As Death metal ministers JOB FOR A COWBOY have just announced a full European tour as direct support of DYING FETUS we thought it worth dropping an email to band frontman Jonny Davy to quiz him about the band’s excellent album ‘Demonocracy’. Check out his answers and the press release for the band’s latest tour below:
DYING FETUS
+ JOB FOR A COWBOY
+ REVOCATION
+ CEREBRAL BORE
14/09/12 ˆ DE – Lindau – Club Vaudeville
15/09/12 ˆ CH – Genève – L’Usine
16/09/12 ˆ UK – Brighton – Concorde2
17/09/12 – UK – Norwich – Waterfront
18/09/12 – UK – Birmingham – O2 Academy 2
19/09/12 – UK – Reading – Sub89
20/09/12 – UK – Manchester – Club Academy
21/09/12 – UK – Glasgow – Cathouse
22/09/12 ˆ IE – Dublin – The Pint
23/09/12 – UK – London – Underworld
24/09/12 ˆ FR – Paris – Divan Du Monde
25/09/12 ˆ NL – Nijmegen – Doornroosje
26/09/12 ˆ DE – Hamburg – Markthalle
27/09/12 ˆ SE – Malmö – KB
28/09/12 ˆ SE – Gothenburg – Sticky Fingers
29/09/12 ˆ SE – Stockholm – Klubben
01/10/12 ˆ FI – Helsinki – Tavastia
03/10/12 ˆ DK – Copenhagen – Vega
04/10/12 ˆ DE – Berlin – C-Club
05/10/12 ˆ DE – Würzburg – Posthalle, Hell Inside Fest
06/10/12 ˆ DE – Jena – F-Haus
07/10/12 ˆ CZ – Prague – Hoodoo club
08/10/12 ˆ DE – München – Backstage
09/10/12 ˆ AT – Wien – Arena
10/10/12 ˆ SI – Ljubljana – Gala Hala / Kino Siska
11/10/12 ˆ IT – Legnano (Milano) – Land Of Live Club
12/10/12 ˆ CH – Aarau – Kiff
13/10/12 ˆ DE – Essen – Turock
14/10/12 ˆ BE – Aarschot – De Klinker
JOB FOR A COWBOY just released their latest studio recording, Demonocracy, on April 6 through Metal Blade Records (reviewed by SonicABuse here). The maniacal, multifaceted Jason Suecof-produced masterwork tackles a host of political and economic themes and continues to raise the eyebrows of fans and media alike.
We are delighted that the band’s singer, Jonny Davy, took some time out of the band’s busy schedule to answer a few questions for us:
One of the elements that stood out for me on ‘ruination’ was the lyrics – often complex and political, I would like to ask how long it takes to develop the lyrics for a song and whether you spend time developing specific themes or if it’s more of a stream of consciousness thing that you edit later?
It takes me about two months to write lyrics for the record to the point where I’m comfortable and happy with it. We’ve changed and progressed a lot as a band over the years. We are just doing what keeps us happy.
With regards, once more, to the lyrics – is there any particular literature or works that influence the formation of the lyrics?
I’ve always been heavily influnced by Sam Harris, Noam Chosky, Bill Hicks and John Perkins.
It seems rare these days to have a band with such unforgiving and overtly politicised lyrics to the fore (I’m thinking in particular of ‘butchering the enlightened’) – these subjects are obviously important to you – is there a sense, do you think, that these issues are too often overlooked and belittled by the media and public?
Absolutely! Its frustrating at times. People don’t really care to look into the corruption of the world that is visibly laid out infront of them. Maybe people are too easy to forget.
It has been argued by some acts that politics and music rarely mix – to what extent do you feel there is separation between educating/providing the tools to seek out information and preaching?
Music is art, I think the argument of politics and music not mixing is entirely naive. If politics and music is a way to express yourself and it keeps your attention and interest….. Then do it.
Since you started you’ve risen to a very prominent position for a band playing such extreme music – has this created a sense of pressure for the new release?
No pressure. We are here out of enjoyment. We like what we do and we don’t do it for anyone else other than ourselves. To me, that mindset is the only way to keep yourself interested.
You worked again with Jason Suecof for the new record; you’re obviously comfortable with his way of working – what do you think he brings to Job for a Cowboy’s sound?
We respect all the things he has done in the past. To this day he is still an amazing guitar player with a lot of input. Music is his life and he understands every aspect of it. When we are in the studio with him it is almost as if we have a sixth member in the band. He helps us be a sharper band and keeps us on our toes.
As a band that formed at a time when the internet was already a widely-used resource for music fans and down-loaders alike, do you feel the prevalence of the net has been a help or a hindrance to your career?
A help, nothing less. If the internet wasn’t there we really wouldn’t have this success. But in all reality, this is how EVERYTHING works now. The internet is one of the most powerful tools in the entire world at the moment. You have access to literally everything you can think of at your fingertips. Of course, the music buying industry has been seeing a swift plummet. But in the end we are an underground metal band, things like this don’t effect us as much as it does to mainstream acts.
You have just finished up the Destroyers of the faith tour – how was the reception and what do you feel you gained from the experience? Is there any country that you particularly look forward to playing/touring in?
The tour and lineup was amazing. Considering we were playing infront of such a die hard and even dare I say elitist crowd I feel like we’ve won some respect over the fans. We always enjoy playing overseas in mainland Europe and the UK.
With the new release scheduled for April 10th what is next for Job for a cowboy?
We will be touring nonstop across the world. We are here to promote the new record at this point. In the midst of it all start creating pieces of the puzzle for our next release.
Many thanks indeed for taking the time to look at these questions – any final words for our readers?
Please check out Demonocracy!
