When we last interviewed James Durbin, he was riding high on the release of The Beast Awakens: an epic metal concept album that drew from the well of all things 80s and old school. It seemed unlikely that he would ever involve himself in a band again, or at least so soon. Then fate and Frontiers Records intervened. In this brand new interview, Durbin opens up about his new supergroup, Cleanbreak, collaborating with the legendary Alan Parsons, the future of his Prince of Metal mythos, and more. As you’ll soon read, there’s never a dull moment in the life of this heavy Idol.
Greetings James and welcome back to Defenders of the Faith! How are you doing today?
James Durbin: *chirps* Those crickets are going wild *laughs*. You ever take that into consideration? Those crickets are using all that energy to make that sound. That cricket’s losing his shit! That cricket is stoked! But I’m doing really good. I’m doing great. Happy to be talking with you again. I didn’t know I was the first returning guest!
Well, in all truthfulness, the first returning guest was supposed to be Graham Bonnet. Then I got COVID and that unfortunately fell through.
JD: That’s a bummer. “Graham Bonnet couldn’t make it. We had a couple other guys lined up and they weren’t available, but hey, we got James Durbin!” *laughs*
James Durbin now of Cleanbreak! The last time we spoke, we were talking about The Beast Awakens. Coming off the heels of that last record, which was one of the best records of 2021 as far as I’m concerned, were you at all hesitant about returning to a band environment?
JD: I think maybe I would’ve been if I thought this was going to be a regular band. We were still in the pandemic, so we all recorded everything remotely. It was a studio/online album. The first time we met as a band, all 4 of us, was in L.A., during the music video shoot.
How was that?
JD: It was great! I don’t know how it was before I got there. I imagine it was great because the energy was just…great! It was awesome. I just walked up and was like, “Hey guys! You guys look like a band. Need a singer?” *laughs* I just rolled up with my suitcase, we got ready, and filmed the video for the single “Cleanbreak” in about an hour and 15 minutes. Then we had a nice break, an actual break, a literal break, and got to hang out and chat, drink coffee. I was very, very tired. I had a show or something the night before. I don’t know. I was exhausted, but it was great. It was a great experience. Everyone was easygoing. By the end of the day, we felt like we had known each other for years. Robert Sweet gave me a kiss on the cheek, so it was like, my work here is done *laughs*. All is well in heavy metal! I can’t complain.
Alongside you in this band is Mike Flyntz of Riot V on guitars, as well as Robert Sweet and Perry RIchardson of Stryper on drums and bass respectively. Were you friends with or had you worked with any of these guys prior to the formation of Cleanbreak?
JD: No! I met Robert and Perry one time. I met them in Milan, Italy when I was there with Quiet Riot to do the One Night in Milan live album and video. As I learned recently, that was Perry’s very first show with Stryper, so that was cool. I met and performed with Alessandro Del Vecchio that night as well because he played piano on “Thunderbird” for the first time ever live. So it was cool all that was going on, and then the way things happened and came together for Cleanbreak. It’s cool that there’s those connections. When I got to the video shoot, Mike Flyntz was telling me how they watched Idol and it was cool to have seen me up there and be like, “Now I’m working with you!”
It’s awesome. I just love the positivity. I think I said it at some point during the video shoot: “Isn’t it great when you get to work with a bunch of sweethearts and not a bunch of assholes?” Everyone was so easygoing on the set. When it was time to do pictures or makeup or wardrobe change or whatever, it was like, “Yeah, cool! We’re on our way! Can we get some beer?” “Yeah, beer would be good!” In full old school brother heavy metal, it’s aluminum bottles of Budweiser. I’m like, “Can I get a hazy IPA or a stout at least?” The guy had no idea what I was talking about when I said “hazy”, so we just got beers. It was like, “Uh, alright, we’ll see. It’s gonna take a lot of these to do the trick.” It took a lot, and it did the trick! It was great for all of us. Perry was outside chiefing on cigars. Robert, Mike, and I are inside drinking Budweisers and telling road stories. It was great.
What qualities do you look for in a bandmate, whether they be musical, personal, or otherwise?
