Jimmy Bower - Down

June 19 2009 (Hellfest - Clisson)

It's with great pleasure that I went on my interview crusade with the very cool Jimmy Bower (drummer), also guitarist for EYEHATEGOD and other bands from the NOLA scene. And it's with the charming company of his girlfriend that we started this "beer soaked" interview…you'll understand later on.

Fab: Happy to be back in France? maybe a "special" country for DOWN.
Jimmy Bower: Very much. I played like Strasbourg, Paris…

- We are then interrupted by Peeper (Keenan, guitars) who tries to get some of Jimmy's cigarettes, apparently not really amusing the drummer, who claims that they're all he got left-

Jimmy Bower: Sorry. Yeah, I love France, it's great to be here. And it's the first time we play in the HELLFEST. I just played with EYEHATEGOD (ndlr: I realized then, that he just got off the stage about one hour before this interview) and waiting to play with DOWN, so it's all good, man!

Fab: Have you planned something special for your upcoming show?
Jimmy Bower: oh, we're gonna kick ass! And do a good show, man.

Fab: Don' t you miss the videos you usually use as a support act?
Jimmy Bower: Do I miss it? No. I think it ran its course for us, we did as much with that as we could do. Maybe bring it back later in the future, you know, in a different format or something. But right now, it's been nice having some support act, people to talk to during the day, it's just so lonely when you're on your own. But it was great though, you know, very cool because we played like our favourite videos and stuff like that.

Fab : Any news for DOWN IV?
Jimmy Bower: Oh you know, we're going into the studio in the fall, we already have it booked. And we're gonna go into the studio and write that fuckin'record. We finish this tour, in august we go on tour with THE MELVINS in the United States, and after that, we'll go straight to the studio, so, staying busy, man, staying busy.

Fab: And what are gonna be the artistic directions?
Jimmy Bower: We're thinking "Nola"(1995), you know, we're thinking of the first record. Straight to the point, you know, it's like, with a band like DOWN, we do have many ways to go… but I think we're testing and trying things. I think we know what we wanna do, you know? We wanna be heavy. It's still be melodic, it's still gonna be DOWN.

Fab: Back to the roots?
Jimmy Bower: Back to the roots! Yes sir!

Fab: As the lyrics were really deep in the last album, any ideas about the inspiration on the new lyrics? Did Phil Anselmo already have mentioned some ideas to you? Or is it to soon for now?
Jimmy Bower: We haven't really talked, we haven't been that far, no. Phil, obviously, is an amazing writer. Kids love him, he's sought afterwards. Leave that up that to him. He's always got something to talk about, the hurricane, bad things that happened to us and stuff like that... Hopefully now, you know, maybe on this next one, it (the lyrics) will be more positive, kind of a breath of fresh air. More of every daylike kind of thing. I mean, we're very healed from our tragedies, and we're now very positive, and just looking forward to make beautiful music.

Fab: Will you have more input in this new record than in "Over The Under"?
Jimmy Bower: I hope so, yeah. I've been writing a lot. I had six months off, and I spent the whole time in a little studio that I have in my house, writing and writing and writing. Whether any of it will be on the record, I don't know, but I would definitely play it (to the band), and we'll see. Hopefully! Fingers crossed and stuff (laughter).

Fab: Do you also record ideas while touring?
Jimmy Bower: Yeah, I have "Garage band" on my "Mac Book", and I'm constantly putting ideas down. Because you never know whenever your idea will come back, so.

Fab: Do you consider DOWN as an "All-Star band"?
Jimmy Bower: People call us that, and I can see why they do. To me, it's just people we've all known each other for twenty plus years, we know each other like a glove. And I think it really helps in the writing process because we respect each other, there's not just one guy, we all have input into it. It's refreshing to be in a band like that as opposed to a monarchy (laughter).

Fab: Can we consider, as I read someone in the band claimed it, that DOWN is now a really serious band, not just a reunion of friends?
Jimmy Bower: Yes, sir. It's a band that we all hope to grow old with. Like I said, the diversity of things that we can go and do, are limitless. The friend thing is the first thing, the second thing is the fact that we are all together and we make decision together. Let's all grow old together in this band.

Fab: Because as first, it was a side-project.
Jimmy Bower: Yeah. Everybody was pretty busy, but it was just a matter of making the transition.

- It's at this moment that Jimmy inadvertently spilled his beer on my voice recorder, very amusing his girlfriend - (NDRC - and making me laugh to tears :p)

Jimmy Bower: (looking awfully embarrassed) I'm so sorry, man…

Fab: No, it's ok, it's an honour for me to have your beer on my recorder! (laughter)
Jimmy Bower: And it's my first beer….anyway. I think DOWN is a powerfull band that has a lot to offer in metal, because, it's a little odd, there's so many different styles in it. It's very refreshing to be in a band that I consider unique. I don't think we sound like any other band. We sound like Down.

Fab: And what's your opinion about the followers, bands who tries to copy your style?
Jimmy Bower: I think we're one of the first bands, in a long time, to bring Blues back in, you know, like in the early seventies. There were thousands of bands doing the Blues things, LED ZEPPELIN, BLACK SABBATH, shoot, you name it. It kind of die off to me, it got really tight. And just being able to bring in those strings back in, you know, play a little swing to it, it's in that respect that we're very unique, I think. It's when we're together jamming, where the magic happens. For "Over the under", our last release, we wrote for about six months, but it was still a song a day. And then we went into the studio, you know, to me, the demos even sound better than on the record. It's fresher, rawer. And it's what kind of band DOWN is.
For "Over the under", we went in to the studio in L.A., and I think everybody has too much time listening, perfecting things, we kinda lose that edge, you know? What I did on drums, to me, it's not perfect, but it's spontaneous, if that makes sense.

Fab: This year, the HELLFEST is almost the "NOLAFEST" as there's EHG, OO, SOILENT GREEN & DOWN on the bill. Do you think we should rename it?
Jimmy Bower: Or maybe we should bring this festival to New Orleans, you know? (laughter). The food would be the same. It's all good French food.

Fab: You're still more intro drums than guitar? As you can play both.
Jimmy Bower: Right now, I'm in a drumming state of mind. For me, it's very easy to switch, you know. My "style" on guitar is very simple, a really feeling kind of thing. It's very easy for me to get into that mode, I've been doing this for so long. But right now, drums! I feel good about my playing, very comfortable, it's good.

Fab: What's the most surprising thing that happened while touring? On behalf of the fans for instance.
Jimmy Bower: Flags man! Like in every show, people have been making flags for us, you know. And we save them all, and we're gonna make a big backdrop. We're almost there, it's gonna be a big backdrop, so. We're almost done. We've been collecting them since 2002, so we have a lot of flags. For somebody to sit there, think of an idea for a flag, and to really sew it, (seems moved)t hey show how much they appreciate us, it's all in our hearts…it's a beautiful thing, man.

Fab: It's very nice from you to acknowledge this and your fans. Not every band really respect their fans that much.
Jimmy Bower: We don't have egos, man. We just like to jam, we just like to play music, without fancy hairdos, of clothes, etc…

Fab: Like MOTLEY CRUE!
Jimmy Bower: Yeah (laughter), right. They're a great band though.

Fab: Yeah. But you're playing music just for music.
Jimmy Bower: We're just trying to be the people's band. It's no more intricate than that. It's that simple.

Fab: What do you think about the new haircut of Phil?
Jimmy Bower: I think it's awesome, man! I think he looks like he's 20 years old again.

Fab: It reminds me of the beginning…
Jimmy Bower: "Cowboys From Hell", yeah! He did it because he got sick of the hair on his face. He feels good.

Fab: You're next? (big smile)
Jimmy Bower: no, no (laughter, especially including his girlfriend). I would look like an idiot.

Fab: (turning towards his girlfriend) What do you think?
Jimmy's girlfriend: I'd like him either way…

Fab: Wouah, she's very nice.
Jimmy Bower: That's why she's my girl (general laughter).

Fab: Are you happy to be with ROADRUNNER?
Jimmy Bower: Yes, very. They've done a great job, they really work the bands hard. Their resources are good, and I think they believe in what they do, which is very hard to find among record labels these days.

Fab: You need some trust.
Jimmy Bower: Yeah, there has to be a certain line of trust. Believe me, my asshole's still red from contracts I've signed when I was a kid, you know.

Fab: A last word for your fans and the readers of BSPIX?
Jimmy Bower: Thank you for your support over the years, and I hope to never let you down.