While Red Fang clearly takes its music seriously, there definitely seems to be a great sense of humor that the band has embraced, aesthetically – do you feel that rock bands often take themselves too seriously?
Well, I can’t speak for any other bands, but I know we would feel pretty silly if we tried to make a “serious” video. I figure if you’re having fun while you make it, and it shows through, other people will have fun watching it, and that’s the point, right?
In what ways do you think living in Portland informs any of your musical decisions or tastes?
Well, you know it rains a lot here and it’s pretty grey and dreary and wet most of the year, so maybe that leads to some heavy riffs and depressing or dark lyrics. Also, when there’s not a lot of reason to be outdoors, you might as well spend all your time in the practice space, right? Maybe that’s why there are so many awesome bands here.
Have you guys learned any major life lessons from touring with any of the legendary and seminal bands (Mastodon, Dillinger Escape Plan, Helmet, The Melvins, etc.) you’ve toured with over the last few years?
From Mastodon I learned that it’s possible to be a very successful band without being an asshole. Those guys were amazing to us. They could have never said a word to us and been dicks and I would have been super happy to have the chance to open for them and play to their crowd, but the fact that every one of them and all of their crew were so friendly and accommodating and generous really blew me away.
Are there any major themes associated with the album as a whole, or are there any particular songs whose subject matter you’d like to discuss?
There really aren’t, as far as I know. We like to let the listener interpret our songs however they want.
When you guys write a new batch of songs, what gets you more psyched – recording them, or playing them live?
Personally, I enjoy playing live way more than recording, but I have some serious attention span problems. Playing live really let’s you work a new song out and it always changes a bit. I’m very happy with the recording, but I always make some minor changes down the road and wish that I could have thought of them in the studio. But that’s the beauty of the live experience – you’re gonna get something different from listening to the record and unique to that night.