JD: With this record, it was its own thing because it was just a few emails sent and then music. In general, I look for someone that’s kind hearted and a good personality. Not too strong of an asshole streak *laughs*. If you don’t need to, you don’t need to. You can be the most talented musician in the world and a prick. Good luck finding work. Well, there are plenty out there *laughs*. I guess if you are the world’s most talented musician AND a prick, people will put up working with the prick to work with the talented musician. There we go! I like working with good people. If I have the choice, I’d rather have that and practice *laughs*.
With Cleanbreak, when I signed my deal with Frontiers in December of 2019, the original idea was for me to do a solo record, which became The Beast Awakens, which I am working on a follow up to. I was just working on demos before I jumped on. So that happened and it did what it did, despite the pandemic. Just after that, Frontiers was like, “Ready to start talking about this next band project?” I was like, “You want to pay me to do another album so soon?! What? Yes! Thank you papa!” *laughs* I affectionately referred to Frontiers as “papa” in my last interview. Maybe it’s because I just finished Stranger Things, but maybe not.
I just felt like, “I did a good thing?! You’re giving me a pinch on the cheek?” You know, because they’re Italian: a swift smack and a kiss on the lips! That’s just the Italian way *laughs*. I’ve grown accustomed to it. My wife is Italian and so is her family, and so are my kids! Great, now I’m even more alone *laughs*. The lone little German boy over here *laughs*. But yeah, getting to do an album so soon after The Beast Awakens was awesome. I mentioned very quickly in one interview that I was working on a follow up to it. Then Frontiers posts about it and then Michael Sweet’s reposting it *laughs*. It’s so cool. I’m stoked for the vibe with Frontiers.
I have no problem being independent. I have no problem doing it on my own. Even with The Beast Awakens, it was done with an independent mindset, but having the support of a label. My wife did the photography, figured out what I was gonna wear, the whole look of everything. The photo shoot was done in our house. We were on lockdown. We moved our couch and set up lights, found one blank wall and did a studio photo shoot. I storyboarded the video and everything. I did all of the album design for the CD. I did it all in Photoshop and with the label specifications and every little minute detail. It was crazy, but I will do that.
The cool thing with Cleanbreak was I didn’t have to *laughs*. Again, Frontiers was like, “You’re a good boy!” “Yes papa? You wanna give me more money to make more music?” I have pleased the gods! I get to work with great musicians that are also great people and just continue to make music. That’s so freaking awesome and powerful. I don’t take that for granted. It’s been 11 years since I was on American Idol. To have taken that chance and gone and tried that, like all things, it was a double edged sword. It definitely can be detrimental for certain things. It’s what you do with it and how you use it. Don’t let it use you. It happens for you, or it can if you let it.
That, and then albums that I’ve done, different things and different opportunities I’ve taken and earned, it’s interesting to see, as NASA says, “It’s not their failures. It’s their early attempts at success.” When I look at my early attempts at success, and making later attempts at success as well, it’s cool when they’re successful. I look at that as my own success. It’s a dangerous slope if you compare your success to the successes of others. I gotta be like, “This is a success for me.” With The Beast Awakens, it was like, “I created this album. It’s done. I did it!” I cried throughout making that record, which is why I’m cautious about making another one *laughs*. It’s just cool to be able to continue to do this.
The vibe that I get, first with The Beast Awakens and now with this Cleanbreak record, is that Frontiers is an outlet that’s very open to letting you do what you want to do through various musical avenues.
JD: Absolutely, and it’s really cool! When I first signed, I had this idea of, “Oh, I’m this new up and coming singer on their roster?” Then it was like, no! There’s 100 badass, masterful, hard rock, melodic metal singers on this label. I got picked because of what I do. That’s why they wanted to work with me, because of what I do. Not that I’m holier than thou or anything. It was so humbling to realize that and just really put things into perspective. It’s really cool that finally I’ve found a home for my music with Frontiers, that because they believe in what I’m capable of, I’m able to make music that is living up to that. They don’t have an expectation necessarily, but it’s cool to have a label that believes I can keep doing cool things and making more records and bands and projects.
