Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
Related Articles
Hi Joshua, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Hello Vents. I have been waking up everyday with a huge smile on my face. My new record BLOOD has been out now for a little over a month, and I’m so grateful for the response it’s received. It seems to be finding an audience and reaching new listeners like nothing has before. For an artist such as myself, who is independent of a label and self-financed, it feels pretty good. It’s like there’s a secret going around that you can’t help but talk about.
Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Covered In Blood?”
Yes, my latest single is “Covered In Blood.” The title for this song came long after the title of the album was established. It’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a title song. I like that it immediately evokes an image. Lyrically, like all of the songs on BLOOD, it is very autobiographical. Every line takes me right back to a time and place.
“No need to try, to drag me down.
When these black days, know no higher ground.”
For me, it’s a song about “where do we go from here?” It is not, “I murdered you and buried your body in my basement…” as I feel like the title suggests. I don’t think what it means to me is important; it’s more about what the listener hears and how it makes them feel. That’s the true magic.
It’s hard to talk about this song without acknowledging all of the great players that contributed to it. The drums and bass* provide the perfect backbone for the vocal to float over. The acoustic guitars act in a more percussive way, and the electric guitars* bring just the right amount of tension and excitement as the organ pushes and pulls throughout. I am really happy to have a couple of talented Nashville artists* lending their voices to the harmonies in the choruses as well.
*Drums; Zak St. John (Black Star Riders), Bass; Ger Hoffman (Joe Diffie), Organ; Michael Webb (Chris Stapleton). E.Gtrs; Sadler Vaden (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit), Harmonies; Kenny Wright (The Great Affairs), and Joey O (Joey O and the Seventy-Sevens)
Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
There was one in particular; the lyrics revolve around a moment that had a huge hand in shaping where I was headed. All of the songs on BLOOD are as close to the truth as I could get. Every song is based on a true story. Out of all of the songs I’ve written over the years, this collection of songs are as honest and authentic to what I’ve been trying to say for a long time. I couldn’t be more proud of them, and this song is no exception.
Any plans to release a video for the track?
Yes, the video for “Covered In Blood” premiered on July 8th; the same day the record was released. The original idea for the video was much different than it turned out. It was originally going to be everything that the title suggests…me standing in the middle of a pool of blood, blood on my hands and a bit of story to go along with it. Imagine a cross between the movie Carrie and another video of mine from 2012 for my song called “Without You.” The inspiration for that video was taken from movies like ‘The Shining” and “American Psycho.”
In the end though I’m very happy with the video that was released, and overwhelmed by the great response it has gotten.
The single comes off your new album Blood – what’s the story behind the title?
The title for BLOOD first got its inspiration from the subject matter in the lyrics. Then once production started it took on another meaning, revolving around a lot of the people and musicians involved. Some I was working with for the first time, but most of the artists and players on this record I have known for over a decade or more. So it started to feel a little like working with family.
How was the recording and writing process?
The majority of the songs for the record were written pre-lock down/pandemic in 2018 and 2019. Then in 2020, I was set to play a string of shows that all got canceled. So like many other acts, I shifted gears and started the recording process/ production on BLOOD which spanned over a year. Work on the record was sporadic in the beginning. I wasn’t the only one shifting gears and recording during that time. That turned into to a good opportunity to help other artists with their own records. The tracks for BLOOD were recorded in multiple studios in Los Angeles, CA, Prescott, AZ, Georgia and even some studios around Tennessee. Finally, they all came back to be finalized and mixed at my studio here in Nashville, Black Gold Speakeasy.
What aspect of your own past did you get to explore on this record?
With this record I feel like I’ve delved deeper into my past then ever before. It’s like peeling an onion. There were so many experiences that I wanted to write about. BLOOD gave me a chance to reflect on the dreams I had when I first found music, the promises I made to myself in those early days and also the mistakes I made while trying to find my way. It’s been 32 years since I picked up a guitar for the second time, and since then creating music and writing songs is something that has become the lens I see the world through. I feel like with every record I get a couple steps closer to redemption.
Where else did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?
Inspiration can be a fickle mistress. I knew before starting the recording process what direction the songs wanted to take but I couldn’t have predicted at that time how rewarding and humbling the whole process would become. I’ve had the hardest time getting to this point in my writing. For years, I have wrestled with staying true to myself and not chasing what I think other people want to hear. It has taken 10 albums, but I feel like I’ve finally released something that represents right where I want to be.
What else is happening next in Joshua Ketchmark’s world?
What’s next?!!
There are more videos on the horizon from the record ready to be released. And there is more content coming that will spotlight more of what we’ve already touched on today in this interview.
During the last couple years, I’ve purposely stopped myself from writing songs in order to concentrate on helping with the releases that I’ve been involved with, as well as finishing the BLOOD record. Having the chance to make music with all of the musicians and artists that I have worked with in the last couple years has been so inspiring.
I’ve already titled the next record and started writing what will be the next chapter.
With everything that’s been happening in the world, I haven’t focused to heavily on touring or even just getting out and playing anywhere. It’s something that I do miss terribly; it’s like the other side of a coin that has been waiting to be turned over.
Success these days can be defined in so many different ways. I’m a lucky guy. I’m thankful.
