Summon: How did the band get started?
Ricky: I joined in July 2012.
Dustin: In early 2009, HT convinced me to come out of retirement when he showed me some of the riffs that would become songs on Exit Inside, our first album. They were some of the greatest riffs that the world had never heard and their syncopation stirred up various arrangement ideas in me that were laying dormant in my soul for far too long. The time was right to begin changing the world!
James: Soon after the civil war a fellar named John Woodson misplaced his leg…
Summon: What kind of music do you play?
Ricky: Progressive death thrash.
Dustin: Homegrown Metal! It’s a combination of Thrash, Groove, and Chug mixed with elements of Dig, Slam, and Stone.
James: I would say old school power groove with some thrash for good measure.
Summon: How has the fan response been?
Rick: Fantastic!!! Means everything.
Dustin: Those who know of us tend to love the music for its comforting combinations of molten magma and sexy syncopation mixed with the full intentions of slam-dancery.
James: Fucking wonderful!
Summon: Where did the band name come from?
Ricky: In place when I joined.
Dustin: A very long list of shitty band names.
James: Some poor sap’s missing appendage.
Summon: Introduce the band members and what they do in the band.
Blake Morrell: Bass
HT Brown: Guitar
James Barlow: Guitar
Dustin Cates: Drums
Ricky Vannatta: Vocals
Dustin: HT provides the chug. Blake summons the thunder. Dustin determines the drum beats. Ricky tells the truth. James compliments the chug with the nice spice. Bam!!!
James: There is no band, only zul.
Summon: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Ricky: Lyrics is me.
Dustin: It usually starts with a riff or two from HT and then Dustin’s drumming helps to shape the piece. We basically just jam on it and start messing with arrangements however we see fit until we think we’re done. Sometimes the hardest part is deciding when to leave it alone. There are so many possibilities!
James: Pretty Ricky.
Summon: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Ricky: The Message is everywhere. I draw from everything.
Dustin: Ricky’s brain.
James: His brain.
Summon: What is your view in Satanism and Occultism?
Ricky: To each his own.
Dustin: Not interested.
James: Overrated and played out.
Summon: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Ricky: 3 – 8 song demo 2012, exit inside 2013, even further 2017.
Dustin: Exit Inside and Even Further.
James: 56 states side and another two in Cambodia.
Summon: Tell me about some the songs on the latest CD?
Ricky: “South” I wrote about corporate employment. The daily grind of a job. “Rumsfeld The Lizalien” was inspired by “Zeitgeist the movie”.
“Death Waltz” is a descriptive murder of a person who pretended to be a friend but wasn’t.
Dustin: They are very representative of where we are as songwriters right now. The material strikes me as an evolved version of what we did with Exit Inside. We like to put strange arrangements together in order to stand out in the over saturated crowd of bands today. Our music is full of tasty dynamic.
James: Distilled bad assery like a good whiskey. We explore so much ground and yet it seems cohesive. They really fit and have an identifiable style. You know it’s the leg when you hear it.
Summon: Do you have any side projects?
Ricky: I’m always looking for work.
Dustin: Yes, but JWL is my main focus. I have another heavy band called Fist. I’d also like to start a side project called Thrash Truck… It’s not off the ground yet so don’t steal my name! James: We all do.
Summon: Who are some of your musical influences?
Ricky: That is endless. Fear of God, Death, Belphegor, Solitude Aeturnus, Opeth, Coroner, Acid Bath, Sanctuary, etc.
Dustin: Pantera, Led Zeppelin, Anthrax, Pink Floyd.
James: Tommy Bolin, Alvin and the chipmunks.
Summon: Which current bands?
Ricky: Trees of Eternity, Every Time I Die, He is Legend, etc.
Dustin: Gojira!!!!
James: Decapitated, Equivoque, JWL.
Summon: What is the band like when you play live?
Ricky: Down to Earth, comical.
Dustin: An organic vice-grip that locks in all the right places.
James: We love what we are doing and you can tell we enjoy it and each other and the crowd. Very natural and brutal.
Summon: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Ricky: No.
Dustin: Not yet, but we certainly intend to.
James: Once on LSD.
Summon: How big of crowd shows up at shows usually?
Ricky: I don’t know. I black out.
Dustin: We generally play smaller clubs 50-100.
James: It’s hard to gauge when you’re on that much heroin.
Summon: How is the crowd response when you play?
Ricky: It’s good. We get booed. Which we like.
Dustin: Positive. We get lots of compliments on how tight our arrangements are.
James: The best crowds you can ask for. They know the music like it’s their own.
Summon: What do you think of the US Black Metal/Death Metal scene?
Ricky: I’m grateful for what we do have but I know it’s not as strong as it should be.
Dustin: It is alive, but it could use a boost.
James: It could do to grow. We really need to worry less about labels and more about being unified. That said metal fans are really some of the most open minded and wonderful people you’ll meet. They just need to leave their computers alone and come to more shows everywhere.
Summon: What do you think of the Overseas scenes?
Ricky: They seem to continue to thrive. We’re jealous.
Dustin: It seems to us from here that metal in general is much more accessible and supported overseas than in the states.
James: I would love to get over there, I have some friends who get to play there and they always tell me about how much more respected music is there. I want to check it out for myself.
Summon: What are some of new favorite black metal/death metal bands?
Ricky: Gorgasm, Gorgatron, Skinned, Fetal Autopsy, etc.
Dustin: There need only be Gojira!
James: I like Decapitated and Opeth, they seem to constantly reinvent themselves and aren’t afraid of risks.
Summon: When do you guys plan on writing any new material?
Ricky: The writing is constant. I think the band is getting ready to track another single called “Stumbler” any day now.
Dustin: There’s always material laying around waiting to be used on the next record.
James: Actually right now we are working on some new ideas.
Summon: What does the future hold for the band?
Ricky: Hopefully some success. More shows, more festivals and more fun.
Dustin: I feel positive that proper exposure would help us take our craft everywhere around the world and bring joy to the heavy music lovers of earth!
James: Everything. The whole world, coke and hookers, everything.
Contact them at:
https://www.facebook.com/John-Woodsons-Leg-171328358327/?fref=ts https://www.reverbnation.com/johnwoodsonsleg
https://www.reverbnation.com/jwl9 https://twitter.com/JohnWoodsonsLeg https://www.youtube.com/user/JohnWoodsonsLeg
https://www.facebook.com/JWLmetal/?fref=ts
http://JWL.stereokiller.com www.soundclick.com/JohnWoodsonsLeg http://www.musicpage.com/jwl
https://johnwoodsonsleg.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.bandpage.com/jwl www.indiecharts.com/jwl
https://www.amazon.com/Exit-Inside-JWL/dp/B01GCN2BLE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487212855&sr=8-1&keywords=JWL+-+exit+inside https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/exit-inside/id1118740975?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4 www.jango.com/music/JWL
http://www.unsigned.com/jwl mp3lizard.com/JWLkansas noisetrade.com/jwl