I’m very thankful for Durbin and Cleanbreak. I’ve got a feature on the Alan Parsons record that’s coming out on Frontiers this Friday. It’s also got Joe Bonamassa on the song. I co-wrote the song. That happened apart from Frontiers, but when I was there working with Alan, I was like, “Are you still on Frontiers?” “Yes, I’m still on.” “I’M on Frontiers!” “Looks like you’re gonna be on this record!” *laughs* I worked with him when I was 19, back when I auditioned for American Idol for season 8 in San Francisco. It’s pretty crazy. I worked with him that weekend for the Art and Science of Sound Recording, which is a DVD series that he did. To work with him 10 plus years later is pretty crazy and bizarre. It just happened as seamlessly as it did the first time. It’s cool to have the opportunity to keep doing that.
Another person from Frontiers just reached out to me to possibly sing on something which, as soon as I signed with Frontiers, I was like, “I want to do one of these. I want to be on one of these albums.” It was put that energy out there and just see what manifests, not expecting anything, but if you believe it, something will manifest in the form of that or something similar to it. I’ve seen it! My wife had my write some intentions and when I do it, I see it coming back at me. I’m always attuned to that frequency. So it’s pretty cool to see things manifest that you envisioned.
Thanks for reminding me about that Parsons feature, because I was meaning to ask you what it was like to work with him. Is it overwhelming to be collaborating with somebody that legendary?
JD: He commands a presence. He’s a very large human. He’s very tall and oblong. This is purely observational, and I love the man, but he’s large. He’s not a giant, but he’s like…a smaller Andre the Giant in a way. He’s got a big head, big eyes, big eyebrows, and is super expressive all the time, but he’s so soft spoken. He’s got that Jason Momoa look in his eyes. It’s like, this man could kill me at any moment, or he’s going to indulge me in the mysteries of the universe! Either or…or both! That would be pretty epic. That’s an album right there *laughs*.
I co-wrote the song with his business partner, Julian Colbeck, who does production stuff for him and wrote books on MIDI back in the day and played with some of the Genesis guys. I was working with him on another project I was doing studio work for. He was like, “Alan’s doing another masterclass.” Which he does. So you said you’d never have an opportunity, well you can have the opportunity for the tune of who knows how many thousands of dollars. I met some very kind and strange individuals at Alan’s masterclass. Some of them aren’t even musicians. Some of them are just like, “I always wondered how this stuff worked!” *laughs* It’s like, “You came all the way out here and you don’t even listen to music? What? Are you adopting?! I don’t have a father, want to be mine?” *laughs*
Anyways, I was doing Alan’s masterclass. He brings in different bands and different artists and will feature them throughout it. Julian and I wrote the song “Give ‘Em My Love”, which is a deeply meaningful song. It’s inspired by when someone’s leaving to visit somebody else. If your mom or sister or whoever in your life is going to visit someone else in your life, you say, “Give them my love.” To equate that phrase to someone who is on their deathbed and in their last moments of consciousness, to send your love with them to the other side. It’s not a Durbin song. It’s not a Cleanbreak song. It’s more of a James Durbin song, to where it’s not in a genre. I don’t know what the genre is, but I don’t put my music into different genres. I let other people do that for me.
There’s just something about it. My voice was very raw and rugged because I barely had any sleep and had played a show up in the city in Oakland the night before. I got home at midnight, had to wake up at 4 AM to drive 5 hours to Alan’s studio outside of Santa Barbara. I had to do the session all day, and then I had to drive home because I had a show the next day. I was rocked that day. I haven’t heard the song in a while. I won’t even hear it on Friday because I’ll be off the grid camping, so I’ll hear it on Monday. I was very, very excited when I heard Joe Bonamassa put a solo on the track. I play some guitars and sing and co-wrote it, so it’s pretty sweet. It’s a real blessing, these full circle moments.
It’s cool because the first time I worked with Alan, I was fully a student. I had zero idea. I was just a studio singer. This was my first gig. Working with him now, I’m like, “I don’t really hear that there. I hear this.” He allows me that comfortability and allows me to have a presence in the room on my song, which was really cool. I had no idea in that sense. For him to allow me that was crazy. Chris Jericho texted me the other day and was like, “I just talked to Alan Parsons for my podcast. What did you do with him?!” I explained it all to him and he was like, “Dude, he was on the fucking rooftop with The Beatles! He was up there! You worked with that guy?!” It’s so cool!
It sure is! While on the topic of songwriting, who handled the writing for Cleanbreak and how was the album written?
