Kari Williams posted on October 04, 2012 08:00
Green River Ordinance returns to St. Louis with a headlining show at The Old Rock House on Oct. 11. Lead vocalist Josh Jenkins took the time to chat with InsideSTL about the band’s latest album, their songwriting process and more.
InsideSTL: How did the song-writing process for Under Fire differ from your previous albums?
Josh Jenkins: I think … [we] wanted to be a little bit more adventurous… We allowed ourselves time to explore songs and … We had a little bit more freedom to do that on this record than the last.
InsideSTL: What stands out about the latest album compared to previous albums, other than the fact that the band is no longer with Capital Records?
JJ: Just a maturing process of the band. Finding out who we are, who we want to be as band from this record to the last, and I’m proud of the last [record]. It was a great snapshot of where we were at that time. As we grow as people, as musicians, as a band, we’re always finding better ways to do things.
InsideSTL: What sets your live show apart from other bands?
JJ: … I would say one thing we strive to do with live shows is make the show an experience and not just where you come watch us play … We want you to leave there feeling like you were a part of something.
InsideSTL: What has been the biggest change within the band that has affected your music?
JJ: I think life. I think it’s just that you grow with people and get married and working through all those relationships and learning about yourself and other people … and all of that stuff finds its way into the music… [We’re] really pouring that into our music… [and] learning a lot through that process [that we] have a lot to say, a lot to share.
InsideSTL: What experience from your life has most shaped your music/the band?
JJ: I would say a lot of our experience as band is trying to not only be better friends to each other, better brothers – when you travel all the time it’s like a marriage, you find out quick that you’re selfish [and you] need to think outside of yourself… Learning through that process of being gone from home… [and] trying to work through stuff… One of the great inspirations is meeting people and hearing stories on the road [from the] people we encounter… Things people share with us, as time goes on we find ways to put that into a song and be inspired by someone else’s story.
InsideSTL: What’s an example of story from someone you’ve met that has turned into a song?
JJ: I think it’s bits and pieces…. “On Your Own” wasn’t autobiographic. [It’s a combination of] just people we’d met, conversations [with] friends close to us… a story created about times in life when you feel different or not understood [and the] problems you’re dealing with … [that make you] kind of isolate yourself and you don’t allow yourself to have a community and be loved … Working through all of that and the perseverance of seeing outside your current situation…
InsideSTL: What are you looking forward to about the show at the Old Rock House?
JJ: Well, we love St. Louis. We have had a blast the time before last, we really haven’t spent lot of time in St. Louis before… We haven’t spent lot of time doing our own shows so we were blown away just by the crowd and the people and how fun everyone was. We love when people can a have good time… We’re looking forward to that show just because we know the energy it’s going to have …