Music-News.com is proud to host the exclusive world premiere of 'Burn Me Down' by Christopher Shayne.
When divulging into a new sonic voyage, most artists are told to pick a lane and stick to it. Arizona byproduct Christopher Shayne wanted to take a different route when deciding to embark on a sonic journey of his own. Shayne’s rebellious and outlaw-like nature shines through in his latest single “Burn Me Down.”
Christopher Shayne is no stranger to the desperado way of life. He's always stuck true to the ideology of doing what you want, whenever you want, wherever you want, while sticking it to the man. As the former driving force behind Phoenix based band Whiskey Six, Shayne was able to seamlessly perfect his songwriting and guide the band to embrace their unique take on southwestern rock music. After a successful run with Whiskey Six, Shayne had a desire to create something new, and construct his desired blend of classic southern and blues influenced rock, complete with modern tones and contemporary twists. Wanting to stay true to his band, Christopher Shayne composed a 12-track record with former Whiskey Six lead guitar-slinger Dave Lansing entitled Turning Stones.
Shayne's latest rocker is “Burn Me Down,” an explosive toe-curler that encapsulates everything he's about. Featuring Matt Sorum (Guns and Roses, Velvet Revolver, and The Cult) on drums, Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction) on bass, and Railo (Ozzy) on keys, "Burn Me Down" tells the story of the general dissatisfaction with growing up and the harsh reality of how the world really is. No matter your social status, you will always face this hard and cold truth at some point of your life, need to be ready to do battle, and happily step down onto the elbow thrashing level of reality. He goes a step further to call out the music industry and share his personal story of what artists and musicians go through daily to fight their good fight. Shayne has never been afraid of pushing the envelope, in fact, he literally shreds it.
An intense illustration of personal moments of hardship, rebellion, and triumph is what viewers can expect upon their first viewing of the “Burn Me Down” music video. Entering real life scenarios that people far and wide face, bring to fruition the disillusion of life that many people have. The personal rebellion against expectation increases as the video progresses, and our protagonists become more and more defiant of today's societal norms. Although “Burn Me Down” highlights many negatives and hardships that life can bring you, Shayne wants to emphasize that working through your tough times with a carefree spirit will make everything worthwhile.
Before your solo project you played in the band Whiskey Six. What have been the biggest differences between writing music as Christopher Shayne and when you were writing music for Whiskey Six?
Whiskey Six was geared for a heavier audience towards the end of the project. As the band grew and started to find itself, it started to get darker and heavier. My writing partner, Dave Lansing, and I wanted to break away those chains and write where that project started. Christopher Shayne and Whiskey Six as a whole share the same influences, but look at them from different angles. There’s still a little darkness in some Christopher Shayne songs, and I don’t think we’ll ever get away from that as it’s just my point of view at this point; but, we’re also able to express songs with less aggression and tackle themes that just wouldn’t have worked in what Whiskey Six turned into. So Christopher Shayne is Dave and I writing for us, the way we want, and able to say the things we otherwise couldn’t. It’s been a great, freeing experience!
You've just released the music video for "Burn Me Down"; what was the inspiration for the song?
The song has a couple different themes. The verses are cynical looks at the world at large bordering on political at times; while the chorus takes those themes and transfers them into a self-discovery. Not to borrow a motif from the song, but a sort of “rising from the ashes” idea. The verses are about growing up today and realizing the promises the generation before you instilled… just aren’t there. Instead we’re left with narcissism and over-medication, while our entertainment and media are pushing safe ideas without risk. The chorus is more personal, in that it internalizes those views and comes out the other side stronger by being destroyed and rebuilt time and time and again.
How is "Burn Me Down" different from the songs featured on your album Turning Stones?
Previously, before we even knew Christopher Shayne would turn into the thing it has now become, I was afraid to explore some more direct and darker tones. Turning Stones was an experiment for us in what worked and what didn’t. I’ve learned a lot since that record’s release and this song (and the ones to follow) is a continuation of honing Dave’s and my point of view. This is song in particular is us finally combining our deep blues background, a little country twang, and our edgy rock to deliver something new.
In your own words, what is the story of the "Burn Me Down" video?
This video continues the music theme of “self-empowerment through destruction” and highlights a handful of personal rebellion. The video goes through everyone’s own personal struggle and their middle fingers to those that would otherwise keep them down. From our office hero who goes all out, to the bullied finally getting a reprieve from the day; everyone has some way to rebel and this video honors them and those who relate.
The song features Matt Sorum (Guns and Roses, Velvet Revolvet, and The Cult) on drums, Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction) on bass, and Railo (Ozzy) on keys; what was it like working with all these accomplished musicians?
Such a blast! It was very cool hearing the different perspectives and being in a room making new sounds with people who have such esteemed backgrounds. It’s definitely one thing to hear the stories from the people themselves (and there were some GREAT stories I’m not allowed to share), but it’s another to sit a comb through creative ideas to make something on the other. You can really hear the history of each player in this track and others, and it was an absolute blast to see how their muscles flexed when the song allowed them to! It’s also pretty cool to hear such legendary people actually like what you’re working on! Hahahaha.
