Devour The Day recently previewed their new video, “Lightning In The Sky” and soon will be releasing their new CD, S.O.A.R. and I for one can’t wait!   I had the opportunity to do an interview with Blake Allison – check it out !

You guys have added Ronnie Farris & David Hoffman officially as members to your Facebook, (you know if its face book official it’s true!), what made you feel like they would be a good fit ?
They’re both incredible musicians and have been touring with us for a while now. We’re starting to realize how close we’ve become as friends which makes that much easier. Not a lot of bands are like that. We’re happy see them come into their own.

“Time & Pressure” was Joey & Blake creating everything, has that changed with the addition of new members for “S.O. A. R?”
This time around Ronnie did a majority of the drums. I think that helped smooth the record out. Otherwise recording everything ourselves would have put more than enough on our plates. It’s nice to sit back and know the drums are going to written well. It gave us more opportunity to focus on the rest of the record.

Who writes the lyrics of the songs? How does that process work ?
Joey is our primary lyric writer. He has a great sense of poetry and attention to detail. I’m proud to say I work with such an artist. We write through conversation and reflection on what is happening to and around us.

You guys are in such a different place from where you were with “Time & Pressure, “ how did that change your outlook going into working on “S. O. A. R.”
We let go of some grudges and moved on with our lives. We’ve realized the virtues of hard work and sacrifice. Most people think its hard to find inspiration, we feel that it’s everywhere. We might have been in a different place, but we still had a lot to deal with out side of the band.

What is the message you want your fans to come away with after listening to the CD “S. O. A. R.”
I want people to see that we have worked hard to accomplish our goals. I want to influence them to work towards their own. We want people to feel better about themselves. We want them to be proud of who they are and who they want to be.

How did shooting marshmallows into the crowd begin and do you still do it ?
We just thought it would be a fun, non lethal way of hitting people with marshmallows. Who wouldn’t want to do that?

Blake how much do you miss being on the drums? Was it a hard transition to go from behind the drums to center stage? Do you ever hop on during the tour?
I miss it tremendously and I have every intention of making another record on drums. I’ll always look at music through a drummers eyes. Every once in a while I’ll jump on to do sound check just for fun, but that is about it.

One of the things I love about the song “S.O.A.R.” is that it has so many messages that are subtle, but to the right person listening to it, could possible make such a huge difference. I work at a High School and see first hand how an artists message can make a difference to those at a very vulnerable age, so thanks for the songs that give hope that it gets better.
My favorite music has great messages and stories along with it. we fight almost everyday to keep our heads up. It just makes sense to create our music in the same way when its so close to an everyday process for us.

It sounds like you guys have been together since High School, have you ever went back to your High School and performed for them ?
Joey and I have been playing since my senior year of High School. I was in a band with a couple of guys from other schools and my own. We were called Accidental Mersh. I was the auxiliary drummer. The singer went on to become the lead singer for MGMT.

What is one of your favorite “pinch me” moments ?
Meeting Vinny Paul was definitely one of them. So was meeting Rage Against the Machine at a party at Tom Morrello’s house. I’ll never forget that.

Who is one of your all time favorite artists and your favorite song of theirs ?
I love Dave Ghrol. I don’t believe he is capable of doing anything wrong. I think he should run for president. “Times Like These” is one of many favorites by him.

If you could pick anyone to collaborate with, who would it be ?
Dave Ghrol. Imagine that.

What is something about you that your fans would be totally surprised to learn about you ?
I am Huey Lewis and the News fan. Mainly because of his cameo in Back to the Future.

When you are on tour do you have a food that you eat that you don’t when you are home ?
Not really. I try to eat the best that I can while I’m at home and on the road. I stay away from fast food unless i have no other options.

What was the last concert you went to that you weren’t performing at?
I went to see Shinedown in Little Rock. Zach Myers and I have know each other for a while now.

Your fans have been with you through a lot of changes, is there anything you’d like to say to them ?

I would like to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. What we do is certainly a privilege all the more furthered by our friends support. WE can’t wait to see everyone on the road.

Pssst!   Don’t forget to go like graci rocks on facebook!