JPG: The album announces itself with big sounding drums on the opening number, “The Last Dance.” It’s a fun and funny song because if you’re in a bad mood and you hear the line, “This is the last dance before the end of the world” you can see it as fatalistic – “Oh well, let’s dance as the world’s about to end” – (JD laughs) but it does have a positive twist with a line later in the song “Every end begins a new time.”

JD: Here’s the thing. It’s the absurdity of thinking that the world’s gonna end and the actual reality that it does end all the time. Everyday somebody’s world ends. No matter if human beings are here or not, this place is probably going to still keep on going. (laughs) It’s done it a million times; almost the absurdity of resisting change is a good way to put that song in a nutshell.

JPG: It corresponds with what you talk about in the album’s press release about finding things in common during these divisive times. Now, the album was recorded in 2017 so I’m thinking, as far as a timeline, it was written in 2016 .

JD: It was recorded all through 2017 from January to December. Most of it was written in 2016. There’s a few things from earlier like “We Have Arrived” and “You in My Arms.” I tried recording them on the first record but they needed to cook a little longer.

JPG: What I’m getting at, was the effect of culture and politics on the album’s themes and outlook consciously seeping in?

JD: It definitely seeped in. What I didn’t want to do was write music that would create more division and spread bad feeling and hate. Anybody can write whatever they want but I think these things live on for a long time. Before I die, what is it I want to spread because this is a megaphone that I’ve got? What do I want to say through the megaphone?

I’ve got kids that are entering the world soon as adults, maybe they’ll have kids, so I have a part in this. I think about those things whenever I use the megaphone.

JPG: It reminds me of how Michael Franti uses music to spread positivity.

JD: It’s like that. I love him. He’s a good example. Because I know so many people on both sides of the equation, and I lived in a very red state area when I was a kid. I know a lot of these people and am friends with them. I know a lot of the people that are super super super blue and I am friends with them. I have this interesting vantage point where I know their pain and I’ve had their pain and have those kinds of pains. I look at it and go, “Everybody is really experiencing similar pain. I don’t want add to any of that.” For me that’s not the place of the music that I like to do. Instead, here’s a space where we can hang out and things are still good.

JPG: That reminds me of the Mission Statement of the Sun King Warriors that’s on the band’s website.

JD: I learned to do things with purpose. I learned that it’s valuable to say out loud what is it that you’re doing, what is it that you’re about so that when I go to make decisions, and the other guys go to make decisions, we know how to point the ship. If something doesn’t click or align with the things that we say in the mission then we just don’t do them. It’s just as plain as that.

I know that a big part of what we can do as this thing grows, and it’s already happening, we can point the megaphone towards things that can help people. We have a privileged position, being able to be up on a stage and to perform and people come and see us. Anytime people are showing up that’s an opportunity to do something good.

JPG: You normally direct two retreats each year — the Great Rhythm Revival and the Summer Rhythm Renewal – but you will only have the Revival starting next year. Is it a matter that the band is growing and needs more of your attention?

JD: It is. I’ve been doing workshops since 1999. It was really the way I got out of Rusted Root. It gave me an avenue. But [Sun King Warriors] is growing as I’ve been trying to grow it, and it’s also part that I’ve got to make room for creativity. I know that when I’m making things that they need time. I can’t do them here and there. So, I know that in order to get the time I have to take some other things off the plate, which has started to happen. It’s kind of been in the works for a couple years. Things are shifting but so far it’s staying balanced.

JPG: Tell me a little more about the Premium Song Experience.

JD: I created this five day journey for people. It’s a way for people to get into some of the depth behind the lyrics, behind the music and the recording process. It’s a way to give people an experience that they can’t get anywhere else and it’s a way for us to help build our fanbase organically.

They get a five day experience. I send them a survey. I send other live videos and things like that just to educate people about us. What I’m learning is that’s the thing that helps the connection get deeper.

JPG: Doing that is a comment on the current music industry as well as how the band members have other careers so it’s able to provide an experience to fans for free.

JD: Exactly. And if they really like it there’s enough people that come and support it in other ways. It all works out. You can go to our website,  , and get the experience there. Just sign up for it and you get it right away.

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