DATE OF INTERVIEW:
JOB FOR A COWBOY
13th June 2012
METAL DISCOVERY: You have a new album out, ‘Demonocracy’, which hints towards political themes - is there any such concept behind that title?
JONNY: Absolutely. Our band has a very punk rock attitude behind it. As a lot of bands like to speak of gore, zombies, death, Antichristianity, etc... We focus on the true evils of the world. A much more realistic perspective that most people aren't aware of or enlightened about.
(Jonny Davy on not regarding himself as a sex symbol)
"I am the death metal Fabio... Of course not."
Interview by Mark Holmes
RELATED LINKS
Official Job For a Cowboy Facebook:
JOB FOR A COWBOY DISCOGRAPHY
Doom (2005)
Albums & EPs
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to Andy Turner for arranging the interview.
With Job For A Cowboy's third full-length studio album recently released, the hard-hitting, no-nonsense, heavy-as-fuck slab of contemporary death metal, 'Demonocracy', only frontman/vocalist Jonny Davy remains from the band's inception. However, drafting two new members into their ranks last year, guitarist Tony Sannicandro and bassist Nick Schendzielos, Jonny considers the band stronger than ever and back with their best material to date, as he explains to Metal Discovery...
Job For A Cowboy - promo shot
Photograph copyright © 2012 Tom Couture
JONNY DAVY
Official Job For A Cowboy website:
Genesis (2007)
Ruination (2009)
Live Ruination (2010)
Gloom (2011)
Demonocracy (2012)
MD: You recruited Brent Elliott White again for the cover artwork, which looks amazing – did you give him free reign for the art or sketch out your own ideas of the kind of thing you wanted?
JONNY: I simply sent him the lyrics to the record with a rough explanation of what all the songs were about. Other than that we let him do whatever he wanted and I feel he really nailed it on the head.
MD: You recorded in the AudioHammer Studios in Florida with Jason Suecof producing once again – does the familiarity of having the same producer and studio heighten your confidence and efficiency in the studio so you’re able to improve on previous experiences of working there and with him?
JONNY: I believe so. It's nice being able to expect what you're walking into. We've had a couple issues where we weren't too happy with the studio atmosphere in the past, so we ended up not recording with them. With Jason, he's just one of our really good friends. We respect what he's done and we respect his opinion.
MD: Tony and Nick are new to the band as of last year on guitar and bass – have they brought a new dimension to your sound in any way or has it been more a case of them slipping into the established Job for a Cowboy vibe?
JONNY: I think it’s safe to say by listening to ‘Demonocracy’ that they have helped us progress tremendously. The simple answer to everything is the fact that we look for better musicians to fill the shoes of the previous ones who have left. This is by far our most technical album with the most storytelling involved.
MD: What can fans expect from the new material; has there been a progression in your sound at all?
JONNY: Of course, we're the type of band who never want to put out the same record twice. A lot of bands find their niche and find a safe zone where they keep writing albums that sound more or less extremely similar to the ones they put out previously. We are much more into the idea of constantly progressing and improving as a band.
MD: I gather you’ve been playing a couple of new tracks in your live set – how have they been going down with audiences?
JONNY: Surprisingly very well. A lot of times when bands play newer material the audience doesn't really know how to react due to the fact that they have never heard the song before. For these new songs that we've been playing, it’s like we've been playing them for years in front of the audience. It’s something we haven't really experienced before with our previous material.
MD: Is there a kind of feeling that you’re test driving new material to gauge reactions when you play songs prior to them actually being released?
JONNY: With new songs, you always have to test drive them!
MD: The press often talks about you shifting from deathcore to death metal in style – do you think that’s a general misconception as haven’t JFAC always been a contemporary death metal band?
JONNY: Honestly... YES. We are firmly aware that due to the fact that we released the ‘Doom’ EP, we will always be labelled as "deathcore" one way or another. We gained a lot of recognition for it, before we even had the real time to develop. A lot of people made their opinions on us before we even had the chance to put out our first full length. When you think about it, that rarely happens. The reality is, I consider our first full length a contemporary death metal record and so forth after that. It is what it is.
MD: All subgenres ending in “core” seem to be used as derogatory, almost put-down terms, for bands – do you think the misconceived deathcore label has had a negative impact for the band in any way?
JONNY: It depends on who you are and the way you look at it.
MD: If I can run a few comments by you I’ve read online about your music…
“Sexiest pig squeals I've EVER heard” (YouTube comment under ‘Entombment of a Machine’). Have you ever regarded your music as sexy or yourselves as sex symbols?
JONNY: I am the death metal Fabio... Of course not.
MD: About the March Destroyers of the Faith shows, someone said on Blabbermouth: “Hopefully this tour will show a few people that Job For A Cowboy are actually a solid Death Metal band these days.” Did you receive any feedback to that effect post-shows, perhaps people discovering your music afresh on any of those dates?
JONNY: Yes! That was a great tour for us, it seemed to of really changed a lot of people’s opinions on us.
MD: “They really should change their name. I was at the record store and saw their albums listed under country music.” Do you ever get many country fans turn up at your gigs?
JONNY: Country fans? I wish.
MD: Finally, next year will be a decade since JFAC formed – have you talked yet about doing anything special to celebrate the occasion?
JONNY: I am sure we will be on the road, doing what we've always done.