The musician, 52, opened up about the end of Rascal Flatts and its possible (but still uncertain) future on an episode ofSavannah Chrisley’s podcastUnlocked with Savannahthat aired on Tuesday.
“I would want to say never say never. [But] we’re in such different places right now and don’t really communicate on a consistent basis,” he said. “There are just so many steps that would have to take place in order for us to get back to even talking about it. It’s not too late, I just… I think the further we get away from it the harder it is to put it back together.”
Joe Don Rooney, Jay DeMarcus and Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts attend the 2018 CMT Music Awards.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
In the years since going their separate ways, DeMarcus launched his own label, Red Street Records, while LeVoxpursued a solo career. Rooney, meanwhile, got sober after he was arrested and charged withdriving under the influencein 2021 (he later pleaded guilty and had a one-year jail sentence almost entirely suspended).
DeMarcus said on the podcast that he feels as though the group burned themselves out with endless recording, press and tour cycles, and that he feels there’s a chance they’d still be together had they properly cared for their mental health.
“For us the thing that happened is we burnt the candle at both ends for so long,” he said. “It was a never-ending cycle and it did work, but it’s hard to put the machine down or put the brakes on when everything is cruising along and going full-speed ahead. For us, we should have taken a break at some point, just a year off to kind of collect ourselves, hit the reset button.”
By the time Rascal Flatts was preparing for their farewell tour, DeMarcus said they’d reached the “point of exhaustion,” and wanted to start focusing on other things after more than 20 years together.
Jay DeMarcus attends the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards in May 2023.Jason Kempin/Getty
Jason Kempin/Getty
“We had other things that we wanted to do individually,” he said. “I think everybody comes to that point too, where no matter how much you love somebody, no matter how much you’ve been through together, there are always things that you want to do yourself that may not be in line with other partners.”
Still, DeMarcus is still emotional over the group’s end, and said that he wishes he’d been able to savor his last moments on stage with LeVox and Rooney, as he didn’t know at the time it would be the end.
Jay DeMarcus appears on Savannah Chrisley’s Unlocked with Savannah podcast.Chrisley Knows Best/YouTube
Chrisley Knows Best/YouTube
Though DeMarcus doesn’t communicate regularly with his former bandmates, he did acknowledge his pride at Rooney for reaching 19 months of sobriety.
“He’s better than I’ve heard him in 10 years,” he said. “He’s enjoying having some peace and learning how to live again without his addiction and so I’m really, really, really proud of him and where he’s at right now.”
source: people.com
