KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's JESSE LEACH On Upcoming Spoken-Word Tour: ' I'm Gonna Be Honest And Shoot From The Hip'

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach has always been a man of many creative, artistic hats. While the band is in the planning stages for its next album, including contributing a song written for the upcoming "Games Of Thrones" mixtape, Leach is going Down Under and is once against flexing new musical muscles by embarking on his first solo DJ and spoken-word tour this month. The high-impact mini-trek runs from January 15 through January 24 in Australia.

Leach, a passionate music fan who also writes new album reviews for The Talkhouse, will showcase his DJ skills, mixing samples and splicing songs together while playing with various musical sub-genres and styles, ranging from punk, metal, crust, doom and hardcore to hip-hop, drum and bass. He will focus on underground acts as well as classic ones.

The jaunt's spoken-word night, dubbed "Memories, Words And Songs", will find the singer sharing childhood memories, opening up about his musical inspiration, discussing his lyrical themes, and reading personal poetry. It's truly an event where fans can get up close and personal with Leach.

"I'm sure I'll be a little nervous, but I think it's one of those things that, once you get up there and just start talking, I have a feeling that I'm gonna get pretty comfortable," Leach told Dave "Higgo" Higgins of Australia's long-running rock station Triple M (hear audio below). "I think just with the confidence of knowing that I've got a pretty interesting story to tell, from childhood 'till now, so I'm kind of resting on the fact that I've got good stuff to say. And you know what?! Honestly, I'm probably gonna have a few drinks before I even get up there, so I'm sure it'll be fine."

The tour is both organized and sponsored by Anthony Allayialis, owner of the Melbourne-based Eureka Rebellion Trading.

Asked for more details about what he will cover during his spoken-word shows, Leach said: "I started keeping journals when I was a teenager, all through my drug-exploration phases, which I've got some acid stuff. I've got some journals I kept when I was under a heavy influence of acid, which is quite interesting. Not readable, unfortunately, to the audience, but… So [it will cover] the recorded history, and then my memories of living in a pretty dangerous area of the ghetto. I'm gonna start with my first memory, and then go from there. And it's no holds barred. I'm gonna just be honest and shoot from the hip. So it should be interesting."

Jesse Leach DJ + spoken-word dates:

January 15 - Sydney - Hot Damn
January 16 - Brisbane - Brightside
January 21 - Melbourne - Spoken Word Night at Eureka Rebellion Trading
January 24 - Melbourne - The Gasometer