icon for hire’s Ariel Bloomer and Shawn Jump

By Jay Oakley

I’m sitting here with Icon For Hire, Ariel Bloomer and Shawn Jump.

Ariel Bloomer: What’s up?!!

Shawn Jump: Hey!!

You are here playing the Ottobar in Baltimore and making a return to the Ottobar in Baltimore. How is everything guys?

Ariel: Yes!

Shawn: Everything is the best it’s ever has been.

Ariel: It’s going great. We’ve got snacks. Snacking on our Reese’s cups and our La Croix’s.

Shawn: People are bringing us gifts.

Ariel: Yes, it’s super sweet. We just had a good VIP Meet and Greet, that was fun. We’re always energized by that.

Yeah, so talk a little bit about that. That’s a good way to start off because you don’t often get to hear about that. So, this is something you do for the fans to allow them to meet you so how do you have that designed?

Shawn: Well, it’s been amazing because we’re an independent band and we’re always looking for ways to interact with the fans more because they are financing this entire thing.

Ariel: [Laughs] Yes.

Shawn: I already sold my house and my truck and all my furniture and cashed my 401K in like three times. The fans are everything so we’re just giving them different opportunities to help out and help spread the message.

Ariel: And engage and interact. Sometimes you see as bands start to grow in their career they, unfortunately, aren’t able to go out to their merch table as much or be as involved which is a shame. This is a way that we get to have a more quiet, intimate moment with our fans, if they want to, if they choose to, without all that craziness of like HUNDREDS OF KIDS AT THE END OF THE SHOW WE GOTTA LEAVE NOW!! [Laughs]

Shawn: It was really special earlier. We had some people on the bandwagon or the bus and we play acoustic shows for them and I literally had like a metal-head here and like a seven year old girl with pink hair and her mom and they were all singing along with the songs.

Ariel: It was so cute. It was adorable.

Shawn: The fan base is very unique.

That’s awesome. When you guys put that together, tour to tour, do you try to change it up is certain ways? Do you ever reach out to the fans about what they might like to do with you guys?

Ariel: We do.

Shawn: They are very hands-on with decision making. Oh, 100%.

Ariel: We have this thing called the Icon Army Headquarters, it’s kind of like the official way that we get the fans together in an official capacity. We get to hang out with them, we give them all these perks and that’s through Patreon. So, through there we’re always polling them, always saying, “What do you want?” So this time we give them more exclusive merch then they’ve ever gotten before and we actually added this tour bus thing because some of them were saying, “Hey, the meet and greets are getting so big, we’re not getting as much time with you.” So, we all brainstormed this like other, next level option. Like, “Hey! Do you want to come on the bus?”

Shawn: The fans made it up.

Ariel: Yeah! We capped it at five. So, it’s just five fans every night. We’re hanging out together, playing songs together, eating snacks. It’s super fun. This is the first tour we’ve done that so it’s kind of cool.

So you are now over a decade of being a band together. You’ve done so many tours, whether it was playing on Warped Tour, playing in Europe or on your independent tours, matinee shows. Talk a little bit about what you have experienced just in the progression of Icon For Hire.

Ariel: Lots of nervous breakdowns. [Laughs]

Shawn: That’s a loaded question. I like the evolution of not only the music but the fans. (Looks at Ariel) Can I talk a little bit about that?

Ariel: Of course, yeah!

Shawn: In the last three years, not saying that in the beginning of our careers we were playing for the wrong people because all people are welcome in the Icon Army but the last three years, I feel that, in the VIPs there’s been more…and you can help me be correct.

Ariel: I think what you’re saying is our lyrics attract a lot of kids who just have a lot of issues going on, and the reason is, I also as a lyricist writer, have a lot of issues going on all the time. We’re just seeing more and more, and I think this is cultural as well, not just unique to our fan base, more and more how much of us are dealing with a lot of anxiety right now. Issues with depression, a lot of suicidal thinking and we’ve personally seen that in our fan base become more pronounced and at the same time been this sense of community that we’ve all been, sort of, holding each other up, which has been really cool and really powerful. We’re able to hear how the music helped them and I think, Shawn, what you’re saying is we’ve found our people, more so then ever, in the last few years.

Shawn: Yes! More so then ever. Those are the people we’ve always dreamed about playing for.

Ariel: We want to help the people who need it. And we need help too! We don’t know what we’re doing but we’re stumbling along together.

Shawn: But, it’s really fucking cool that rock and roll can bring all kinds of different genres, different people together and it’s the one thing that everybody can come together for no matter your religious background or political or music. They’re just here to escape for sixty minutes of their minds.

Ariel: We do the same thing.

Shawn: And we do the same thing!

But that’s really how music should be.

Shawn: Should be.

In fact, I’m not even going to get into it because this subject has gotten so much press that it doesn’t need mine, I’m not interested but you guys have had to deal with your fair share of stereotyping, generalization, categorization and stuff like that. So, that’s got to be exciting, especially in these recent years, having that sense of we’re getting it, we’re getting to the people, this is our crowd, these are our fans and this is our family.

Ariel: Exactly and I think the key to that has been that we have tried to show up a little bit more authentically in the last few years. That’s always, kind of, been our thing but without the layers of the label and the people there’s no middle man at all so we have direct access in a whole new way. We are more engaged then ever with our fans and we do have so many live streams and we are inviting them into the back end, sort of, the decision making of the band too and because of that, there’s nobody in between us where before there was, sort of, a label pulling the strings and stuff.

Shawn: We still have people on our team.

Ariel: Yeah, yeah! We still have people on our team but we have direct connection with our fans like never before. I wrote this book that came out like a year and a half ago called Turn Your Pain Into Art. Maybe it’s been two years now? Yeah, I don’t know. That was just an example of me trying to show up more authentically, in a more genuine way and do what I say. [Laughs] Getting to do that and to be super honest has allowed for that fan diversity to shine, which is cool.

When it came to Tooth & Nail, did your time there just come to end? Did you feel that operating independently was something you just felt you was best for you? So, when it comes to being a label band and transitioning to an independent band, I know the fans would be curious, if you have anything you’d like to say about that.

Shawn: Well…it’s been awesome.

Ariel: It’s been awesome. It’s been so good. The plan was to stay independent. We didn’t really leave that label saying that we hope we can hop onto this label over here. We didn’t know if it would work though and it turned out that it did work and that was where the Kickstarter came into play and then the continuation of the Icon Army Headquarters through Patreon, also we’ve seen our shows grow so much too. Our shows when we were with the label were ok but now it’s a night and day difference. There’s so much more energy, so much more turnouts, much more excitement and hype. So, we always encourage bands that if you get the chance to operate independent, do. It’s pretty amazing, we’re grateful.

Shawn: It’s a cool time to be an artist.

Ariel: It is. We’re, honestly, not shopping for labels. A lot of bands, maybe, say that they aren’t but they secretly are. We genuinely are very happy with the way it is right now.

Absolutely! So, talk a little bit about the music. It’s been roughly about a year now for Still Can’t Kill Us, your acoustic record.

Ariel: YES!!

Coming off the heels of, You Can’t Kill Us. So, talk a little bit about your last plugged in record leading into your latest, acoustic, record and the fan reception and getting to play those songs.

Shawn: It’s been amazing. We just released two new singles called, “Venom” and “Hollow” and I think we’re finally getting to a place where I have a lot more control over the sonic soundscapes of the music because I’ve just grown as a producer. So, I’m actually able to get in my head and put it in software and hear it back. We’re getting a lot better at communicating. Maybe it’s not so much communicating, (Turns to Ariel) you’re a lot more flexible. She’s becoming more flexible.

Ariel: [Laughs] Busted!

Shawn: So, she’ll hand me a piano song and I’ll speed it up and change a few things and then before you know it it’s like 172bpms and it’s going really fast.

Ariel: The acoustic element came because the fans requested it. Actually the last tour, the Turn Your Pain Into Art tour, we had like an acoustic moment in the set and we asked fans if they wanted an acoustic record and they said yes and we were like, “OK, we’re going to make you one.” We got off tour and we took like three months off and we made them one.

Shawn: WE literally made that in our house.

Ariel: We did it in our home studio.

Shawn: She sang in a closet. I bought gear, I rented gear.

Ariel: It was a lot of work. [Laughs]

Shawn: It was a lot of work. I was way too much; I did all the engineering, the recording, the editing.

Ariel: It was stupid work. We were working more then we needed to.

Shawn: We shouldn’t have done that. We should have hired engineers to come in.

Ariel: That actually lead to some of the struggles that you ended up going through last year too. It kind of lead to a dark time.

Shawn: It’s true.

