Essential Records RED ’s latest album ‘Release the Panic’ was recently unleashed and hit the Top 10 on the Billboard album chart in its debut week. The disc, which features the hit single ‘Perfect Life,’ marks the first time the band has worked with producer Howard Benson ( Halestorm , Papa Roach , P.O.D .). The band is also in the midst of Winter Jam Tour 2013, an annual Christian music festival featuring artists in many different genres. After that tour wraps up, they plan on embarking on a headlining run in April. Loudwire recently caught up with RED guitarist Anthony Armstrong to discuss the album and tour, staying connected with his faith, the first time they heard a RED song played on the radio and other topics. How did the songwriting and recording process for ‘Release the Panic’ compare to previous RED albums? They are all pretty comparable. We spent about a year and a half writing this record. A lot goes into it. Picking a producer was a challenging process. Once we got that locked in, we started the pre-production process. How did you decide on working with producer Howard Benson? He wasn’t the only guy that was on our radar. We did several interviews and talked with different producers. Howard spelled it out pretty clearly for us as far as what the process would be with him. You don’t waste a lot of time with Howard. A lot of things get done. We took about 2 1/2 months to make the record and actually moved out to Los Angeles for a while to work with Howard. He made it very clear that he’s not the best at everything. That’s why he has a team of guys. He’s not the best ProTools guy, so he has the best ProTools guy in the business. He’s not the best amp engineer, but he’s got the best guy in the business. He said the process would work really well for us, and he was right. We got in the studio and it was all about the music, not wasting a lot of time on the side trying to get things worked out. If something went wrong, he had a guy there to fix it and get us ready to go. It was cool. How do you think the band’s sound evolved on this album? Each record is its own thing. You go into it wanting it to have its own identity more than anything. That’s what we wanted with this record. We didn’t want it to be another “Until We Have Faces,’ another ‘Innocence & Instinct,’ another ‘End of Silence.’ We wanted it to be its own thing, and I think we accomplished that by taking some production elements out, to try some new things. The whole idea behind making this record with Howard was to get to the point. Let’s not be so dramatic and poetic when we don’t need to be. It’s about getting to the point faster and making it memorable. Were there more electronic elements on this album? I wouldn’t say electronic. It’s mostly programming elements. You’re not hearing as many symphonic elements. You’re not hearing as much piano or strings. These things have always been in our music, you’re just hearing more of them out front more than ever. People say we’ve “gone electronic,” but we’re doing nothing different on this record as far as that is concerned. Like I said, it’s a mix thing. We just decided to bring it out and make it more prominent in the mix. You’re currently in the middle of the Winter Jam Tour. How has that been going so far? This is the fourth time we’ve gotten to do Winter Jam, and that’s definitely a highlight for us. It’s a great tour, and a great time to release a record. Playing in front of thousands of people every night is definitely going to help record sales and help generate new fans and give everybody a chance to hear the record. You have to be in people’s faces for them to get a taste of what you’re going for. Winter Jam affords us that opportunity. It’s the biggest tour in the world during the first quarter. It’s great for any band. You’ve also developed quite a production to accompany your live show. We’ve kind of painted ourselves with that brush, and it’s something we look forward to. We have created more of a theatrical element to our band. We’re big believers that there has to be a visual element to carry along with the music. We have focused on that with our live show. We’re working on our new set right now. It’s a whole new fresh look We want to show the fans what we were going for and give them something to visualize along with the new songs. When you’re playing with such a diverse linup in Winter Jam, how difficult is it to win over the crowd, many who may not be familiar with your band? It’s a challenge. There are people covering their ears, people cowering in their seats in the fetal position (laughs). They aren’t there for the hard rock element. But our meet and greet