lyricist, you’re really putting yourself out there, so, there was a few times I thought about hanging up the hat. The main reason I didn’t is because I knew that we were helping people. I’ve met too many people that have said that “Face Down” has helped them make the right decisions, how songs like “On Becoming Willing” has helped them spiritually, songs like “Atrophy” helped them with depression. I just heard too many stories to not believe it at this point in m career so that’s why we kept going.
Metal-Roos: Do you think the line-up changes have helped the band evolve?
Ron: Well, anyone who knows the true history of this band knows that we’re a strange band. The original line-up of the band never played a show… our original drummer was called Brett, he quit the band to go back to pharmacy school and became a pharmacist and makes more money than I do. He’s a good guy. My bass player James quit the band to join the military and he’s still in the military and does top secret stuff now, he was the super smart one who put the “Apparatus” on. So literally, no-one has ever seen the original line-up play a show. With that being said, since the first time I ever made a recording, I’ve just been hiring and firing friends of mine. So, nothing’s really changed. It’s always just this guy or that guy, who ever I happen to be hanging out with and we’re gelling at the time. That’s always been the band, so it hasn’t really affected me because we really didn’t have an original line-up.
Metal-Roos: How did the band with your brother called Winter came about?
Ron: Me and Randy have been making music a long time and not only with Jumpsuit. I also helped with another band that he was in for a while, so Winter is something that we have just laying around… Eventually we’re going to be too old to do Jumpsuit. It would be crazy to think otherwise, so ‘Winter’ is something that’s a safe place for us to just put music, and release when we feel like it. Actually, we have never released a song. We just have it as an entity that exists for us, because both of us have the last name Winter. If either one of us wants to put something out that has nothing to do with Jumpsuit or our solo projects we’ll use Winter. It’s kind of a holding place…a Purgatory if you will. You’re the first person to ask me about that so congratulations to you!
Metal-Roos: Outside of Jumpsuit, are there any musicians you would love to work with?
Ron: Yeah, totally! I’m a full-time Dad and part time rocker now. There’s a lot of people that have approached me and there is a lot of people that I would like to approach. But, to be honest with you, me and my wife co-produced this album and as soon as I was done with this she started her album. She’s almost done mixing now and that’s gonna come out next year. It’s just one thing after the next. In between that I’ve been touring and in between that we’ve been raising our two year old. As far as working with other musicians, my bands pretty great. I tend to just work with my guys because we’re friends, they are all exceptional musicians. My drummer is great, my bass player has been in the band twelve years and he is the best bassist I know. I’ve been playing music with my brother for twenty years and my lead guitarist Josh I think is one of the best players in the world. So, I tend to just stick with my own guys, but I’m not against it. I’ve done some collabs here and there but I’m just a guy that’s hard to get a hold of nowadays because of the baby. I don’t wanna be the dad that was never around.
Metal-Roos: How is juggling a new family and the life of a touring musician?
Ron: It’s actually been relatively good because I put more weight on the family that I do the band. We tour just as much as we need to survive and that’s it, pretty much the opposite of most bands.
Metal-Roos: Now we know that you chose your band-name by voting for random words, but has the name developed a meaning to the band or yourself over the years?
Ron: Haha, no… again we’re a weird band. We weren’t supposed to make it, we were just a bunch of kids in a small town. Everything about it has been done backwards and wrong, the only thing we ever did right is not give up. We have remained consistent in not giving up and putting out quality music. The band name is silly! We never claimed it had some master meaning and I don’t think it ever will because that’s not who I was then. I like video games, I like ‘Star Wars’, I still like all those things, I’m kind of a goofy guy. I tend to just kid around most of the day, I just wanna do music. While everyone else is bogged down with politics, different points of view, not me! I just don’t let those things get to me. I try to tell people to do what makes them happy, as long as it’s not hurting their body, mind or spirit. That’s what Jumpsuit was, a joke on us, we were already making fun of ourselves before anybody else ever did.
Metal-Roos: You have said that your writing is a stream of consciousness of where you were in your mind at the time. Has writing these lyrics helped you self-reflect and evolve as a person?
