Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (article)

March 21, 2006, 04:28 AM

He stands there comfortably, perfectly still with his arms folded. He’s tall and lean, unconventionally attractive with brown wavy hair just barely hitting his shoulders. He’s seemingly unaffected by the chaos surrounding him on the busy city street outside the venue. The man in front of him is talking business and going over a schedule. He is clearly listening to what he has to say, but his eyes are looking elsewhere, taking in this atmosphere. The stoic expression on his face is betrayed by the excited twinkle in his eye and the slight grin of contentment. He exudes a confident energy that forces passersby to double take. As friends approach, he greets them with a smile that consumes his entire face but says coolly, “Hey, how’s it goin?” He easily maintains multiple conversations, laying out his band business in one and making party plans in the other. A group of scene kids wait in line nearby, staring at him as they converse back and forth. “Who is that?” one of them finally asks me. “That’s Ronnie Winter, the singer for Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.” “I don’t think I have heard them,” they reply. “Don’t worry, you will.”

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is one of the latest bands on Virgin Records. If they need to be classified musically, it would be considered aggressive power pop. If that sort of labeling were unnecessary, it would simply be considered great. Ronnie possesses a natural sense of melody and harmony, understands composition and has a unique ability to craft intricately simple songs. He has a talented band capable of executing his vision. They have a very produced major label album laced with complicated three part harmonies, aggressive guitar playing and drumming, and above all, energy and passion. Don’t let the production fool you, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is the real deal. There isn’t one note on that record that doesn’t make it on the stage. Currently available publicly is a video they made for their first single Face Down. It’s a live performance video, and not the ‘official’ video for the song. “We wanted to show people our live performance because we think it’s important that people see that we were a band before Virgin came along. We recorded a couple shows and put together this cool low-budget video. We want people to know that we’re not made up. We’re a real band.”

Hitting the national stage was a relatively short trip for them compared to what other bands have to go through, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t earned their success. The early struggles that other bands face were not an issue for RJA. They have been writing brilliant songs since their inception and quickly caught the ears of many people that were willing to help them. Talent such as theirs cannot go unnoticed for long and they were soon selling out venues and EPs in their hometown of Jacksonville, FL. A few of their previously self-released songs make an appearance on the new album, but that’s not for lack of material. It’s simply supply and demand. “We have 6 brand new songs on the album. We didn’t want to release the same CD. I mean we’re not really even the same band anymore. The new material is great, and the new versions of the songs are great as well. We’re really proud of how it came out. I love the album.”

Although talent and material were not hurdles RJA ever had to jump, they have overcome wholly different obstacles ranging from people trying to take advantage of them early on to currently touring with gear pressed up against their backs in a van as they are sans trailer. These experiences have turned Red Jumpsuit Apparatus into not only a tight knit group of hit makers, but keen businessmen as well, a surprising attribute for a band who’s average age practically ends in ‘teen.’ They are very aware of what is going on around them, Ronnie especially. He clearly has a passion for the music industry, analyzing everything he sees and hears and engaging people in healthy debate regarding various aspects of the industry. He is very involved in the day to day business of his band and has a clear vision of what he wants for the future, understanding what it takes to reach the level of success he’s after, and there is no question that he will get exactly what he wants. Despite his head for business, or perhaps because of it, Red Jumpsuit is enjoying every aspect of the ride. From touring to recording to interviews and photo shoots, they are taking nothing for granted and appreciating everything they worked so hard to get. They’re living out their dreams.

Fearless, focused and unapologetic, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are on track to be the next big thing in popular music. They humbly state that they aren’t out to start any kind of revolution or change the industry, however they bring to the table a quality of songwriting matched with a pure, genuine talent that is bound to raise the bar and set a new standard. No, you haven’t heard them yet. But believe me, you will.

www.redjumpsuit.com
www.altsounds.com/theredjumpsuitapparatus