Thursday, April 10, 2008
Originally from a small island by Great Britain called the Isle of Man, Back Door Slam is currently on tour in the United States to promote their debut album Roll Away. Catch this blues-rock band perform at the Record Bar, 1020 Westport Rd., Kansas City, Mo., on April 21, or at Lawrence’s Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival June 5.
Guitarist and vocalist Davy Knowles talks to Jayplay about problems while touring and how he stays humble despite his band’s success.
You guys hail from the Isle of Man. Anything special we should know about the place?
It’s a completely independent country and it has its own Parliament, the longest running Parliament in the world. It’s like England, only completely different.
Back Door Slam, from left: Adam Jones, Davy Knowles and Ross Doyle
You recently performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live, your second national television performance. Was it easier than the first time?
We were more experienced and knew what was going to happen. The show went really, really well. We jumped up 200 places on the Amazon.com sales chart, which is really great for us.
You’ve had some problems during this tour with your van breaking down and being broken into. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to face on the road?
Yeah, that was a big problem. We actually had to hire two cars to drive across Texas, which wasn’t great. When you’re traveling so much you don’t get much sleep so it gets hard. It’s also hard being away from my family and girlfriend. But we love doing it.
You released your debut album Roll Away last year, and it received rave reviews. How does it feel to have achieved such success so early in your career?
It’s outstanding to think that we are from a small island, had never been to America before, didn’t quite know what we were doing when we got here, and we’ve been received so well. We didn’t know what to expect when we made the album, but we were very lucky. Getting so far so quickly has been amazing, and we are very grateful for it.
One review said your band was 10 to 20 years ahead of its time. Where do you actually see yourself in 10 or 20 years?
I’d love to be doing this the rest of my life. We all think this is a lifestyle, not a job or career. It’s how you live your life. I’d love to still be here in this position, and still be playing.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Wow, that’s a hard one. I’d say, keep your head down. It’s really nice when people come up to you after the show and say, “Great show, we love your music,” but you have to take it as a piece of salt and trust your own performance and trust yourself.
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