Ron: Sure, I think so. I was very honest when “Face Down” came out about how that was something I actually went through in my life. Me and my brother watched that happen to my own mother. Sometimes even to this day, we get emotional when we play that song, especially when she is in the crowd. From day one I have always been honest with my lyrics and how they have always been a reflection of something that I or someone I know have personally experienced. That’s one thing that has never changed and never will.
Metal-Roos: In the beginning how much do you think being an early adapter of social media impacted your international exposure?
Ron: Here’s the thing, this is the point I wanna make: I have seen lots of people write that in articles. But if you actually look at it, the percentage of people who used MySpace or any social and expected to be famous overnight compared to the people who actually make it because of that. It’s almost nothing. I personally think that the hard data proves that it really didn’t help. I think that we just made a really great record, I think that people really loved “Don’t You Fake It”. I still think they love it today and I do believe if there were no social media the record would still have been a success because it was a hit on radio. Radio carried that record – the label and management would agree with that. Yet some people will write that “We got famous on MySpace” so what?! Everyone was big on MySpace, it didn’t mean a thing except that people clicked like.
I hate to break it to these kids that think they are just going to make a website then make it. That just doesn’t happen, as I said before we worked our asses off. Forty hours a week, touring on weekends for years before we ever got a shot, and when you talk to most bands that’s how it generally goes. I mean if you’re getting traction online, that’s great, good for you. I do think it’s a tool that you should keep in your toolbox. It’s definitely not something that makes or breaks a band I’ll never believe that or agree to it, I don’t think a social media profile creates an artist.
Metal-Roos: Going independent in 2010 would have been an exhilarating experience. How did things change for the band?
Ron: Some of the guys were nervous, but I wasn’t. When you sign a contract with a record label, they show you estimations of how they think you’re gonna do. These numbers are written down and signed by your lawyers and their lawyers, and they call that the mini max formula. I’m kinda like a magician giving away secrets right now. But I don’t work for them so I don’t care. So, you see all these mini max formulas if you will. The way it works is, if you hit your max on the first record, it changes your mini max for the second and on the third album they barely ever make it because the band breaks up or someone dies. They’re really banking that you don’t make it to that third record, cause that’s when they really have to pay off the charts.
So when our third album budget came around, the actual label Virgin Records – this is a true story – could not afford to pay us to make our own album. So because of that they approached me and attempted to re-negotiate a new deal that was more in their favour… I couldn’t believe it, we had to follow the rules and the contract, but then they didn’t want to. Luckily for me, my attorney had a clause written into the contract in the beginning saying that we will follow all the terms as long as you do, and they didn’t. They were unable to meet the terms for album three, they offered a new album deal. I turned them down and I told them that I wanted all rights to everything. That was how I was able to be gained by me and we had already recouped our debt. We didn’t owe them anything! We payed them back times two; we’re one of the only bands in that situation, so, we were not dropped we actually got away. So, with all that being said I was pumped! Now we’re free agents, I could’ve found a record deal twenty times since then. We’ve been independent for eight years we had three no.1’s with Virgin, we’ve had seven no.1’s after we left. Every single time we had one, we had a label come knocking. I’m not gonna say we’ll never sign again, but I have no plans too.
Plus it gives a control over the band, most people love the first album of the band, because that band have had their whole lives to write that first album and with no external influencers. That’s how first albums are made, we basically re-recorded all the songs that we had demos for when we went in. There was almost no brand new material, we were just re-recording stuff in high fidelity Virgin had nothing to do with that record, we have the demos to prove. I and all the fans in Florida have copies of it because it was available at our shows. Once we signed, yes, there was a lot of hands in the pot, lots of different opinions. The first album had a lot of success so there was more pressure, and after we walked away that was all gone and I could do whatever I want.
Metal-Roos: You have said that you all have overcome many of the weaknesses and failures spoken about on the first album. Looking back over your years leading the band, can you tell me which was the hardest to get through?
