Shinedown is an American hard rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 2001 and founded by members Brent Smith (vocals), Brad Stewart (bass), Jasin Todd (guitar), and Barry Kerch (drums). A few lineup changes followed, and the band's current lineup consists of Smith and Kerch, the band's only two remaining original members, with guitarist Zach Myers, and bassist/pianist Eric Bass. Since Shinedown's inception, they have released four albums: Leave a Whisper (2003), Us and Them (2005), The Sound of Madness (2008), and Amaryllis (2012), and a total of 17 singles. They have sold more than 6 million albums worldwide.

A fan since Leave a Whisper, I was more than thrilled to meet the original two members, Smith and Kerch and have a chance to talk to them. I just about fell over when I got my very own a capella version of ‘45’ sung to me. With great insight and wisdom, Smith says, “you have to fall down into a hole sometimes in order to figure out how you’re gonna get out of it…”. Watch our video interview for his full explanation of why “your pain is a gift”.