Joining host Jason Bailey today for a special Audacy Check In is Shinedown's Brent Smith amid the band's Revolutions Live tour currently underway with their friends Papa Roach and Spiritbox.
LISTEN NOW: Audacy Check In with Shinedown
Currently touring in support of their seventh studio release, 2022's Planet Zero, Shinedown continues to smash through genre barriers, and with their emotional new single "A Symptom of Being Human" steadily climbing the charts, the momentum certainly doesn't seem to be slowing for them any time soon.
"It's a very interesting song because it's also a part of a very interesting record. The album was written in the midst of a pandemic," frontman Brent Smith explains, "when people were just confused, and afraid, and scared, and didn't know what tomorrow was gonna bring. When we finally got in a room together at that time, I think the biggest focus that I looked at and the band looked at was, 'How do we present something that is pure awareness of the fact that we're all human beings and we're all a work in progress."
"We're a band that's been talking about mental health for the better part of two decades," Smith adds. "Thankfully now, it's talked about much more." Placing themselves in the shoes of so many people affected by the pandemic, Brent says, "'A Symptom of Being Human' is exactly that... We all share a bond with one another, we all share the human condition. In our community, it is 'anyone from anywhere at any time is welcomed all the time, even if it's a total stranger."
"Sometimes just asking a person how they're doing, or if you notice a family member or a friend of yours and you can just tell that something is off behind the eyes -- the worst thing you can do is be quiet," Smith explains. "I think for 'Symptom,' that's what it was... We wanted to create a song to let the world know, 'You're not alone... and you're allowed to have as many human moments as you need in your lifetime.'"
Brent began taking more interest in his personal journey with mental and physical health after the birth of his now sixteen-year-old son. "He had a lot to do with it. I looked at that moment in time where I was going to be a father and said to myself, 'Well, I'm no good to him if I'm dead.' I was doing a lot of bad things."
"I have a history with substance abuse and I never hid that from anybody," he continues. "That's the one part of my life that I have to do one day at a time. I can multitask and compartmentalize and schedule things for the future... be an artist, be a businessman... evolve as a human being professionally, personally... but my addiction and that other guy that's in me, I have to respect the fact that that's a part of who I am."
Brent admits it was his good friend Teresa's words that had put him on a course for success when she told him that rather than trying to outrun that guy in his head, he was "way more dangerous" when he was clearheaded and sober. "For whatever reason, when she said that to me, a lightbulb went off... and that's kind of how I live."
Fans will be happy to hear that following their current touring cycle, they have strategic plans in the works way into 2026, including a new album and live dates. "We're gonna take a minute to be with our families and to come down for a second," Brent says, "most of November. Still doing some business here and there... We've been working really hard on this album cycle, I think that everybody from a mental standpoint, everybody needs to be with their loved ones."
Don't miss Jason Bailey's full Audacy Check In with Shinedown above -- and stay tuned for even more conversations with your favorite stars and artists on Audacy.com/Live.
Take a look at Shinedown's remaining list of Revolutions Live U.S. tour dates with Papa Roach and Spiritbox below, and grab your tickets right HERE.
Listen to Shinedown's Drive All Night on the free Audacy app
Shinedown 2023 Tour Dates:
09/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre #
09/29 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater #
09/30 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live #
10/03 – Franklin, TN @ FirstBank Amphitheater #
10/05 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP #
10/06 – Allen, TX @ Credit Union of Texas Event Center #
10/08 – Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion #
10/09 – San Antonio, TX @ Freeman Coliseum #
10/12 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre #
10/13 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena #
10/15 – Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre #
10/17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheater #
10/19 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater #
10/20 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena #
# = w/ Papa Roach
Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.