BURDEN OF THE SKY – AN INTERVIEW WITH SCOTTIE JAMES
Burden of the Sky is a hard hitting alternative metal band hailing from America’s heartland. The group just released their new explosive single entitled “The Flood” which features dark soundscapes and dynamic vocals. Led by lead singer Scottie James and guitarist Josh Appel, the band has performed across the Midwest and has supported such acts as Sevendust, Nonpoint and Nothing More. The remainder of the band is composed of TJ Duckwiler (Guitar/Vocals), Rick Streeter (Drums), Dustin Tritsch (Bass) and Mike Mahoney (Keys).
“The Flood” is just one of Burden of the Sky‘s brazen tracks from their recent E.P., Burn. The song features the talents of Morgan Rose (Sevendust) and Blake Bedsaul (Saul) as collaborators. “The Flood” contains intense guitar riffs, imposing musicianship and pulverizing vocals. The tune carries a storm of voracious sound while still featuring a melodic undertow. In addition, Burn showcases several other fierce tracks. “Lights” has a strong cinematic feel with a hammering cadence. The sharp percussions and layers of intricate guitar licks are impressive. “Horizons” plainly kicks ass with James’ ferocious vocals and BOTS‘ galvanic barrage of energy.
Scottie James has graced AMP with this stellar interview.
AMP: Your single, “The Flood” packs a dark punch. What was the impetus for the song?
SCOTTIE: I’m sure people have heard this before but this song was written for our late guitar player, Bradford Shaw. We lost him a few years back. He was a founding member of the band. It hit us really hard. Since it happened during Covid, we never had a chance to say goodbye. So we did the only thing we know. We wrote “The Flood”. Very shortly after Brad passed, Josh started writing the music. We actually shelved it for a little while.
When we started writing with Ricky Armellino from Ice Nine Kills, we learned a bunch of writing tricks. When we returned, we pulled “The Flood” back out and decided to give it another shot. I took the music and started writing some vocal melodies and jotting down some lyrics. We finished the song. In the meantime, Morgan Rose from Sevendust reached out and wanted to work with us in the studio. We forwarded him several songs including “The Flood”. He immediately latched onto it.
When he heard the backstory he was floored. He was totally into it. He worked with us on some of the arrangements and we all felt it came out awesome. Afterwards, Octane picked it up and we started a tour with Sevendust. Brad would have been so proud since he was a huge Sevendust fan.
AMP: How does the band’s creative process work?
SCOTTIE: Josh and I are basically the main writers in the band. What typically happens is Josh writes some music. Then we toss chord progressions around until we find something we like. We fine tune that. Once we get half way through the song having a cool verse and chorus, I usually lay down some vocal melodies. We’ll finish up the track and I will start writing lyrics. If we get something we really like, we bring it to the band and then off to our producer to add some finishing touches.
AMP: What is the one thing you want your fans to take away from your music?
SCOTTIE: That’s always a hard one! We are pretty simple. If we write music that incites feelings or emotions, something that people to connect to, , then we’ve done a good job.That’s all we want to do. We are just a group of guys who love to write and play music. If someone comes up to us and says our music has lifted them up in any way, then it’s all worth it.
AMP: You’ve collaborated with some A-list talent. Is there anyone you would love to work with in the future?
SCOTTIE: We’re big fans of Bad Omens. I would love to work with their singer Noah Sebastian and pick his brain.The guys always make fun of me but I’m really into Sleep Token. Their drummer is amazing. I would love to sit in the studio and work off some of his beats. Billy Eilish and FINNEAS are another two that could be an interesting mix.
AMP: The band recently toured with Sevendust and Nonpoint. How was that?
SCOTTIE: It was an incredible experience. The entire time we were so grateful. Both bands have been major influences for us and they are two bands who have been through it all. They have longevity. So, being on the same bill as them for our first major tour was extraordinary. It was a total learning experience. We got to see how it was all done. We would stay backstage and take notes. They were so professional.
In addition, we met so many people. It was our first trip to the East Coast and we weren’t sure how we would go. What we found was a lot of love from the fans. People told us how much our songs meant to them and that felt great.
AMP: Your sound is raw yet melodic. How do you balance the two?
SCOTTIE: That’s always been our goal, or at least mine. I can’t speak for all the members in the band but for me, our sound is all about balance. I think that’s why people get so into it. There are moments when we come off poppy but in contrast, there are moments when we crash down hard. We always appreciated bands that could do a little bit of both. We try to do just that. Mesh the melodic with the metal.
AMP: Best song to play live and why?
SCOTTIE: I think “Above Me” and “Horizons”. Just because “Above Me” is an easy song to get into. That’s the one the fans seem to enjoy the most. It has that Linkin Park chorus and a great trapbeat. It also has a nasty bridge. The song is just full of kinetic energy. But that bridge in “Horizons” hits hard too. We usually play it at the end of the set when people are starting to feel it. It’s amazing to see the audience jumping and their heads moving.
AMP: Best and worst parts of being in a band?
SCOTTIE: The best part is meeting all the people when you are on the road. We love hanging out with all the fans. After the shows, we pack up really quickly so we can meet people at the merch booth. We love hearing all their stories and occasionally someone tells us what our music means to them. That’s the best. Definitely the worst part has to riding on that tour bus and trying to sleep. It’s a pain in the ass. I know there are worst situations out there but having five guys always in your space sucks but in the end it doesn’t matter as long as we get to play our music.
AMP: Where do you see the band in the next few years?
SCOTTIE: Just pushing forward. Hitting the grindstone. We are constantly writing and working hard. We’ve always been an indie band but now we have some major players behind us. It has given us some insight on how to move quicker and better than before. We now have a game plan. Our goal is to ramp it up. Keep releasing meaningful music and get on bigger tours. We will be getting the word out there. Burden of the Sky is making noise..
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