Interview with Cape Town band Red State

Red State is a fairly new band to the South African music scene and we like their style. They bring something different, something they call Garagepunk Blues and with the attitude they have, it works. The band have released their first album entitled “Less Is More” (which is available for free download – see bottom of the page) which sounds caught our attention and we just had to interview the 3 piece Cape Town outfit. Get to know the band that is Red State in this intriguing interview.

Give us a rundown of each band member of Red State and what they do in the band?
Remano Black – Tries to sing, likes to scream, but mostly snaps Guitar strings.
Hugo Black – Drinks wine and slaps the Bass (The Guitar, not the fish. The fish has been warned tho)
Matthew Black – An occasional Kilt wearing Scott who bangs the Drums. Hard. Like a boss.

What genre would you classify Red State and how did that play into naming the band?
We call it “Garagepunk Blues” (Which is actually a Genre, promise, Google dat shit yo). Well the music/ lyrics is simplistic, but with a lot of meaning there if you care to look for it, and the name like our Song titles had to reflect that. RED is an evocative colour and can signify; Anger, Love, Stop, Overload, Political and the list goes on. STATE could be your state of mind, government, state your case. It could mean a RED STATE is a super conservative place in bible-belt America or refer to Communist China, and we love that extreme contradiction. We are all about contradiction, juxtaposing opposites. Or we just thought it sounded cool.

How long have you guys known each and what made you start Red State?
According to Matt we have known each other too long… but the band is less than a year old. Having all played in Bands before and having grown weary of the overproduced, over-hyped, overcomplicated, ego driven dribble that they call “Rock Music” today, RED STATE is our antidote. Back to basics, honest, what you see is what you get Rock & Roll. Repeat after me; “adding more Musicians and Guitar Pedals does not make a good song”.

Explain your style of music?
Please refer to Question 2. [laughs] Stripped down, raw, simplistic, honest, real, unrefined, no bullshit, straight-up-in-your-face BLUES, sung like PUNK songs and played like GARAGE ROCK.

Who are your major influences locally and internationally?
People will invariably draw comparisons… and they’ll probably say this: “Take the tortured vocals of NIRVANA, the simplicity of THE RAMONES, the dirtiness of THE BLACK KEYS & mix well with the swagger of THE WHITE STRIPES & JACK WHITE”

Tell us about the new album that you have just released “Less is more”. How long did you work on it before you released it?
Well we DIY’d the bejeezuz outa the Album, so it was a Part Time project.. prob spent a couple of months on it in total. We tracked us live in our band Garage, all 9 songs in 5 hours. Then Remano did the Vocal’s in his bedroom, all 9 songs in about 4 hours… and ‘Robert’s your fathers brother’ (Bob’s your uncle), we had our Album. Nice & raw and DIY.

“Stripped down, raw, simplistic, honest, real, unrefined, no bullshit, straight-up-in-your-face BLUES, sung like PUNK songs and played like GARAGE ROCK”

What tracks mean the most to you and why?
Remano – BULLET CLUSTER – “Cause it’s the first song we wrote as a Band, and says a lot of things I wanna say”
Hugo – SKINNERS BOX – “Cause I’m allowed to play more than 3 Notes”
Matt – KARMA SUTRA – “Cause it’s sexy, and I like to bang” (He means his drums. Refer to Question 1)

Are you going to be releasing any music videos for any of the tracks?
Yes.

Explain each band member in 5 words?
Remano – OCD, Beer, Punctual, Valve, “Pa” (That’s Afrikaans for Dad. Don’t ask)
Hugo – Pretty, Tattoos, Hair(less), Hippie, Moegoe (Cause it rhymes with Hugo)
Matt – Drunk, Late, Brothermayon, Electrician, Wigs (Uhm.. Moving on)

Have you got any upcoming gigs? If so, please give us the details.
That’s affirmative. 12 October, Aandklas Stellenbosch with SMUGG JUGGLER & KUDU CHILD. And maybe we got something up our sleeve for Halloween.. watch this space.
Go to our website & follow the LINKS to our Social Networks, you shall find what you seek.

What’s next for Red State and what future plans do you have for the band?
Next up is a brand new Track we just recorded called; “BUNRAKU” for a Rock Compilation called “SA ROCK BREAKERS”. Featuring a bunch of cool cats from the Cape Town area, recorded at V&H STUDIOS. Future plans include not dying. (We secretly harbor of immortality)

Listen to Red State’s single “Bullet Cluster” here and download their full “Less Is More’ album off their Soundcloud account here: