Shinedown, Zach Myers Interview: We Write Relatable Songs

2022-07-06

Shinedown photo - credit Jimmy Fontaine

Shinedown – Story by Anne Erickson, photo by Jimmy Fontaine

Shinedown guitarist Zach Myers joins Anne Erickson to discuss the band’s new album, “Planet Zero,” why the band likes to write songs with longevity and more

Shinedown are back with a new album, “Planet Zero,” out last Friday. As is often the case with Shinedown’s music, the band has put together a collection of songs with a long shelf life, discussing everything from the political divide in America (and throughout the world), the damaging effects of social media and more. Listen to the full Shinedown album here.

Shinedown guitarist Zach Myers spoke with Audio Ink Radio about the new release. He says it’s incredibly important to Shinedown to write songs that will be relevant for decades to come.

“The fact of the matter is, for us, we chose to write songs that would maybe carry on a little bit longer,” Myers told Audio Ink Radio. “We didn’t want to write party songs. We didn’t want to write songs about getting laid and getting hammered. That was never our deal.”

He adds, “It was more subject matter of is this relatable now and will this be relatable in 30 years and will people’s kids want to listen to it the same way they wanted to listen to it. I appreciate how much people appreciate the work that we put in. We do work hard at the songwriting aspect of it and we want to have things that aren’t necessary just for the current moment that’s happening now.”

Myers added that “Planet Zero” is different from many Shinedown records because it’s not really about band members’ perosnal experiences. “This record is not necessarily autobiographical,” he said. “It’s more we’re an obverserver of what’s happening in this world and the things that have gone down, especially the past two years with Covid, but even a little bit longer than that with the cancel culture thing and even more than that. This record, if you’re a hardcore fan of Shinedown and you delve into lyrically what’s we’ve done before, you’re going to get a different vibe from this one, because it’s way more of a guardian observer than it is first person.”

When it comes to feeling satisfied with what the band has contributed to music, Myers feels grateful to see so many fans at Shinedown shows and hear stories from those fans about how the group has changed their lives. He doesn’t need a Grammy to feel “complete.”

“We’ve never been nominated for a Grammy, but we sell out arenas,” he says. “We’ve had more No. 1 Billboard active rock songs than any band ever. But, we’ve never been nominated for a Grammy. People look at success very differently, and as I get older, I certainly do. For me, I don’t look at success in a vacuum. I don’t look at this thing and go, well, this has to be this and this. For me, personally, I look at it as, do people come and see my band play? Do people like what they hear when we put something out on the radio? You know what? Then, I’m set. I don’t need anything else. I don’t need any of this. I don’t need to be this guy that has all these things and is nominated for every award. I don’t care about awards.”

He adds, “I can’t express enough how much I could give a flying s*** about winning [a Grammy]. Honestly. I know tons of bands that win Grammys that can’t draw 200 people in St. Louis, Missouri. I don’t need a trophy to know that the work has effected people. I preface this as much as I can: I don’t possibly think I could care less. Really. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, but but you’re want to,’ and honestly, I’d give it to my mom and dad. That thing would never come inside my house. I don’t care.”

Listen to Audio Ink Radio’s full interview with Zach Myers of Shinedown above. You can also hear it on the podcast via Apple Podcasts here and Spotify here.

Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Features, Interviews, Music, Rock

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