lines are wrapped around the arena. We know that there is a need and a want for this type of music. We’re here to do our thing, and I think there are a lot of kids that relate to this type of music. Winter Jam is a great place because there is every type of person that comes to this show. What do you have coming up after Winter Jam? We’re going to take 10 days off, then we start our headlining run. We’ll be doing a brand new show in support of the new record. RED appeals to many different audiences; rock, metal, Christian, secular. How do you balance all those different marketplaces? I think the balance comes from not labeling ourselves. We don’t call ourselves a Christian band. We don’t call ourselves a mainstream band. We’re just a band. People find comfort in throwing a label on a band. We just set out to play shows It’s easy for us because we know exactly what we’re there for and what we’re doing. Every band has to learn how to tour, learn how to be on the road, learn how to be professional. When you were starting out, who were some of the bands that helped you learn? I feel like we went through band boot camp. We went through a lot of growing pains on those early tours that we were on. Bands like Sevendust, Breaking Benjamin and guys like that had crews that had been on the road for 15 or 20 years who weren’t willing to put up with greenhorns. They whipped us into shape really quick. It was a matter of us staying humble. There’s a pecking order and you have to earn respect. It worked out well for us. We just kept our mouths shut and worked our butts off. If you listen and learn, your band grows. Being on the road so much, how do you stay connected to your faith? It’s difficult for anyone to be on the road, even if you’re doing devotionals and group discussions and Bible study. On Winter Jam, we have ‘Jam Church” on Sundays. On a tour with ten bands, you’d be surprised how many guys aren’t at Jam Church. You have to make the time, you have to put in the effort to stay connected. One of the things the pastor on this tour says every night to the audience is that I have this iPhone, but if I don’t plug it in, it doesn’t work. If we don’t plug our faith in, how is it going to work? How are we going to be useful in the right moment? We just have to make the time. Because the four of us are like-minded and believers, if one person isn’t motivated, the other three are and can provide encouragement and accountability. These days RED songs are on the radio all the time. Take me back to the first time you heard one of your band’s songs on the radio. We finished our first four songs. We were in Franklin, Tenn., about 10 to 12 miles away from downtown Nashville. A local rock station played what they called “the local buzz” on Sundays. We had given them our four songs. That Sunday night we got together and went up to the top of this power station on the top of a hill in Franklin to hang out. The guy on the radio said he didn’t know where these guys came from, but I think they have a bright future, and then he played our song ‘Breathe Into Me.’ I can’t tell you the feeling when he started playing it. We were so overwhelmed with excitement. We thought we had made it and were on top of the world. As young and green as we were, we didn’t realize how much work we had ahead of us. Watch RED’s ‘Perfect Life’ Video
Posts Tagged ‘local’
Green Day To Offer Advance Look at New Documentary ‘¡Quatro!’
Spencer Kaufman, Loudwire Green Day have already given us ‘¡Uno!’ and ‘¡Dos!,’ with ‘¡Tre!’ on the horizon, and now comes word that they’ll follow the album trilogy with ‘¡Quatro!,’ a new documentary. Fans will get an advance look at what’s to come with a highlights special that will air in the coming weeks. VH1 will get first shot at the special, with the network airing it Nov. 28 at midnight, followed by airings on MTV2 and Palladia Nov. 30. Palladia will re-air the highlights special, with nine more runs scheduled throughout the month of December. ‘¡Quatro!’ was directed by Tim Wheeler and produced by Tim Lynch for Farm League. Bassist Mike Dirnt says, “Over the last year while we were recording our trilogy, we posted multiple clips every week so fans can see part of the recording process of ‘¡Uno!,’ ‘¡Dos!, and ‘¡Tre!.’ ‘¡Quatro!’ brings our fans one step closer by giving them even more access and revealing what it was like for us to make these records.” The full-length version of ‘¡Quatro!’ is expected to arrive next year. The band, which is currently off the road while Billie Joe Armstrong continues rehab, is hoping to resume touring in the New Year, though they’ve postponed their previously scheduled postponed January and February shows. *FULL LIST OF AIRDATES AND TIMES FOR ¡QUATRO!: NOVEMBER 28th VH1 Midnight 30th MTV2 During 120 Minutes 30th Palladia 9PM & 12AM DECEMBER 1st Palladia 5PM 3rd Palladia 1PM 4th Palladia 1AM 6th Palladia 8PM 8th Palladia 5PM 11th Palladia 3PM & 10PM 13th Palladia 6PM 17th Palladia 12AM 22nd Palladia 10AM *Check Your Local Listings [button href=”http://loudwire.com/green-day-dos-album-review/” title=”Next: Green Day ‘Dos’ – Album Review” align=”center”]
