ROCKNATION ISSUE 24 Cover Issue 24 | Page 36

PAGE 36 ROCKNATION ISSUE 24 AMERICAN REBEL SOUL Hello American Rebel Soul and welcome to Rocknation. Congrats to your band on the release of your self-titled album on Perris Records. How long has the band been together and how did you form the band? Thank you! American Rebel Soul just formed back in August 2016. Sean and Jimmie started the band then added Jay. Dave and Dawn joined right before heading into the studio. Some of us have known each other for years, but this is the first time all five of us have worked together. Please name some of the tracks and what they are about. “No Apologies” was inspired by a comment someone had written who was going through some troubled times; whatever demon you are dealing with at the mo- ment, no one can truly apologize for someone else’s actions nor should they feel guilty. “Ready to Roll” might be about a woman (or maybe just a car?) either way she is beautiful but requires a lot of maintenance. “Tattooed Romeo” was written by Jimmie about another band member who has a lot of tattoos, we will let you guess which one that is. If you had to tell someone what your band sounded like, what bands would you mention? We were going for a little blues and a little southern rock, our sound comes from a little of both. We think each of our songs have a different style to them. People have compared us to Badlands, Cry of Love, and Blackberry Smoke. What bands have the biggest influence for song writing for your band? Our writing is definitely a blend of a lot of different influences coming from each of the band members. Sean’s riffs have elements of old Alice Cooper, Kiss, and Badlands. Jay’s drumming brings in hints of Rush with a flair of funk. Jimmie’s melodic bass lines reflect his love of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple; and his vocal style is reminiscent of AC/DC. Lyrically, Dave always liked the way old country songs tell a story; and Dawn often has lyrics running through her head inspired by the music created by the guys in the band. Who did the cover art for your CD? And what was your influence for the layout? Jimmie created the cover art and layout stemming from Sean’s idea of displaying each of us on playing cards. The rebel flag is a nod to our southern rock roots; Sean had the idea of morphing it with the American flag. Your band members live in different cities how does that work out for rehearsals and performing? Practice time together is limited, so we all have to do our homework.