American drummer Barry Kerch of Shinedown let us steal him away for a few minutes so we could have a nice little chat.

He is currently out on tour with his band behind their sixth studio album in 2018’s Attention Attention. You can catch them on the last night of their North American leg in Ohio tonight before they move on to Europe for most of November and December.

It was a complete pleasure to talk with Mr. Kerch as the conversation jumped between touring and mental health and much more.

During all of our interviews, we ask for artist recommendations to find under-the-radar or lesser-known artist gems. Barry surprised us by selecting Canadian musician Lights, a lovely singer-songwriter that you should all check out – Lights.

Without further ado, here is our conversation:

A week after our chat, I was lucky enough to score a photo pass to photograph Shinedown, as well as opening acts California rockers Papa Roach and English metalcore group Asking Alexandria, at the Abbotsford Centre in Abbotsford, BC. A truly high-energy, balls-to-the-wall night of music mayhem.

Check out our full photo gallery below.