November 23, 2010

WYATT CROW: How were the lyrics written? Are they based on real life experiences, artistic vision or 50/50? "Your silence and my screaming/problems we couldn't solve" (Shakespeare Lied) sounds like real life, but maybe I'm mistaken?  And my personal question is about Victories; how much pain is behind this beautiful, slow music? I can feel this pain. I ended my relationship with my soon-to-be wife, and it really healed my wounds in some cathartic way. Maybe I’m mistaken again and there's some other meaning within it…

ANDREW: I can tell you honestly that every single song we've written and ever will write is based on real life experience and emotion. That’s the power of music, when it’s real, when you and the artist can make a connection on some deeper level, when an artist can express all the things you were feeling but couldn't get out properly. That’s what’s always drawn me to music and encouraged me to write in that manner. Alex and I have had our share of ups and downs just like everyone else and writing these songs for me represented a type of therapy and provided closure.

Victories is about seeing someone you use to be close with (ex‐gf in my case), and seeing that person with someone else in a place you use to go with that person. I was almost frozen in time watching her hold someone else’s hand and do the things we use to do together with someone else. Worst part was I don’t even think she noticed I was even in the room. Funny how one person can be completely oblivious to something and another person can be in such awestruck pain over the same situation.

You haven't been mistaken yet, you’re right with me and furthermore, however you interpret the songs and what they mean for you is essentially the correct explanation as far as I’m concerned.

ALEX: Sometimes for me it’s really difficult to channel what I’m feeling into a song. But when it works, it really works. All of our songs have pieces of both of us in them. I can remember the moments, the thought processes, the emotions of not only the things we sing about, but of the moments where I come up with something musical that fits with what I’m trying to write. I remember sitting on my bed casually playing my guitar with no intention of writing anything, and out of nowhere came “To everyone who cares, I know you’re out there listening, I can feel you in the wind.” It was almost like the guitar wrote the words for me. 23 came together really quickly as some of our songs have a tendency to do.

What guitars and amps are you using? Being involved in guitar world, it's impossible not to ask a gear related question!

For recording I like to use my Digidesign ElevenRack and my PRS Tremonti. When we play live, if I’m not using the Eleven Rack I’m using a Mesa Boogie Road King. That thick crunch is amazing.

Some of your harmonies reminds me of Crash Test Dummies song called Mmmm. Do you know this song?

Yeah great song, big hit back in the day, i remember listening to it as a kid. I have gotten this comparison many times before.

When people realized that the Creed Full Circle torrent they were downloading didn’t actually have Creed files in it, but some unknown band in Red Goodbye, the response was generally “we thought some losers would replace Creed, but it turns out in a weird way ‐ Creed became a losers compared to Red Goodbye.” And you know, it's true! It's damn true, since the last Creed record is nothing more than a commercial effort, so to speak. Red Goodbye immediately became the band of the year for its listeners, and it raised huge questions about the state of music industry nowadays. 

All of your listener are sure as hell that no other band in the world deserves a major label contract more than Red Goodbye. What do you feel is wrong with music industry now? It feels like even Kryptonite can't guarantee escape from being relatively unknown!

Um I’m not sure what’s wrong with the Music industry because I only have an outside look but I understand that it’s a business and they sink their money mostly into major pop acts that for some reason or another get vastly accepted in the mainstream...even though they eventually fade away just as quickly as they came. For me all my favorite bands that have inspired me have mostly been mid level bands, playing small to medium size venues. the difference is that there music and lyrics mean so much more to me that they stay with me and it seems like they fade less easily....like it says in Song For Them: "maybe these stages are not as big as they could be....but I hear voices abroad singing my songs back to, that’s all I need." Basically if I can touch a few lives with these songs, then I can die a happy man without all the acclaim. Don’t get me wrong, I’m praying every day the acclaim is on its way haha.

Yeah, there’s a lot of commercialism and it’s hard sometimes to root out the artists that sing from the heart. But this is what the public is used to hearing. There’s no sense in complaining about it because it’s unlikely to change. Substance has become secondary and while it sucks that that’s the situation, it definitely makes us ‐ as listeners of this kind of music ‐ part of a subculture that adds so much value to the industry. Hopefully the dynamics of the industry shift so substance and substantial don’t stay as mutually exclusive as they are now (an obvious exception would be John Mayer), but we’ll take what we can get.

What would you do if you encounter a typical young band problem; when on the verge of signing the big deal, producer have been known to say “dudes, your songs are not cool enough, so here's a songwriter to “help” you with your songs"? It seems to happen more often than not. If that’s the case, will you refuse the deal?

I think every band has to bend a little bit...but realistically if the label doesn't hear what the fans hear, then why do they want us anyways. I’m not saying I’m not willing to adapt in the future with our next batch of songs but I’d like to think our current demo is made up on solid genuine material.

I agree that every band should bend. We’re not expecting to kick open the doors of a big 4 record label and demand things, but we have definitely released some solid stuff that can clearly hold its ground. If and when we get to the point of a big deal, there’s going to be compromise from both sides.

Are you classic-era Creed fans? Does Creed know about Red Goodbye?

I love Creed, did when i was a kid, still appreciate them, I love Scott Stapp’s solo project and I am a huge Alter Bridge fan. I hope though people don’t think that I deliberately try to rip creed off, they were my inspiration and influences growing up, it’s almost natural that our music is effected by them and similar. kinda like how a son resembles his father because he has had a strong influence on him as he has matured.

Creed’s first three albums will always have a special place in my heart. I grew up listening to them too and the music was the first to have a really profound effect on me. While their latest album isn’t as good as it could have been, I have nothing but respect and admiration for Creed.

I’ve left a CD for the band every time I’ve been to a show (most recently last August). Haven’t gotten a call back but you never know haha.

