Shinedown’s Barry Kerch Discusses New Music + Band’s Hot Sauce

After a very busy 2023, this year seems to be pretty quiet for Shinedown. While they have a handful of live shows, it’s nothing compared to the massive tours they embarked on last year, all in support of their latest album, Planet Zero.

As drummer Barry Kerch recently revealed, though, Shinedown are actually keeping busy in other ways in 2024.

“We’ll be kicking it hard again next year because we are currently working on whatever that next record is going to be,” Kerch shared on Loudwire Nights Tuesday (June 11). “I literally was just in Charleston last week at the studio where we recorded Planet Zero, recording drums for — I think we did six songs or something.”

The way Kerch described it to host Chuck Armstrong, the band is “in the thick of it” right now.

“I think there will be new Shinedown music earlier than we thought. Maybe end of the year, definitely beginning of next year … But, we’re not going to rush it. When it happens, it happens.”

Why Shinedown Got In the Hot Sauce Game

As if that wasn’t enough to keep the band busy, Shinedown have also been celebrating the recent release of their first-ever hot sauce.

Symptom is the first of three sauces Shinedown will release in collaboration with Torchbearer Sauces — and this project is something that’s really exciting for Kerch in particular.

“I love hot sauce,” Kerch said quickly. “Half my fridge is stacked full of hot sauces. I make my own, I grow my own peppers.”

When Torchbearer came to Shinedown to collaborate, Kerch raised his hand and said, “Yeah, I’m your guy.” Eventually, the “labor of love” reached a point where all the guys in the band agreed on the three sauces they wanted to release, the first being Symptom, a chipotle garlic sauce that doesn’t have too much heat.

READ MORE: Brent Smith Says Jelly Roll + Papa Roach Are ‘100 Percent Necessary In Rock and Roll’

“It’s not going to rip your head off,” Kerch said. “It’s not a ghost pepper or Devil’s spit or whatever.”

When Kerch was asked if the other guys were as excited about hot sauce as he was, he started laughing to himself.

“Brent [Smith] doesn’t like spicy at all because it messes with his vocal cords. Zach [Myers] likes a good medium and Eric [Bass] just eats to stay alive. He’ll go out, have a nice meal, but you know for him, if you give him a steak and a potato, he’s fine. He’s like, ‘Okay, I fed myself, now let me get back to my creative side.”

What Else Did Shinedown’s Barry Kerch Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• What it’s been like experiencing the cross-genre success of their latest single, “A Symptom of Being Human“: “It feels really good because it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do that.”
• Why he’s proud of his percussion work on “A Symptom of Being Human,” even though it’s far from a drum-heavy song: “The wise you become in the instrument, the more you realize that it’s not about you. You are the support and it’s your job to play what’s best for that song.”
• Why Shinedown will always be open to out-of-the-box ideas, like releasing their own hot sauce: “The one thing we always want to do — it’s got to be real. It’s got to be something we’re into.”

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Barry Kerch joined Loudwire Nights on Tuesday, June 11; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.