JORDAN RED – ARTIST SHOWCASE
The singular Jordan Red recently released their fifth single from their upcoming album, Hands That Built The World. Jordan Red is comprised of frontman Dan Leigh and guitarist Dan Baker. The imposing duo’s sound is a mesh of decadent riffs and glowing choruses. The new single, “Freak Show” was recorded at Long Wave Studios in Cadiff with producer Romesh Dodangoda (Bring Me The Horizon, Bullet For My Valentine, Molly Karloff). In the studio the two were joined by bassist Conor O’Keefe and drummer Dave Fee of As Lions.
Jordan Red debuted their first single “Beautiful Monsters” in 2020. The song features a supersized anthemic wave of pulsating rock. Leigh’s vocals are dynamic and energized with unabashed runs. Baker’s raging guitar is brilliantly ferocious. The song’s sonic groove is explosive with kinetic energy..
The singles “Way Down”, “Hands That Built The World” and “Don’t Let The Heavens Fall” followed. Each embodied its own flavor and vibe. All received major critical acclaim and accolades. Fans and critics alike enjoyed Jordan Red‘s 21st century alternative metal.
Their newest single, “Freak Show” is an adventurous song of stellar licks and audacious harmonies. The tune is a juggernaut of aural bombardment. The flow is intense, the vocals huge and the muscular guitar howls. O’Keefe’s bass hammers down while Fee’s drums slam.
Speaking about the song’s meaning, singer Daniel Leigh states: “From the tabloids, to the TV networks, true journalism is rare in these times. Our song “Freak Show” calls out the mainstream media for what it is….a Freak Show! Since we see what a joke it is, we had to write this song that makes you want to scream, jump around and laugh while pointing at the clowns behind the mainstream agenda“.
Dan Leigh was kind enough to answer a few questions about Jordan Red.
AMP: How did Jordan Red form?
LEIGH: I had met Dan Baker at a friend’s party two years before I got a call from him concerning Jordan Red. I had no idea that he was even a guitarist. I think Dan was tired of being let down by other musicians who “ran the show” and wanted to set up something that he had control of. He asked some mutual friends about my work ethic and how I was to work with and I got the call.
AMP: How would characterize your sound?
LEIGH: Being so close to the sound that you make often doesn’t always leave you with the best ears to describe your sound. Dan and I are both heavily influenced by different types of rock and metal. Dan leans more towards metal and I lean towards rock and industrial vibes. We are the rock-metal-industrial love child.
AMP: How excited were you to work with Romesh Dodangoda and what were his contributions to the recording process?
LEIGH: I had worked with him before so I was very keen to get back into the studio with him. Dan and i demo our music with great care and thought, so by the time we hand them to Romesh, it is clear where the tracks are heading. When we step into the studio with Romesh we give him almost total freedom with what we have done and are very open to the ideas he puts forward. By this stage we have heard the songs so many times in their demo form that we really need a skilled producer with fresh ears to step in and help us cut the dead wood and make them into what they deserve to be.
Romesh encouraged us to change the tempo of some of the tracks and to cut out whole vocal sections to “let the track breathe”. Watching him work with Dan getting guitar sounds was always a pleasure and he always got the best out of me with my vocal sessions. We would test a whole bunch of microphones to see which suited my voice the most. If a take was good, we moved on. There was no need to sing things 1000 times and burn myself out. If the vibe was good and I sang well, it stayed. All this kept the energy and creativity high.
AMP: What do you believe is your best song released so far in terms of musical style?
LEIGH: That’s a difficult question to answer! We have been successful so far as a new band with the songs we have released. The response from people has been pretty outstanding. I don’t think I can give you a “best” song but I can say that our single “Beautiful Monsters” was released in a way which we wanted all of our music to be released. With the lockdowns etc, it was not possible to release other music with the band in music videos, which was disappointing but thank God for the internet and lyric videos!
AMP: If you could choose, who would be your ideal band to tour with?
LEIGH: For me it would be between Alter Bridge, Shinedown and Five Finger Death Punch. I played in a band which supported Alter Bridge years ago and they were so kind and professional. I’d say Shinedown would be great to tour with as Brent and I could discuss workout regiments!
AMP: How have you connected with your fans during lockdown?
LEIGH: The internet can be a dark place but we have used it to really connect with people. I have been livestreaming every weekday for over a year now. With all the technology at our fingertips it has been easier to connect with people than ever before.
AMP: What’s the future like for Jordan Red?
LEIGH: Well we don’t give up – even when faced with a worldwide pandemic. We have an album set for release and we have shows to play. We are constantly writing new music and are set to go back to the studio soon. The world may throw some very big curveballs but we don’t want to live in a world without music, so we keep making it, whatever it takes.
AMP would like to thank Dan for his time and we are looking forward to hearing the new album.
To learn more about Jordan Red, check out their website
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