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The Showdown


On Monday, April 3rd, 2006, JfH staffers John and Amy DiBiase and Josh Taylor met up with metal band The Showdown for a morning interview during GMA Music week in Nashville, Tennessee. Josh conducted the interview with the "high voltage" stars to discuss their sound, forthcoming sophomore project, and... Flyleaf?
This interview took place on: 4/3/06.



  • Jesus freak Hideout (Josh Taylor): First, what do each of you do in the band?
    David Bunton: Vocals.
    Josh Childers: Guitar.
    Andrew Hall: Drums.

  • JFH (Josh): How did you guys come up with the name "The Showdown?"
    Josh: We made a list like a mile long and "The Showdown" was the only thing that we all didn’t hate. *laughter*
    David: Yeah.

  • JFH (Josh): How exactly did you guys get started?
    David: We played a little punk band back in the day, and, from there, we snowballed into the heavy metal machine that we are, to make a long story short. *laughter* We just jammed, forever. Since like, ’99.

  • JFH (Josh): Have you guys known each other for a while?
    David: Me and Josh have known each other for quite a while. Me and Travis grew up together. Everybody else, just kind of around the time of the end of high school. And Andrew, we met him like three or four years ago. We’ve been together pretty much more than most people that have known each other for a long time just because they tour. I mean, I wake up and see these people everyday. I might as well have known them since I was five.

  • JFH (Josh): What kind of musical influences do you guys draw from?
    Josh: A bunch of different stuff.
    David: Disciple.
    Josh: Disciple! The last record was mostly old Thrash stuff. Metallica, Pantera, things like that.
    Andrew: Same here. Slayer, Pantera.

  • JFH (Josh): Andrew, do you have any heroes? Because I watch you play up there and it’s…ridiculous.
    Andrew: Yeah, I like a lot of drummers. I like Dave Lombardo, Vinnie Paul… Lars, I like Lars.

  • JFH (Josh): You guys have become one of the biggest names in Christian metal- at least around Tennessee, in the Nashville area, at Rocketown and such- How have you guys taken the success, and what kind of things have changed since A Chorus of Obliteration came out?
    Josh: We’re not a garage band anymore *laughter*. Personally, I can’t speak for everybody, but for me it’s not like a huge difference. It’s cool to go to shows and play for more than twenty kids, which is what happened the first time we played Rocketown. But we agreed it’d take a whole lot more than what we’ve got before it starts going to our heads.

  • JFH (Josh): Yeah, my friend asked me to ask you guys what it was like from where you were the first time you played Rocketown when there were only a few people there, to where you are now, and seeing what the difference was. So I think he was at that show and he was asking about that. What’s it like being on Mono Vs. Stereo? Because I mean, I think they’re a really good label. The bands they’ve got, they’re doing it right. So what’s it like being on that label?
    David: It’s cool.

  • JFH (Josh): You like it?
    David: Yeah! So far, I mean, we’ve gotten everything we’ve wanted. We did our first CD and put it out, and soon after we got to do another CD. They spent a lot more on it than they did on the first one, and it’s cool. We got to work with the producer we wanted to, so we’re happy.

  • JFH (Josh): Do you get a lot of freedom to do what you want musically?
    David: Yeah.

  • JFH (Josh): What can you tell us about the new CD?
    David: It’s high voltage. It’s completely different. No screaming-

  • JFH (Josh): No screaming? Really?
    David: Just complete… power.

  • JFH (Josh): Is it more southern still?
    David: No.
    Josh: The southern thing will be played out in two years. Guaranteed.
    David: I mean, there’s as much southern on this one as there is on the first CD. I mean, we didn’t really try to put a certain amount on the first, we didn’t really try to put a certain amount on the second CD.

  • JFH (Josh): It just kind of comes out?
    David: Yeah, I mean, it’s there. I mean, there’s a lot of different ideas on the new CD.