Ariel: It’s so interesting because in that dark time, in all that stress, it lead to new music. So, Shawn helped write “Venom” lyrically through that experience of the pain of making Still Can’t Kill Us. [Laughs] So, It all kind of feeds itself.

Shawn: [Laughs] It’s so fucked up, it’s so messed up. I got stuck up here way to long. Just in workaholic-ism. Just working and not taking a break. So, I wrote the lyric “Misery, misery is the venom in my brain” and she just went from there.

Talk a little bit, Shawn, about producing in general. Is that something you always felt you wanted to get into?

Shawn: I didn’t know. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. When I was in high school, even when I was in junior high, my dad had drums and he was in a KISS cover band and he had a guitar laying around but I was more into hip-hop and like ‘N Sync, Backstreet Boys.

Ariel: [Laughs] You were so not cool back then.

Shawn: No, I was not cool but I was the high school DJ so I had to know the hits. I was hired for all the dances and people would come to me and hire me for weddings and stuff. So, I knew I had that in me and I knew I wanted to do something with music and then when I turned seventeen, my dad bought me a Les Paul and Ted Nugent and KISS records and it was on. So, then I was a hardcore guitar player, big half stacks and then I knew I wanted to incorporate other things I’ve heard in music. So, then I put the guitar down and jumped into Pro Tools, which is a digital analog workstation and I’ve been on that for over a decade. So, for twelve years now, so now I know all about synthesizers and drums and hip hop and loops and that’s what you hear hopefully. You hear Top 40, you hear guitars, you hear driving drums, you hear it all. Hopefully we’re doing it right. Then you put this cherry on top (looking at Ariel) and you’ve got a band.

Ariel: [Laughs] You get some sass on there.

Shawn: Yeah, I’m hyper-obsessed with making music.

Ariel: He really is. It’s annoying.

Do you have plans or have you branched out into working with other artists?

Shawn: No, I definitely want to get there. Icon For Hire is like my baby.

Ariel: We, honestly, haven’t had time for extra projects outside of this band for over a decade.

Shawn: I say “No” a lot because this is going really good.

I totally get it. It’s kind of like say “No” but with a high-five. But, I do that that’s really cool because not only with the producing but to touch back again on the current record because for what you would genuinely consider in a band’s discography this acoustic record’s early for you guys.

Shawn: Yes.

Ariel: Oh yeah, you’re right! It’s just because our fans asked for it so we did it.

Shawn: And, there’s no fucking rules. I don’t have somebody we need to get this record out by Q2 or we need to do this now, you have five albums to deal with us. We don’t have that so we can really do what the fuck we want.

Ariel: So, we do. We just make it up as we go. We literally make it up.

Shawn: That’s not saying that if the right partner comes along and we’re on the same page and they want to get our music out to more people, we’re totally open to that. I’m not going to go fucking seeking for it though. I’m not going to waste my time. [Laughs] They can come knocking on the bandwagon, I’m not going to go looking for them. I’ve got shit to do.

Talk a little about the tour. The venues, the crowds, particular cities that are really rocking out for you.

Ariel: Yes, well this is only our third stop on this tour. So, we just got back from doing a European/UK run a couple months ago and we’ll head back there in February.

Shawn: And it’s awesome over there.

Ariel: It’s awesome over there but this is just the third date of the Turn Your Pain Into Art tour. We’ve done Atlanta so far and that was fantastic and we were in Charlotte last night, super cool, it was in the arts district so it was in a really cool part of town, there’s Halloween costumes everywhere and honestly the best part has been seeing these fans face to face because when we don’t tour or meet fans for a month or two we get a little weird, just subconsciously, we don’t even realize it until we see our fans again and it’s like, “There’s real people who actually listen to us! Oh my God!”

Shawn: We get stuck in our heads way to fucking much.

Ariel: But, meeting them in the flesh and not just through an Instagram DM, it really makes you feel like, “This is working! We’re doing something!” It’s so validating and rewarding so the last two shows that’s really been my experience. “Oh, my God! I’m a real musician and people listen to what we do! Wow!”

Do you guys get lonely for the road?

Ariel: Yes, of course.

Shawn:  Oh yeah, absolutely. I go stir crazy. You can only look at audio tracks for so long before you’re like, “I’ve got to play shows too!”

With this year drawing to a close what do you have coming up? You’re just starting this tour and then you said you’re going back to the UK. So, what do you have scheduled that you’re allowed to announce?