Ron: For me it was alcohol. I won’t deny it, I’ve been sober for many years now. I don’t touch the stuff anymore, but for the longest time it was a problem for me personally. Some of the other guys in the band struggled with it too but not as much as I did. As crazy as it sounds, I’m actually a drummer. I only started singing for this band because I couldn’t find a singer that could sing them the right way. At the very very beginning I sang and played drums at the same time. There are lots of drummers who do that, like Phil Collins. Eventually I focused on singing because I kept on running out of breath. Anyway, for me it was alcohol, I got really into it. I was a party animal for the longest time, I really enjoyed it. I drank more than anyone I knew and it became a problem. So, I eventually had to deal with and lots of those issues are addressed in this record “The Awakening” and luckily enough for me I was able to get the help that I needed. I was able to accept what we call a program of recovery, I’ve been sober for many hears now and my life is better for it. That’s why I’m not afraid to talk about it and that’s why I’m not afraid to share the story with our fans, which by the way, is an album called The Awakening.
Metal-Roos: What’s it like having your brother joining you on stage every show?
Ron: It’s awesome! Lots of people don’t know the history of Randy’s involvement. But, Randy has always been involved with the band. If you pull out the sleeve of “Don’t you fake it” and look onto the credits, there he is. He was in the studio with us as a kind of 6th member. I’ve always been really good at drums and vocals, Randy has always been good at guitar, piano and electronics. All the electronics you hear on “Don’t you fake it” which we got a few great reviews for, that was Randy. He’s actually on the record, he just didn’t start touring with us till a couple of years later because I had already hired somebody else on guitar and I never fire anybody for no reason. So when I wound up having to let go of a few guys he stepped in, in the meantime he launched his own band, that was also doing really well. Our goal was to have two bands killing it and it almost happened, but then I wound up getting a window open in the band and I called him and said “you should just come and be in Jumpsuit, c’mon man”. He already helped make the record and was with me the whole time, he stopped me halfway through the conversation and said he would be on the next flight. Now he’s been in the band nine almost ten years now.
Metal-Roos: Have you ever had a “We’ve made it” moment where you could revel in a success?
Ron: Umm, I would say sobriety. It’s been a couple of years now, a lot of the early stuff I just didn’t remember. I was too nervous, and that was one of the reasons why I drank. You can read a lot about stage fright, it’s a real thing, and I battled that greatly. Because of that I remember what it was like but it all happened so fast. It was all overwhelming, we had no sleep, we were always on the go, we missed a lot of funerals, we missed a lot of birthdays, special events in our lives, with our family. So those first 4-6 years were really a blur, then I sobered up and things have become so much more clear. So, in the last couple of years I really think the biggest thing for me, was right when we started doing the 10 year anniversary tour. The album was finally certified platinum, here we are 10 years after the album, and I finally feel like I had that moment. It was a long journey, like I said, a lotta ups and a lotta downs, but, finally getting that plaque. To not only give it to the old guys, I went back and gave it to the guys that weren’t in the band anymore. It was a big deal to me, and a big deal to the guys, so that for me so far has been the “We’ve made it” moment.
Metal-Roos: Wow! Especially in the age where nobody gets a platinum album…
Ron: Nobody does! And I never really thought it was gonna happen for us, because nobody ever contacted me about it. I had to make it happen! I was able to get the right people on the phone, send the right e-mail, finally get someone up the chain to pay attention to me. Finally get them to check the stats, and they go “Oh! You’re platinum! Congratulations…”. Which was kind of an underwhelming E-mail… I was like “Well, are we going to get plaques?” and they were like “Yeah, sure, here you go, here’s an order-form”. So just imagine if I never asked!
Metal-Roos: Do you have pursuits outside of Jumpsuit?
Ron: I’m kinda a dorky guy. I hang out with my wife and my son mostly. She just composed a film that came out earlier this year, so she’s always doing something crazy in the studio and I’m always listening to what she’s doing and when she’s not in there I’m in there. One of us is always in the studio. When one of us in is the studio, the other is watching the baby. Then we swap, so we have a pretty great balance. The rare opportunity that I do get time, I’m a pretty big gamer, Black Ops 4 just came out so I’ve been playing Zombies… haha
Other than that I’m balancing budgets, I’m booking flights, booking hotels, making sure payroll is straight, I mean, that’s me…
Metal-Roos: The song vs the album release? In the age of streaming do you believe that it’s better to release an album, or a couple of songs every months or so to maintain content?
