Through our experiences at the 2011 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, we have taken an immense liking to metal music, but it still is refreshing to hear rock n’ roll music within the festival’s metal line up. So thank you, Red Fang, for adding some spice to the festival. The “outcast” band consists of vocalist and guitarist, Bryan Giles, vocalist and bassist, Aaron Beam, guitarist, David Sullivan and drummer, John Sherman. Red Fang dropped their self-titled debut in 2009 and recently released, “Murder The Mountains”, which The Decemberists’, Chris Funk, produced, on April 12th via Relapse Records. With two albums down, the hard rock band has been on the road, performing on the Metalliance Tour in March and currently traveling on the Mayhem tour through August.
If you haven’t gotten a chance to check out Red Fang’s music, we definitely think it’s a must. When the quartet of Red Fang joins forces, they project music that is laced with an old soul; one you would hear in the Black Sabbath days. Their sound is dated compared to that of the auto-tune society we live in, but ironically, their music seems fresh and untarnished. We give them two thumbs up for sticking with their eclectic sound despite the generalities that surround them in the pop industry.
Check out our interview with Red Fang’s drummer, John Sherman, and hear for yourselves what it’s like for the rock group to be amongst metal musicians at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival.
How’s the show been going for you guys so far?
It’s been great! This whole tour has been amazing.
How’s it been performing smack in the middle of the day with the heat?
It took some getting use to. Some of us don’t get up before two. We are playing at 2:30pm in the afternoon, so it took some getting use to, but it’s fine, especially when you’re in the shade it’s great! It’s been pretty brutal heat for most of this tour.
You guys just played at the Metalliance Tour in March?
Yup.
How does it compare to the Mayhem tour?
Ya, it’s a lot different because those were club dates, so indoor at night. This is a huge production and I think there were 55 people on that tour total and I think 250 on this one, way bigger scale. It’s hard to compare them. Daytime, outside show vs. nighttime inside show.
Are you guys going on tour after Mayhem?
I think we’ll be able to hang out at home for a little bit, for nearly two months and then we’ll be out again in November. Not sure exactly where yet.
Your album Murder The Mountains came out in April. Your album is a nice mix of primarily rock with a bit of metal. How are you guys fitting in on this tour with the other heavy metal bands?
We’re definitely different from the rest of the other bands on this tour, but I think people are getting it.
Think you’re going to gain some metal fans?
I hope so. We just do what we do and hope that people like it.
How did you guys get sucked into doing a metal festival?
That’s a good question. I don’t know how we got on this festival, but we’re stoked to be here.
How would you guys describe your sound?
We are a heavy rock band. We all listen to metal and we all listen to rock and roll. We listen to all kinds of stuff, but I think in the specific Northwest, where it’s gray, rainy and dreary, we kind of tend towards the heavy side of things and also sometimes the slower side of things.
What are some bands that inspired you guys?
Ah man, the list goes on and on, but definitely The Melvins, Soundgarden, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Slayer.
I am a big fan of The Decemberists. How was it working with Chris Funk on Murder The Mountains?
It was awesome. He approached us about working on the album with us and we didn’t really know him very well. Aaron knew him, but I never met him. His band is so different from our band, like I don’t know how this is going to work, but we met with them and it was super f**king cool. He totally understands heavy music. It was great. He was able to facilitate, just organize everything and bring in a lot of gear for us to use. He hooked us up with Vance Powell, who mixed the record. It was f**king amazing and we would have never had gotten to work with him if it wasn’t for Funk, I’m sure. It was good.
How has the crowd at Mayhem been responding to your tunes off the album?
It seems like it is getting out there pretty quick. It seems like people know it and they like it, so that’s good.
Have you checked out any other bands at the festival?
Oh ya, for sure. Sometimes it’s hard to with the schedule, press and trying to eat and stuff, but definitely Unearth and Kingdom of Sorrow are my favorites on this tour I think. Not to pick favorites, but I just did.
Any of the metal music rubbing off on you guys?
I’ve been listening to metal since I was a kid. I remember the day that “South of Heaven” came out. I’ve always been into metal. This new screamo kind of metal is a new thing to me.
Do you fee like your sound sticks out in the festival at all?
Ya, for sure. I think we stick out because people are suddenly like, shit I don’t know how to mosh to these guys.
Do people even try to?