JD: I wrote 2 songs completely myself the way I would for Durbin. Everybody took them, Mike, Perry, and Robert. What Mike did with my songs specifically, wow. It blows my mind. I remember the first time I listened to it. I was sitting right here like, “Oh my gosh! This is so cool! What is happening?!” I wrote “Cleanbreak”, “Before the Fall”, and co-wrote “Dream Forever”. Mike Flyntz co-wrote 2 songs with Alessandro, “Still Fighting” and there’s another I can’t think of right now. The rest was written by Alessandro and his roster of songwriters. It’s great.
I was listening to songs, demos, and whatnot all throughout the process. I got to say “I like this.” or “Let’s try something else here.” My writer’s block didn’t prevent us from having a great record and there was no sort of attitude when I was like, “Can I maybe hear a couple more songs from other writers?” My songs just weren’t coming out, probably because I just got finished making a full concept album and everything that goes with it, writing a story, killing my characters, and crying *laughs*. They were like, “Yeah, totally.” That was really great. They made it easy. That’s why I love working with Frontiers. They make things easy.
Having listened to Coming Home a few times now, I’ve noticed the uplifting nature of the lyrics, as well as this anthemic, almost AC/DC sounding arena atmosphere to the music. It’s very positive. We might have touched on it before with the last record, but how important is it for you to spread positivity through music?
JD: Very much so. I feel like every time I’m given the opportunity to talk about my music or myself in any way related to music is an opportunity to spread positivity and positive thinking. It’d be super easy for me to look at a lot of things that have happened in my life or things that happen day to day or things that are happening around the world and put myself as the beacon of all that anger and pettiness and bullshit. Instead, the things that matter, that I need to put my energy into, are the things that I, myself, can change, and the things that affect my everyday life. That’s a roof over my head, food in my stomach, supporting my family, my wife and our 3 kids, being a good dad and continuing to try to be a good provider.
That shit’s hard enough as is *laughs*. Why also be a miserable prick *laughs*? I like putting it in my music too. I like writing about darkness and mystery and sci-fi and fantasy and stuff, but I like to put a thread of truth and honesty and positivity. Even if it’s a dark song, there is an essence of light emanating from it, like with the title track from The Beast Awakens. The hook at the end is, “Light will still appear when the beast awakens.” It’s a positive beast *laughs*. There’s several meanings within that phrase as a whole in the chorus, which is great. Even what I want my music to mean to me, as soon as I release it, it means something entirely to every different person that’s having their own unique listening experience.
I know that, because there’s songs that affect me a certain way or I think they’re about or make me feel a certain way that isn’t necessarily what the person that wrote the song or performed the song had ever considered, which is crazy about music. That’s why it’s so healing. It does something different for everybody. There’s no wrong music in that sense. There’s no bad music because it’s all personal. I listen to so many songs.
When you think about it, 100s of albums come out everyday. You gotta put it out on Fridays if you want a chance of people hearing it *laughs*. Even still, 100s of albums every Friday and every release day. You have to think how many songs have been written more than once in different styles by different artists. There’s only 12 notes, so there is, scientifically and mathematically, something for you in every single song that’s ever been recorded or written or performed. It might be the most trifling ass garbage music *laughs* that you believe is a disgrace of the world, but there’s guaranteed to be something in there for you. That song either made the person who wrote it happy or whoever.
Even if my music affects 1 person, that’s still 1 human being. That’s still 1 life that if I can push a little bit of positivity in their life, whether it’s wrapped up in demons and dragons and swords and a fucking wizard with a hobbit pipe smoking weed on a mountain with a rainbow, and I’d personally love it to be that, whatever it’s coded in, I want to deliver that. It’s done so much more for my life to live with that positivity then it has to live with negativity.
Is there anything about this album that you think will take listeners by surprise?
JD: I would say don’t have expectations. Don’t have an expectation for anything. If I tell you what it might sound like or what it might be similar to, you’re immediately gonna think of something different than the thing itself that I’m referring to that’s like this or like that. If I said there’s a song that’s reminiscent of Judas Priest on the album, that could be anything. You could be thinking “Island of Domination” and I could be thinking “Electric Eye”. It could be 2 sides of the same coin. You never know.