Where do you do your recording?

The “studio” is nothing more than my computer and a couple good speakers. Andrew records his vocals at his house and sends them to me, while I track all the guitars and do all the mixing at my house. We use Pro Tools, which has really made life so easy.

What is your writing process like? Are there any creative differences? Me and my brother Wyatt, we almost never fight, we work well together even though some tension occurs from time to time.  What about you two? Is there music that one of you likes and the other one hates? I love to listen to DMX and some Gangsta Rap while my bro loves Avril Lavigne sometimes.

It’s always different, in the beginning it started as I would write lyrics and music and Alex would arrange it and also Alex has written entire songs just for me to sing. Lately we've been working together sharing musical ideas and last week I emailed him a few lines I was humming in my head that he turned into music.

We definitely have different tastes in bands and musical styles…

For the most part, either Andrew or I will write the skeleton of the song alone. Then we’ll go back and forth trading demo versions until we have a solid structure that we’re both happy with. After that, we’ll iron out the mix and get it perfect before we track vocals. Once the vocals to a song are done, we know it’s gonna get out there soon.

I love the band Dream Theater. John Petrucci had almost as much influence on my playing and writing as Tremonti. That band seems to be Andrew’s threshold though haha. We both have pretty eclectic tastes when it comes to music though.

What’s in your CD player right now?

Believe it or not I’m currently on a country music kick... I’ve been listening to Darius Rucker, Shinedown, Lil Wayne, Kings of Leon, City and Colour, The Alternate Routes, Kayne West, Alterbridge III, One Republic are in my CD player in my car right now.

Right now my big 3 albums are Coheed and Cambria’s No World For Tomorrow, Kanye’s Dark, Twisted Fantasy and Eminem’s The Eminem Show.

What kind of students were you? Did you enjoy school?

I felt like school was holding me back from getting on with my life, I was ready to be a rock star. I did just what I needed to do to hold a 90% grade average in school just to please mom and dad. What I loved was college though I didn’t know it at the time, only after I graduated did I appreciate it more. I enjoy learning though as long as I’m interested.

College was an academic bust for me. I loved who I became as a person, but I wasn’t able to give college the focus that I needed to at the time. Like Andrew said, after I left I appreciated it so much more. Hindsight is very frustrating at times.

Bands don’t typically tour in Russia. This is frustrating for us, especially when Amsterdam gets Creed and Alter Bridge shows. What are your thoughts on Russia? Do you plan to tour here?

I don’t know what to say about that, I guess a lot of stupid politics have gotten in the way, as far as i am concerned, Russia seems to have many beautiful places and cities to visit and also very historical. If i ever get the chance, I can’t wait to visit.

I’m totally looking forward to gigging in Russia (eventually). There’s a lot of history to explore and a lot of fans to hang out with.

Which one of you is Beavis and which one is Butthead? I was the biggest fan of that show.

Haha great movie…"Do America", I dunno, can I be Butthead?

Yes you can.

You wrote Shakespeare Lied. Have you ever read Shakespeare? I haven't :‐)

Yup, I remembered a lot from my 9th grade English class and tried to use that.

Are you planning on releasing a new album soon?

Hopefully with our new song release, we will keep up the momentum and keep chugging along with the recording process. The songs are definitely there, just waiting to be presented right.

Our releases have definitely been unconventional in the sense that we’ve released only one “album” but a bunch of other seemingly one‐off songs. In reality we’re just releasing them as we’re recording them because we’re excited about them. When Radiotower comes out it will have many of the songs we posted as Other Songs on it.

What does the name Red Goodbye mean? What about One Time Mountain

One of these days were going to get our act together and release the song Radiotower the second line in that song is "the radiotowers light your skies with red goodbyes", that’s where the name comes from. It’s one of our most powerful songs, meaning and mood‐wise.

One Time Mountain comes from the song Nothing To Come Back To the line "there’s a highway now in and out of your one time mountain"...for me its talking about how I was strong and whole before "she" broke me into pieces.

Can you walk us through the creation of Nothing To Come Back To? Lots of fans are curious as to how this song was written.

I wrote this song alone in my room. I think it was 2005, winter break from college possibly. I recorded the main guitar riff and looped it over and over. I was inspired by it and its downward direction of the chords as they fall from D to G. It was one of those songs that flowed and only took me an hour to finish. I had a lot of phrases and ideas in my notebook that i was having trouble using and I kind of decided to use them all in this one song and it worked out very well. One of my personal favorite lines is "thought you were strong, thought you’d hold on but your roots had hardened / Found out I was wrong, that you belonged in someone else's garden”.

Red Goodbye is kind of a duo, but before that, what were you both doing on your own?

I was playing mostly covers acoustically at open mics and hiding in my room with my broken little heart writing songs to help get over it. I missed out on meeting a lot of new people freshman year of college by doing so but in the end, I healed a lot and created something I was really proud of.

I was playing in local cover bands, writing a lot for myself and collaborating with other guitarists.

Do you know of other unsigned bands like yours?

Possibly not unsigned like us but some smaller lesser know bands I love include The Alternate Routes, Steve Moakler, Griffin House, Jacks Mannequin, John Raleston.

I’m a big fan of Forgive Durden, State Radio, Prize Fighter Inferno, Submersed and Transatlantic. Most of what I listen to is pretty well known though.

What do you guys do outside of music? I write books, articles, etc. Are you into sports?

I like working out a lot, being competitive, also creating artwork and images in Photoshop.

I’ve done web development for years (it’s what I do professionally at the moment) and I still love it. There’s something about writing code that just clicks for me but still lets me be creative. I’m also a big Jets fan!

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Check out Andrey and Wyatt’s Russian Red Goodbye Fan Site at  http://redgoodbye.wordpress.com