  • JFH (Josh): So it’s still going to be different from, like, "Breath of the Swamp"?
    David: Yeah, I think that song is gonna be on the CD. But it’s a lot slower than that song. More power. If I could say one word to describe it: power. *laughter*

  • JFH (Josh): So it’s still gonna be metal, but not like a lot of screaming?
    Andrew: It’s a different kind of music. A different kind of metal. It’s not thrash metal, speed metal, death metal… It’s more of just a hard rockin’, heavy metal.

  • JFH (Josh): Do you still get to do double bass?
    Andrew: Not much. (Josh: Really??) More AC/DC.
    David: It’s 9 to 5 Construction Worker. *laughter* I mean, I’m being dead serious.

  • JFH (Josh): I saw you guys in November, and you played a couple of the new songs. I was trying to listen to the words, and it didn’t sound like the last CD (Taking stuff from the Bible, Sodom and Gomorrah, "wrath of God" type stuff). Are you guys still going to deal with those kinds of issues? Or are you moving on to different subjects?
    Josh: We’re moving on up. (Josh: Okay, because it seemed like one subject matter the whole time. But it was really cool. What kind of subjects are you guys going to deal with?) Everyday life. I mean, in reality, if you’re going to cover something as narrow as Old Testament warfare, spiritual warfare, Revelations in the context of ten songs, you start writing the same thing over and over again, unless you’re a lot more creative than I am *laughter*

  • JFH (Josh): Well, I thought the record was amazing.
    Josh: Oh, we’re happy of it for what it was, totally. Like we’re totally stoked on what the record was. It’s just, we’re moving on.

  • JFH (Amy DiBiase): Do you do a lot of the writing?
    Josh: Yeah, I write the lyrics.

  • JFH (Josh): You write the lyrics exclusively?
    David: Exclusively.
    Josh: Yeah *laughs* I mean, the new record, it’s just different, it’s not straight up Bible stories. Like, straight up, "okay, this is the story of the walls of Jericho," or "This is the story of David and Goliath," or anything like that anymore. It’s more, I mean, you know, just everyday life. It’s not as exclusive, or anything like that, but I feel like it’s gonna reach more people. (Josh: Do you guys still deal with subjects of God, and the Christian walk, and stuff like that?) We’re Christians. It affects everything we do.

  • JFH (Josh): Yeah, a lot of people don’t have that attitude. Are you guys playing a lot of festivals this summer? I know you’re playing Cornerstone.
    David: Jason Dunn, courtesy of Jesusfreakhideout.com Cornerstone, Cornerstone… Hopefully, Lifest, they give massages. *laughter* Creations, I don’t think those. What’s that one…? Spirit? (Amy: Purple Door?) Purple Door! You know, they wouldn’t book us! *laughter* Forget Purple Door! Yeah, and I hope they hear it too! We had a good show last year. We played at ten o’clock in the morning, and everybody was there jamming. (Josh: That's cool!) Yeah, so…forget you, Purple Door. *laughter* The thing is, honestly, forget Purple Door, but man, that was like… awesome. That was like, the end of our summer. It was fun. It was a great festival. It was… the perfect ending to our tour last summer, and they suck for not booking us again, because we had such a good time. Pretty… pretty lame. Hopefully, they’ll book us next year.

  • JFH (Josh): Maybe not after this, if they read it. (Laughter) What are you guys going to be doing in the fall then? More touring?
    Josh: We’ll see. We’re really busy touring this summer. And we spent 10 out of the last 12 months last year on tour. So we might not spend the entire fall on tour.

  • JFH (Josh): Do you guys have a title for the new CD yet?
    Josh: Temptation, Come My Way. It’s tentative, but we’re pretty sure.

  • JFH (Josh): Do you guys have a title for the new CD yet?
    Josh: Temptation, Come My Way. It’s tentative, but we’re pretty sure.

  • JFH (Josh): How many tracks are going to be on it?
    David: Ten or eleven.

  • JFH (Josh): Are you guys done with it now?
    Josh: It's done. (Josh: So you guys have heard it and you liked it, and you’re excited about it?) Yes.

  • JFH (Josh): What kind of stuff has God been teaching you guys lately?
    Andrew: Patience.
    David: Well, we went on a tour with Flyleaf, and we learned a lot from them. They’re killer. They really have their heads on straight. And they’re really out there in the secular market, even more so than, like, the Blindside tour we did. It’s crazy. It’s insane. And that’s more where we’re trying to go. And the shows were just- I mean, honestly, if you don’t have your head on straight, you might get in trouble. Because it’s free. Anything you want is free. Everything’s free. The booze, the women. *laughter* You have to seriously be jamming for the Lamb.
    Josh: The thing is, it’s funny, but it’s true.
    David: Yeah! I mean, it’s definitely ridiculous. It’s cool to go out with a band like Flyleaf. They totally took care of us. They offered us their bus. They gave us peanut butter and jelly, an ice chest, water everyday. It wasn’t in the contract. They just did it out of the kindness of their hearts. They, first of all, took us out on a tour, which was killer. And, I mean, they are so- have their heads on so straight. I mean, they won’t even wear a wristband with a beer logo on it. So, I mean, like, it’s cool to see that and learn from that. And we’re not exactly like that, but it’s awesome to have that… (Amy: Example.) Yeah! Oh, it’s killer! I mean, because they’re on the radio. They’re blowing up. I mean, they’re gonna be huge. (Josh: They are big!) They’re going on tour with Korn. And they just went on tour with bands that are, honestly, coked out. And they’re just really…I mean, they’re for real…I think they’re a real light in that music scene. So it’s killer.
    Josh: And the thing is, they don’t even know. They’re like the most humble people I’ve met. Like they have no idea how big they are. And I don’t think they would even care if they did.
    Andrew: They’re not charted, and they’re like top ten in Billboard.

  • JFH (Josh): I work at a Christian bookstore. And we sell them a lot. But, I mean, their CD is like nine bucks.
    Andrew: Yeah, we went to Target, and it was $6.98. They sell a lot of records.
    David: They’re a good band live too. (Josh: Really?) Yeah.
    Josh: Which is so rare for a big band. *laughter*
    David: Their singer did an acoustic set. We were at the venue and we heard it. They were doing it on the radio, and, honestly, she sounds exactly like the CD. (Josh: Are you serious?) It’s awesome.
    Josh: She has a real voice.
    David: Put me on an acoustic set, and you will hear, honestly, the most horrible thing ever. But she’s got skill, straight up. They all do, really. (Josh: Kind of a "light in the darkness" kind of thing?) Yeah.

  • JFH (Josh): So you guys are kind of wanting to break out into the secular scene and do the same thing? But in your own way?
    Josh: We just want to affect as many people as we can. I mean, that’s the thing. We’ve been preaching to the choir for awhile, which is fine. We’re glad we can encourage people.

  • JFH (Josh): Yeah, I mean, with your last record, a lot of that was just spiritual battle and stuff. And I know a lot of people around here needed to hear that. So it helped out a lot.
    David: Yeah, and it’s killer to tell those stories in a way that other people like Slipknot or heavy bands like that- I mean like, dude, there’s not many bands like that. I mean, Christian heavy music is good. It’s killer. It’s cool to have an alternative, and we’re proud of the message that the old record had. And the new one will have a different message and we’re proud of it too. I mean, the same, but in a different way.

  • JFH (Josh): Right. Well, that’s about it. Any last comments for JesusfreakHideout viewers that might read this?
    David: Well, I don’t know if you guys know, but Freaked is coming out on Gotee Records. And we’re track one. *laughter*. So, if you honestly took the time to type www.JesusfreakHideout.com in your computer, you better take the time to go and pick up Freaked: A Tribute to dc Talk.

  • JFH (Josh): And, can I ask you, what is High Voltage Heavy Metal to you?
    David: It is, honestly, something you can’t teach. It’s a spirit. It’s a vibe. It’s an attitude. It’s a lifestyle choice. High Voltage Heavy Metal is a crushing riff that strikes you from a lightning bolt in a ceiling, through your head, and comes out your heart. It explodes with a 777, and all you’re doing is jamming for the Lamb and rocking the flock.

  • JFH (Josh): Thank you guys so much!
    David: Man, this is killer.


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