Nine Left Dead’s ‘Put Your Guns Down’ Inspired by Jail Fight

We've heard a lot of interesting band formation stories here at Noisecreep, but we can safely say that Nine Left Dead's tale takes the cake. The Oklahoma hard rock outfit got its start in 2008 when frontman Travis Jones met bassist Jared Ellis while they were both working as prison guards at a maximum-security penitentiary.

Since then, Nine Left Dead grew into a five piece and eventually won the Rock U Live Kattfest Band Beatdown in Oklahoma City, beating out over 100 other bands. As part of the prize package, the band received the honor of being one of the first bands to record at Bar Code Studios, owned by multi-platinum Hinder drummer and songwriter Cody Hanson.

Now signed to C-Squared Management and DirtBag/ILG/Warner Music Group, Nine Left Dead will be releasing their debut album, 'The Wrong Things,' on September 20th. Noisecreep has the exclusive stream of 'Put Your Guns Down,' the record's first single.

Listen to 'Put Your Guns Down'

Nine Left Dead vocalist Travis Jones told Noisecreep about the inspiration behind 'Put Your Guns Down':

"The inspiration behind this single actually came from a night when Jared and I were on duty as prison guards. One day we had an inmate come in thinking he was a little more hardcore than he actually ended up being. I was having a bad night, and to add to it this inmate kept running his mouth. One thing lead to another and he ended up taking a swing at me. So I moved in on him, picked him up, and slammed him into the ground taking control of the situation.

"Later on that night I was going back over what had just happened in my head and the line 'careful what you wish for' kept sticking in my head, because he wanted to fight but I know he didn't see it playing out the way it actually did. And it made me think about those guys that think they are unstoppable until someone actually puts them in their place. That's where the idea for 'Put Your Guns Down' came from."

Nine Left Dead tour dates:

7/19 New Haven, CT Toad's Place

7/20 Lancaster, PA Chameleon Club

7/21 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock

7/25: Cleveland, OH House of Blues

7/27 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's

7/28 Munhall, PA Carnegie Music Hall

7/29 Detroit, MI St Andrews Hall

7/30 Madison, WI WJJO Band Camp Post Show Reverend Jim's Roadhouse

7/31 Kansas City, MO The Midland Theatre By AMC

8/2 Wichita, KS The Cotillion

8/3 Odessa, TX Dos Amigos

8/6 Missoula, MT Wilma Theater

8/7 Lewiston, ID Boomers Garden

8/9 Casper, WY The Venue