I always say, if you’re doing something new, don’t set an expectation at all. I do this every concert I play, every opportunity, every interview, every everything. If the last one was great and I’m on a high from it and then the next one doesn’t meet my expectations and I’m like, “This is stupid. Why am I even here?” Then I’m giving half-ass energy and everything and it affects it. The fans aren’t stupid. We’re very smart, sometimes unfortunately smart *laughs* for the artist or thing that you love. I don’t know. I guess be OK with doing better.
Last year, we spoke about your audition for American Idol and how you were inspired by Erik Grönwall of H.E.A.T, who competed on Swedish Idol. Interestingly enough, Erik is currently in a similar position that you were in with Quiet Riot, as he is now fronting Skid Row. Have you spoken with Erik at all since and what are your thoughts on him fronting the band?
JD: I haven’t. I don’t think I’ve ever spoken with Erik. I feel like, in vastly different ways, but from a map standpoint, we’ve had somewhat similar paths: Coming from TV shows, doing albums, getting poppier, and then getting into something heavier and melodic, touring with a legacy act. Nothing’s forever, as we see with legacy acts all the time, people continuing to be successful and make money and tour and make a living making music.
The Skid Row guys are all sweethearts. ZP Theart, who sang before Erik, we did a bunch of shows with him when I was in Quiet Riot. They were a great group of guys. Rachel Bolan, who’s living in Nashville, he invited me to see Joan Jett down there and I met up with them. All great guys. I think it’s great. I know Erik sang Skid Row in his audition when he was a kid. It’s another one of those full circle moments. When I saw it, I was like, “Fuck yeah, that’s awesome.” But to see Erik doing shows with Skid Row with Quiet Riot on the bill also is like, *sighs* if only it had been a couple years earlier *laughs*. That would’ve been great. I would’ve enjoyed hanging out with them, having a beer and chat about the whole Idol experience. It was a big inspiration for me to do Idol, and not only that, but to sing metal on Idol. That was the precipice of it. I’m not sure if he knows that, but yeah.
Since the pandemic has eased up, how have the shows that you’ve been playing been going? Where can fans see you the rest of 2022? Any plans for touring or more shows?
JD: Throughout the pandemic, I was doing socially distanced backyard concerts. That was great. I had a really good year in 2020. We brought a house and I signed a record deal. It’s not lost on me at all that that’s bonkers *laughs*. I don’t get it still, but hey, the power of positivity. I’ve kept it close to home as far as shows go. I do a lot of shows with my local cover band, The Lost Boys. That’s all 70s and 80s dance rock covers. The Beast Awakens was a studio album, up until now! For the first time in history, Durbin is playing their very first show! I’m very, very stoked. That’s happening Friday, August 26 in San Francisco at Bottom of the Hill with Nerd Halen and Enuff Z’Nuff.
Enuff Z’Nuff! My hometown boys!
JD: Oh yeah! I’m very excited about that. That was also manifested. I said to myself, and I texted one of my guitarists, “I want to do a Durbin show.” A couple days later, I got an email form a booker. It was like, “Are you interested in a show with Enuff Z’Nuff and Nerd Halen?” “Fuck yeah I am!” As soon as I got the email, I sat down at my desk, only to literally walk out of the room like, “Yes!” I’m really, really excited about it. I haven’t a single note of what we sound like yet live *laughs*. My guys are setting up some rehearsals and stuff. I’m gonna jump in there next week or the week after.
I’m getting my Durbin logo redesigned right now through a guy I’ve been following on Instagram. His name is Daniel Porta, @thepitforge. I’m super pumped for what’s next because I really, really would love to play some shows with Cleanbreak. I’m really excited about playing this show with Durbin, and the possibility to play more. Writing the next Durbin album, the Alan Parsons feature, whatever’s gonna happen in the future with Frontiers. I’m pulling for a James Durbin, Nathan James, Renan Zonta, three singer ballads collection. I think it’d be fucking epic. Everything has the potential to be epic or disastrous. I think we can make it disastrously epic in the greatest of ways. And then whatever else continues to manifest itself. It’s been real, it’s been fun, and that’s why I keep doing it. Why do something if it sucks? If it sucks, you need a Cleanbreak and you need to come home!
The new Cleanbreak album, Coming Home, is available now on Frontiers Records. For more information on Cleanbreak, visit www.facebook.com/CleanbreakMetal/. For more information on James Durbin, visit www.jamesdurbinofficial.com.
Cool interview. Thanks, James