Ya, they try to, but it’s weird because all the other bands are egging the crowd on like, circle pit, circle pit, but we don’t really do that. We are laidback.
Do you listen to any of the band’s music at Mayhem outside of the festival?
Ya, since we are sharing a bus with Unearth, we’ve got to know those guys and they are like the coolest dudes ever. We’ve become huge fans of their band. All Shall Perish, we’ve been playing some of the off dates with Suicide Silence, All Shall Perish and Unearth.
Suicide Silence is very opposite of you guys. They are like a death metal band.
Ya, definitely different than us, but the kids seem to dig it.
Any of the heavy metal music inspiring you guys? Plan on going a little bit harder on your next album
No, I seriously doubt any of that stuff will rub off on us. We are pretty set in our ways. So I don’t think our next album will be influenced by any of the bands on this tour.
Have a favorite track off of Murder The Mountains?
Oooh, that’s a good question. I think my favorite track to play is “Malverde”, just because it’s a fun drum song for me. Just to listen to, maybe “The Undertow”. That’s really chill.
What track has the crowd been responding to the best?
“Wires” for sure because I think a lot of people know that one before the other ones, since there is a video for it. So I think “Wires” is the hit from that record.
You said you guys will be making a new album soon.
Ya. For this last album, we recorded 17 songs, mixed 14 and put 10 out. So we have a bunch of stuff just waiting also we’ll probably either rework some of that stuff or write a bunch of new songs.
What’s the process like for you guys with recording an album?
Well with writing it’s really a collaborative band. So, it’s not just one songwriter. Someone will bring in a rift and we’ll just jam on it and talk about it and say, Oh what if we did this or what if we did this. Sometimes it’s really quick and sometimes it takes months and months. We overwork it, overwork…..until it’s like f**k I don’t even like this song anymore. Our motto is keep it simple, stupid.
How did you select the 10 tracks from the batch of songs for Murder The Mountains? Was it based on a general theme for the album?
Ya, kind of. So, once we got the 14 mixed then we just made a bunch of different sequences and listened to them front to back and just figured out what flowed the best. And I hope we picked the right ones.
It’s a great album, very different. Can you tell me where the album title came from?
Well, Murder The Mountains is the title of a song we had a long time ago that we never put out. All of us were fighting over what we wanted the title to be and we couldn’t agree on anything. Finally, Bryan, one day, said how about Murder The Mountains everyone else is cool with it. I said fine, do it. That was it.
It’s catchy.
I don’t know what the hell it means.
Before you guys go on stage, do you have any good luck rituals?
We always shake each other’s hands once we get up on stage. Just so we can be like, chill out and do this and not get too freaked out. Sometimes if you don’t have a personal connection and you start playing and now you’re like, I don’t even know what’s going on, I haven’t talked to that guy all day. It just helps you get on that same headspace.
What do you do after the day is wrapped up on Mayhem?
We party with Unearth every night. After the side stages are torn down and stuff, everyone kind of just chills out. All the bands chill out by the buses, hanging out, drinking beers and swapping stories. Some people just go to bed early. I usually don’t. So ya, drinking beers and talking sh*t with the boys.
Have any shows stood out throughout the tour?
Last night, we played an off night All Shall Perish, Unearth and Suicide Silence and the sound was terrible on the stage. Our awesome sound guy, George, was trying to fix everything. It seemed like it was going to be a disaster. We were kind of drunk before it played and it ended up being f**king awesome. Last night was one of the highlights.
Any funny stories you could share between Unearth and you guys?
[Laugh] None that I could speak of.
Alright, we’ll leave it at that. Any other Red Fang news?
I guess just keep looking for us. We are going to be out there.
You guys think you guys will come back next year for Mayhem?
I don’t know. If they ask us, I’m sure. It’s been a blast, too much fun. It’s organized really well. Everyone who works for this festival is super nice and super on it, like everything is taken care of. There is no question that can’t be answered by somebody. It’s great.
Have you gotten a chance to check out the main stage?
I saw Megadeth a couple of times. I gave Godsmack and Distrubed a chance one day and that lasted for a couple of minutes. It’s not really my cup of tea.
Quite different from your sound. You guys are a refreshing group within the Mayhem mix.
Ya, you can’t just listen to the same thing all day long. You get burnt out.
by Lonnie Nemiroff