Ron: That’s a good question, it touches on a few different categories. First of all, a single is a single, so many bands throughout the history of rock and roll have released a single as something I would call “One-Offs”. We’ve done that many times, in our career. We had a one-off called “Twilight” and one called “Valentine” and we will probably have more in the future. But what we don’t do is use them as a release that we are trying to push. We just put it out there because we felt like it. What you’re describing, is an actual marketing campaign, which is being driven by the labels right now. As you know, we don’t work for a label, as a matter of fact we mentioned earlier about buying our CD from the website. Well, let me blow your mind with this one, we don’t sell merch on our website. We’re the only band in the world that I can find, that has reached at least our level of success, that doesn’t sell merch on their online. I’m actually showing people that I’m telling the truth, we don’t want their money, we just want them to listen to the message and the music. You cannot buy merch from our website, we don’t allow it, because we’re crazy! Haha
So, here’s the deal, if you like Red Jumpsuit and you want a T-shirt, we have em. I keep them in stock, but you have to come to a show! To make it even more special…
Metal-Roos: Your quote “’Even on the worst day that you’re alive you’re still surrounded by so many awesome things that you should be grateful for, if you choose to look at them” is an exceptionally positive way to look at life, it holds some real truths. In the age of Trump, Bolsonaro, Putin, Saudi Crown Prince having journalists murdered, the fact that the world is going to start going downhill as soon as 2040 if our views on climate aren’t drastically changed, the overarching story of the world seems exceptionally negative… Do you really think the world is heading towards a happier place? Do you find it hard to hold on to these views?
Ron: Well, to answer that question, let me ask you a question, have you ever heard of the term Societal Polarisation?
Metal-Roos: Umm…No…
Ron: I believe that’s what’s happening. Essentially what that means is, if enough people get together and decide that 2+2=5 instead of 4, then a whole group of people as a phenomenon, which has been studied and proven true, will all of a sudden accept that 2+2=5. Just because the masses are telling them that, so, with that being the premise, I would say this, maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem. Maybe everybody is only looking at the world through negative filters over their glasses, maybe if people changed those filters and therefore their perception. They would see the infinite amount of beauty that is still here, maybe if they were able to go through that perception change they would be a happier person and every person that they bumped into will know that they are happy, which will in turn rub off on them. They will be changed by that positive energy, and they’ll bump into somebody else, and it spreads. Just like evil can spread, good can spread and it has to start from somewhere and somebody. Yes, if you focus on the bad things, you will feel bad. If you focus on the good things and put one foot in front of the other, just be a good person everyday of your life. That’s how you make the world a better place. Instead of asking other people to do it, it starts with you!
I think lots of bad people are getting a lot of press right now, and I think if all the good and amazing people were given the same amount of press, people would be so worried.
Metal-Roos: Jumpsuit have existed for 15 years, which is a massive achievement in itself. Do you have an ultimate goal for Jumpsuit? Was it all about getting your message and music out there to the people?
Ron: Yes! I’m a simple guy, I believed that my songs were good enough to at least have a chance. I didn’t know how it was gonna go though… there are a lot of really great bands that are better than my band will ever be, who got record deals and that nobody ever heard about em. There are MANY of them thoughout the history of music. So I didn’t know how well it was gonna go, but I was able to honestly listen to my music, and decide for myself, that I believed that I was at least good enough to have a fair shot and the rest would just be a bonus… it’s been 14 years of a bonus… and I’m very happy and very grateful for that.
Metal-Roos: Well, that’s all I have, is there anything you want to add?
Ron: Umm, that’s it man! I think we covered a lot, but I tell you one thing, I appreciate you taking the time and thanks for the chat.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus 2018 Tour Dates
Wednesday 28th November – AUCKLAND, Galatos 18+ **
Thursday 29th November – BRISBANE, The Triffid 18+
Friday 30th November – MELBOURNE, Corner Hotel 18+
Saturday 1ST December – NEWCASTLE, Club Azzuri Lic/AA
Sunday, 2nd December – SYDNEY, Manning Bar 18+
** Red Jumpsuit Apparatus only
Tickets: https://tickets.destroyalllines.com
