LastWorld: Your Auditory Escape
Interview by Ken Morton LASTWORLD returns with Escape The Eclipse, their 4th album in under 4 years! The dynamic duo of songwriter Jim Shepard (all instruments) and David Cagle (all vocals) present their own take on melodic rock, and it’s once again the recording is mastered by the one and only JK Northrup. With consistently amazing work on each and every album, their latest Escape The Eclipse endeavor finds LastWorld at the very height of their creative energies. Fans of acts such as Journey and Survivor will definitely want to traverse the universe to encounter the sweeping melodic reveries of LastWorld. Highwire Daze now presents an interview with LastWorld founding member and commander of the ship Jim Shepard to find out more about Escape The Eclipse, now available worldwide via Perris Records! Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in LastWorld, and how long the band has been together. Hello my name is Jim Shepard I write the songs and play all the instruments. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? I’m based just outside Chicago and Mr. Cagle is in Alabama , In Chicago the tribute bands seem to rule the clubs as do cover bands too. Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title Escape The Eclipse? The album title came about joking with a friend about “How bands use the same titles for songs like “Talk To Me” there are a ton of songs with that title.... so I joked I just steal album titles and the next album will be Escape The Eclipse. Well, it stuck with me as it’s a great title for us, LastWorld, and we’re paying homage to two great albums from one great band, Journey! Select two other songs from Escape The Eclipse and what inspired the lyrics. Take Me Away is about not being satisfied in your life 46
Jim SHepard even though you’re doing well. You just kinda search for something new. The Sanity is Lost is about keyboard warriors hiding behind the screen while they tell everyone how bad, wrong or horrible they are, all the while never seeing how miserable THEY are. The LastWorld album art always looks so cool. Who did the album art for Escape The Eclipse, and how much influence did you have on it? The artwork was done by Nello Dell ‘Omo and he came up with the idea on how own this time. What made you decide to work with David Cagle initially and what do think makes you both work so well together. September/October 2022
HIGHWIRE DAZE