“ My biggest challenge was how did all this stuff get on the internet when I didn ’ t even have a copy ?”
Why the name Do Know Harm for the release ?
DJ : This album was actually going to be called “ Beauty In Everyday Spaces ” which got shot down . Each collection of songs written in a certain time has this theme to them which reveal themselves over time . These past 3-5 years have been pretty devastating for me both mentally and physically . Expressing myself through music has been the one thing that has helped me get through it . I ’ m really not one for talk therapy . I ’ m listening to album playback after mastering and I ’ m like , “ this is just a bag of damage ”. I just feel bad for anyone that “ understands ” or “ relates ” to it because of the subject matter , and I almost want to say I ’ m sorry you get that . That wasn ’ t supposed to be that way . All of this time was such a harmful , hurtful period . I wrote it from the perspective of what it really means to be hurt and scrape the bottom . That ’ s where all your lessons lie . Those are the things that make you a good human . If you can handle those lessons and survive from them and not do them to other people .
Why the decision to release this as only physical copies and digital singles ?
DJ : We released “ Keep You Near ” because we haven ’ t done anything in years . We rushed that through because we had a benefit show we were playing on March 15th , the DAY before they shut everything down for the pandemic . We never played the song live before . I wrote it in the studio just before going in to record the album . It was literally new music from Revel 9 . No one heard of it , just our tribe of trusted people who listened to the master , that ’ s it . Six weeks after we dropped “ Blue ” to keep us fresh in everyone ’ s mind , and we dropped “ Steven Segal ” 6 weeks after that . It ’ s really exciting to play something new that you wrote for the fans , But it ’ s equally exciting for them to get excited about something new you wrote . I have gotten that response on this record . People told me they couldn ’ t wait to hear the new record .
Does any of “ Do Know Harm ” deal with the current social and political climate ?
DJ : Actually it doesn ’ t . The album was written before all of this insanity started . I ’ ve written new songs that do deal with what is going on , but not for this record . I have been told that my social and political views are hurting my band and that they won ’ t buy the record because of those views . I ’ m like .. my social views are to be a good human , so if you don ’ t want to buy the record because of that , FUCK YOU THEN ! I don ’ t want your money or attention .
Revel 9 plays one of the final shows at Revolution Club , Long Island .
Recently closed permanently due to pandemic hardship