Jonny Davy Reflects on Job for a Cowboy's Return + New Album

Job for a Cowboy's Jonny Davy was the guest on Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show, on hand to promote the band's new album Moon Healer.

The record is the band's first to arrive in a decade, and Davy discusses picking up with he band again after a lengthy layoff. He also delves into tackling the subject matter of Moon Healer, which centered on a friend's break from reality after seeking enlightenment through hallucinogens.

The singer also dives into the current state of death metal, what's changed and why he remains a fan of the genre and where it's gone in the 10 years since they last released an album. And Davy shares a little of where things stand for Job for a Cowboy in 2024.

Check out more of the chat below.

It is Full Metal Jackie, and on the show with us this week, we've got Job for a Cowboy's Jonny Davy. We've been missing Job for a Cowboy and great to have you back with this excellent new album Moon Healer. A lot of life has happened between albums. Given the prolonged break, how difficult or easy was it to tap into who Job for a Cowboy were a decade ago and who you are at this stage in life and bring it all together while approaching a new album?

Wow. Heavy question. At a certain point we drifted apart. We kind of went our own separate ways. Some of the guys went on their specific career routes. One of the guys got their PhD. I went into the land of coding and programming, other guys like Nick our bassist, he toured with Havok for quite a while.

But, as far as the difficulty of getting back together and kind of getting that collaboration and flow again, it was really easy. It just kind of felt like more or less just getting back on the bike, you know? We don't ride a bike for a long time. It's just, you never really lose it or forget it. And it just kind of felt like we were all put in a time machine and we all went 10 years back to where we were before and nothing really changed. It just felt like we're going back to work.

Metal Blade Records

Jonny, this new record is more of a concept record inspired by a close friend's search for enlightenment through hallucinogens that took a tragic turn with them breaking from reality. Given your closeness to the subject, how vital was it to do right by your friend in sharing some of their story? And how difficult was it to tap into that mindset while writing?

It wasn't difficult at all, to be honest. This particular friend had a couple of screws loose to be honest. And I kind of dug into a lot of the ideas and concepts and beliefs he was into. And it was honestly pretty entertaining. It was a lot of fun just learning about all of the things this particular person was into and just having a better understanding as to the person that they were. So to be a hundred percent honest, it was a blast and it was relatively easy.

Job for a Cowboy, "Beyond the Chemical Doorway"

Jonny the band has returned with new songs and videos, much credit to Nick [Schendzielos] for his work on the videos, which really capture the chaotic journey of going down the rabbit hole so well. I'm assuming music first, video idea later, but can you speak to the process of bringing the visual elements of telling the story to your music? And are you happy with how this is all tying together?

Yeah, totally. I feel like when we have a concept like this, it's pretty easy to tie it all together. You're right, it is music first and visual second, but I mean, everything's based off of the music and the lyrics. So we flow into creating the visuals for the video pretty easy. I mean, Nick and I spent a lot of time talking about ideas and concepts, and it was just a blast making those videos. And Nick did a great job and we might even do some more in the future if the time means in our favor.

Job for a Cowboy, "The Agony Seeping Storm"

Jonny, part of the reason why Job for a Cowboy has taken nearly a decade to return was taking some time for family. Especially with the pandemic, a lot of musicians have seemingly reassessed their priorities. Why was it the right time for the band to break back then, and what ultimately drew you all back now? And how difficult is it to find the balance in your life as a touring musician?

I'll start with the balance. As a touring musician, that's more difficult than ever. As we're older, a lot of a couple of guys have their own separate careers, and like I said some of the guys have their own music projects. So trying to get the playing together is much more difficult than it ever was because 10 years ago, before we had families, careers, other projects, this was by far the main focus. And life kind of gets in the way and for some of us, this band isn't quite the main focus as it was before. So that's definitely a bit more difficult these days.

As far as to why we broke back then, to be honest, it's almost hard to pinpoint as to what it was. I guess one of the biggest catalysts was definitely myself. I was going to have my first child, so that definitely put a big pause in everything. And I think just due to the fact that I kind of started the family life the guys just couldn't wait around for me, that's the reality of it. So they kinda had to part ways and, and find their own things to do.

Coming back into the fold Jonny, there's plenty that's probably changed. What's your take on where death metal stands at this point in time? Any new bands catching your interest? And are there any new challenges coming back now that maybe weren't part of your world during the SUN EATER promotion?

Man you’ve got all the heavy questions. Usually the questions are so repetitive as far as you get so many of the same questions asked over and over. But as far as how the death metal world has changed, I mean, I personally don't see a whole lot of changes. But obviously a lot of things have changed.

I think there's a big emphasis on an old school death metal revival. There's a lot of that going around with the technical side. And then on the other end of the spectrum, we kind of have this meathead old school death metal revival, and then the complete other side of the spectrum.

We have this other-worldly technicality side of it that just keeps getting more and more crazy. So it's almost feels like the seeds just keeps separating more and more from one another. I definitely see that as far as newer bands. There's a ton. I've always tried to keep up with as much as possible, just so I can be in the know and I love it.

I've always been a fan of listening to as much music as I can. A lot of stuff this year that pops to mind. I mean there's a new Horrendous album, the new Zenith Passage record. The new Zoft record. It's endless. I feel like my head's always spinning in circles, trying to keep up with everything, but it's a blast. There's kind of something for everyone.

Jonny, what else does 2024 hold in store for Job for a Cowboy in addition to this new record?

Well, obviously the record is the big one. I think at this point. We're just trying to figure out some shows, possibly some tours to hop on. Nothing's confirmed yet. As I mentioned earlier, it's been pretty difficult just due to the fact that we'll have so many things going on in our own personal lives. And just trying to line those things up between one another is always difficult.

Thanks to Job for a Cowboy's Jonny Davy for the interview. The band's 'Moon Healer' album is out now. Stay up to date with the band through their website, Facebook, X, Instagram and Spotify platforms. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie's weekend radio show here.