Shawn: So, the plan right now is we’re going to get off the road the 26th, we’re going back into the studio the 28th. So, we’ll take Thanksgiving Day off and then we’re going right back into the studio.

Ariel: Then I have a TED Talk on December 6th.

Shawn: In Nashville, she’ll be doing that.

Ariel: Then after that I want to take the rest of December off because I need a break, I want to go on vacation. We probably won’t but that’s what I want. January we’ll be in the studio, I guess and February/March we’ll be back on tour.

Shawn: The first date will be February 19th in Moscow, St. Petersburg and then we’ll do more Eastern Europe like Warsaw, Budapest, Hungary, all those areas and then we’ll come back in March and we’ll be jumping back into the studio and then we’ll be going back over there for the big UK summer festivals and then probably back here for another big US run. We’re hoping to get on this big tour and everything will get pushed if we do but we already have three songs ready to release now.

Ariel: So, we’ll do a music video in December.

Shawn: So, we’ve got plenty to do in 2020. Hopefully we release a record in 2020. Our manager’s even working on 2021 right now.

With this tour being in its early stages so not just for your current Icon For Hire fans but for fans that will be seeing you for the first time, talk a bit about your live show. What do you bring to the table, what do they have to look forward to?

Shawn: A lot of intensity.

Ariel: A LOT of intensity, he’s pointing at me right now. It’s our only chance, it’s our only shot.  We have like an hour in front of these kids and it has to be amazing, impactful, insane and crazy and just intense.

Shawn: Even the VIP tonight, a couple people said that they came to the show tonight to have a life-changing experience.

Ariel: No pressure. [Laughs]

Shawn: No pressure. [Laughs] They needed a life changing experience at our rock show and I think that’s pretty fucking cool.

That’s your next tour, the Life Changing Experience Tour!

Ariel: The Life Changing Experience. No refunds guys! But, we’re doing costume changes on this tour. I’ve got my light-up coat. We’ve got Shawn featuring a great light show. We have a guest vocalist, we’re doing an acoustic song from the Still Can’t Kill Us record, we’re playing new music so you’ll have to let us know what you think tonight but we try to pack it all in.

That’s so cool. Touching again like we discussed earlier about the way the world is now, I go to a lot of shows on the regular with what I do as you can imagine but as I was standing outside I couldn’t help but notice the length of difference in your fans is just staggering.

Ariel: I know! It’s weird, right?!

Shawn: It’s fucking mind-blowing.

Usually, there’s still that happy medium where the majority of the crowd looks similar or there’s mom and dad bringing their kid because they want to but you guys have an enormously diverse fan base. That’s got to be crazy for you guys?

Shawn: It’s very strange. But, cool.

Ariel: It’s cool; it’s just hard to know what your target market is. I just, kind of, view it as we’re throwing these ropes out to the world. This is who we are, this is what resonates with us and if any of those pick that up then they’re just resonating with what we’re saying through our lyrics, who we’re being and so it’s just up to them if that connects with them. It makes sense that it wouldn’t just be with one group of people it’s just individuals within multiple groups. We’re all just a bunch of misfits.

This is actually a pretty cool time for you guys to play Baltimore calendar-wise. For the way Baltimore is and some of what the city has been going through you’re literally playing two days after Against Me! played two nights in Baltimore. Two nights, two albums a night,  playing four total albums.

Shawn: That’s amazing.

Ariel: That’s really special.

Something like that is very cool and the reason I bring it up and because that was another situation where I just kicked back and I watched. I had my drink, I’m leaning against a pillar, I’m enjoying the show and I’m just looking around and observing. Tonight just reminds me of that, I’m just thinking about how cool that is to see because it’s amazing, there’s just so much of everyone.

Ariel: That’s cool. Well, we love hearing our crowd compared to Against Me!’s crowd  for the diversity of people. That’s really special.

Well, I want to that you so much for sitting down with me but the one thing I find it important for me to say to you guys is that all that really matters when it comes down to it is how you both felt about your interview experience. That you liked your questions, you felt respected, you felt your time wasn’t wasted and you enjoyed your interview.

Ariel: Oh, for sure. We try to approach that with having a sense of presence to everything even if things are repetitive. We have to be present in that moment even if we’ve played the same show ten nights in a row that tenth night is still special and unique on its own. It’s the only way to live.

Shawn: We had a great time. We really appreciate it.

Thanks again and I look forward to seeing the set.

Ariel: Thank you! We look forward to playing it!