On Saturday April 18, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus invaded Kearney for a show at the Health and Sports Center. They brought to the stage a blend of rock that they have made their own, with only two major label albums under their belt.
With over 500,000 copies sold of their major label record debut, Don’t You Fake It, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus has established themselves as one of the premier rock bands in the country. Their lead single off that album, Face Down, catapulted the band to super stardom levels, reaching No. 24 on the Billboard 100 and No. 3 on the Billboard Modern Rock charts.
The band just recently released their second album, Lonely Road, which debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 music album chart.
“Personally, I love being in the studio, especially when you’re there with people who are there to create awesome stuff together. It’s the feeling of creating something that’s yours and that has never been done before,” said Ronnie Winters, lead singer of the band. “But you can’t compete with the live energy of a show, when people are together and they’re pumped.”
The band is comprised of members from around the western area of Jacksonville, Flor., an uncommon theme for most bands today. To have a band made up of performers that live within miles of one another has played into the band’s success.
“It’s cool because when we go home, we’re all literally right there next to one another and we can continue what we love to do,” said bassist Joey Westwood. “We love to meet bands like that because as you said, it is really uncommon to see that in music today.”
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is just kicking off their Lonely Road Tour, traveling across the country to showcase their music. They have recently made stops in Lincoln, before coming to UNK, and also in Wayne. But traveling across the country isn’t the real perk in touring. That would be when the band gets to play overseas and experience culture outside of the norm.
“We have played in the Philippines, Australia, Japan, Singapore, UK, Germany, France, Holland and Belgium,” Winters said. “What I enjoy about it is the culture shock, meeting people that were born in a different place and how they react to your music.”
During the show on Saturday, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus proved why they are one of the top up and coming rock acts in all of music today. With a combination of high energy music, crowd interaction and powerful lyrics, RJA is able to win over fans at every stop they make.
Success hasn’t come easy for the band, however, who offers advice to any musician aspiring to make it big in the industry or just make it in a band.
“The most important thing is just to play your instrument and nothing else,” Joey said. “Everything will fall into place, but music is the bottom line.”
“You have to know your instrument and be good at what you do. If you work at it long enough, you will find other people who are good at what they do and you’ll be in a band,” Winters said.
Drummer Jon Wilkes offered up a bit of advice in saying that, “if you want to make touring a part of your life, make sure that is what you want to do and don’t take no for an answer.”
After forming in 2001 and releasing their first EP in 2004, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus has achieved what every band dreams of and that is to make a lasting impression on their fans. It’s not about the money for these guys, it’s about making music and enjoying what you do.
For more information about the band, visit http://www.redjumpsuit.com to learn more about the guys or to hear some of their music if you never have before.
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