INTERVIEW: Ron Winter from The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Ahead of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus’s tour of Australia, the bands spokesman and founder, Ron Winter, found time between road trip and attending to family commitments to chat to Australian indie journo types about the tour and to share his thoughts on the bands career.

Their current single “On Become Willing” has hit 10 weeks #1 US Billboard Christian Rock Charts, testament to the band’s relationship to their many fans and listeners. In that thread, the show the band are bringing on the forthcoming tour is squarely focused on giving fans exactly what they want, here’s what Winter has to say.

“(This time around) we only picked countries specifically that are having an organic reaction (to the new album- The Awakening, ’18), that we can track online. We have the analytics now and I don’t have to call a manager and ask for it because I managed the band. The third highest (territory for The Awakening) is Australia. Basically, what I’m doing now is we are going to the countries that we can see online, that are streaming than the music. Then we’re playing the four most popular songs… we’re just using the data and giving them what they want. And after that we’re blasting them with all the hits”

Winter’s an affable and intelligent fellow. The demand for Australian performances by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is appreciated by him and the band. He’s toured here a few times and success in the Antipodes isn’t taken for granted.

“We literally just did a 10-year anniversary, Don’t You Fake It tour of Australia and it was killer. Every show was packed. Almost all of them are sold out. (A few cities) we had to play two nights in a row, which is something we almost never do. A lot of bigger, more famous band do that but that was new to us. I’m very happy. But it was different for us, we weren’t used to playing in the same place. Coming off of that, you know, you gotta think like, okay, there’s no way you’re going to top that… just be honest with yourself. You already gave them what they wanted to see.”

Korn’s Jonathan Davis has expressed sentiment to the effect that he sees his role as a lyricist as a big responsibility… anyone can and does read what they want into published lyrics. The artist isn’t ultimately accountable for an individual’s interpretation but that doesn’t mean crafting a lyric isn’t a commitment by the artist according to many fans.

The lyrics that Winter crafts are heartfelt and meaningful, a sincere message of hope is embedded throughout his narrative. How much pressure or responsibility does he feel during the creative process?

“… in the beginning I didn’t care as much. I was 22 years old. All I cared about was drinking and partying and having a good time and I still was very careful with my lyrics and I wanted to put a positive message out, but I was at 22-year-old kid. I mean, come on like how responsible can you really be at 22? Definitely not me and my friends. We were just living life. We were in a rock band that was doing well. People liked (the albums) and you know, we did the party thing and in the early years of Korn I recall it being very similar. They grew up fast. They had a couple of big songs and they got into the party scene and I am familiar a little bit with the Korn story and if I’m not mistaken, half the band is sober and spiritual now, just like our band and he (Davis) is now openly saying (words to the effect) how he feels responsible with his lyrics and so do I.

That’s just with any band that has more than one record that’s been around longer than 10 years, you learn that, hey man, this stuff is powerful! You’re not just up here saying stuff that means nothing to nobody because you meet these kids after the show and they come up to you, they tell you that and they look you in the eye, After that happens to you enough times… God knows that happened to me a lot and still does to this day with “Face Down” (Don’t You Fake It– ’06). It changes you, it makes you pay attention.”

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