Suicide Silence’s Mitch Lucker Saluted with Candlelight Vigil
Century Media Hours after the death of Suicide Silence singer Mitch Lucker, his friends, family and fans began to organize tributes to the vocalist to honor his memory. In Huntington Beach, Calif., where Lucker perished on his motorcycle, fans and some of his family members gathered for a candlelight vigil at the light pole that the singer hit. Among those in attendance were Lucker’s wife Jolie and his five-year-old daughter Kendalee. Meanwhile, back in Riverside, Calif., where Lucker grew up, family members gathered to celebrate his life. According to reports, Lucker was riding his 2013 Harley-Davidson on Main Street Wednesday night when he hit a light pole near the intersection of 13th street. After impact, the motorcycle continued to slide south and struck a pickup truck coming the opposite direction. The frontman was seriously injured and treated by paramedics before passing away at 6:00AM the following morning. According to Blabbermouth , the singer’s wife, Jolie Carmadella, said that the singer had made the decision to drink and ride. She explained that she didn’t know why he left home Wednesday night and didn’t know where he was going, but she did reveal she found some empty containers at home. When asked what message she had after Lucker’s death, she replied, “Just make the right choice. Don’t hurt your family. Don’t drink and drive.” Sharing his fondness for motorcycles, Lucker told Alternative Press in a recent interview, “The danger in it [attracts me]. Being a frontman in a band, you get addicted to adrenaline rushes. When you’re onstage, there’s not more of a rush. When I get home from touring, I need to find something to match that so I don’t get my adrenaline withdrawals. Being exposed to every element of danger while your sitting on a motor — that, to me, is freedom.” Footage of the Mitch Lucker tributes can be seen in the video clips below. Watch a Report on the Vigil Honoring Mitch Lucker Watch a Video Tribute to Mitch Lucker Watch Mitch Lucker’s Uncle Sharing a Story Watch a Local News Report on Mitch Lucker’s Vigil [button href=”http://loudwire.com/suicide-silence-frontman-mitch-lucker-killed-in-motorcycle-accident/” title=”Next: Suicide Silence Frontman Mitch Lucker Killed in Motorcycle Accident” align=”center”]
5 Songs for the iPhone 5
With Apple's long-awaited announcement of the iPhone 5 earlier today (Sept. 12), the world is set to go into a frenzy again. With the release coming on Sept. 21, you'll be living in a tent for days outside your local Apple store, braving the infinite line of iAddicts, and after an anxious, paranoid and caffeine-fueled wait, you'll come out the other side with a beautiful new iPhone 5. You'll gaze upon its glory, test out the newly designed earbuds, download every app of your desire and load your contacts list with the numbers of your loved ones. You'll be the envy of all your friends who are locked into a two-year plan and have to wait another 10 months to get their hands on an iPhone 5. And then, all of a sudden, your face will be imprinted with an ear-to-ear smile as you receive your very first iPhone 5 phone call…
Foo Fighters Performance Registers Noise Complaints in Belfast
There’s no doubt the Foo Fighters rock, and it’s usually pretty hard when they do. But their efforts were not exactly embraced by everyone in the surrounding Belfast area Tuesday night (Aug. 21) as a number of people filed noise complaints during the band’s set on the opening night of Tennant’s Vital festival. The BBC reports that the Belfast City Council received 120 complaint calls, while the local police also
Layne Staley Memorial Fund To Raise Money for Good Cause Through Seattle Marathon
The spirit of late Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley continues to inspire and influence his local community even a decade after his tragic death. The Layne Staley Memorial Fund, hosted by Therapeutic Health Services (THS), will be raising charitable funds to participate in the annual Amica Seattle Marathon and Half Marathon on Nov. 25, 2012. Each assembled team selects a local Seattle charity to run for, allowing local athletes