J-And
your the singer now.. how did that come about.. did you always want to sing...?
R-From the first day I ever tried to write a song, I've written melodies. I
think when I was younger I just never believed in myself much, so I played bass,
and looked for some singer to play with. As my songwriting abilities got better,
I became progressively more attached to the ideas I
was having, and eventually realized I didn't want anyone to sing these songs
except me.....I felt like I was missing my
own boat. I also became frustrated with the guitar players I was playing with. I
wanted to experiment with feedback and
alternative tunings, and it was difficult to find people that understood there
is an art to it. so...I started over. I'm more comfortable now singing and
playing guitar than I ever was with a bass in my hand.
J-Who writes the songs?
R-I write the songs.....usually what happens is I'll put a song together, then
Matt will come over and give it a listen. he's my sounding board. sometimes a
couple of things will change, sometimes they won't. I pretty much like to sketch
things out for the band, but I count on them to bring their own style to every
part. ultimately, this is a band, and they are the ones playing the parts.I
mean....Kevin makes me look ridiculous on the bass. so I'll write a part and say
something like....."these are the notes, and groove I had in mind....play it
however you want" they always make everything sound better.
J-where do you get the
ideas for the songs?
R-I get them everywhere. most of the time I'll just be noodling around on a
guitar, and come up with the main idea.....maybe a lyric, or melody....then I'll
sit down and put a demo together and see what happens. it seems like the ideas
already exist....I just have to notate them somehow. with lyrics, I almost
never know what a song will be about until I'm half done with them. pretty
telling as to my state of mind. sort of therapeutic.