Red
Beard Wall have had quite a journey in releasing their excellent
debut album. Due out on Argonauta Records from May 12th
2017. Starting as a one-man project with Aaron Wall – writing,
recording and performing the instruments all by himself.
Roll
onto 2017 and Red Beard Wall are a hard-hitting Sludge/Doom/Stoner
Metal duo with George Trujillo joining Aaron on drums. Red Beard Wall
are now ready to face the world with their bombastic style of
Sludge/Doom/Stoner riffs with a deadly appetite for Noise Rock
sounds.
I've reviewed the album here and I wanted to find out more about Red
Beard Wall. As they seriously impressed me with their debut album.
I'm happy to say Aaron Wall (Guitars/Vocals) has kindly agreed to
this interview.
Hi
Aaron. How are things with you today.
Greetings
Outlaws of the Sun! Really appreciate you having me. Everything is
going really well. No complaints whatsoever. It's an exiting time for
us.
Can
you give a brief history of how the band came about and where it is
today.
I'll
try to keep this a short version of a long story...
I
had been out of music for 3 or 4 yrs, mainly because of life
bullshit. So I was itching for a reason to get back into it. I had
slowly started working on a demo in January 2016 just to appease
myself really. I wrote 3 songs and I was so damn proud of them. I put
the demo on BandCamp and got a great response. That got me back to
being serious about it. After that man, the songs just spilled out
of me and were getting better and better. In my humble opinion
anyway. Ha ha.
So
I decided to move forward. I set up a lil studio at my house, went on
a crash course in recording, engineering, and mixing. I was a sponge,
I just soaked up every bit of knowledge of could. Then I performed
and recorded all the instruments and vocals Then mixed the record.
Dan at Mammoth Sound handled mastering. I was just going to release
it myself but I thought it was really good, so I took a shot and sent
it out to 5 or 6 labels. Argonauta jumped on it. As far as where we
are now...
George,
the drummer in the band now heard the demo and dug the songs. As fate
would have it we live 45 min apart so he offered to help me if I
needed a drummer. I went and jammed with him and it just clicked. So
we're now a 2 piece of destruction.
How
would you describe your overall sound.
When
people ask I always describe it as sludge rock. What I've heard from
others is Helmet or Butthole Surfers mixed with Black Sabbath. It's
interesting to hear the different things people get out of it. It's
just an amalgamation of everything heavy that we like...
Which
is a lot. Lol.
We
are here to talk about your debut album. What can people expect from
the album.
Briefly
put, people can expect...
Simple
and to the point songs. Massive, crushing guitar tones, and drums of
thunder. Blistering screams of discontent, alongside vocals melodies
that soar. And groove. Can't forget the groove.
What
influenced you all when recording the album.
The
main influence was to have a vessel for myself to purge the
discontent I have with the world around us. Especially at this point
in history. Also just to write songs that fucking jammed. Intelligent
tunes that were also somewhat easy for people to wrap their heads
around. Thoughtful, head bobbing music.
Will
you be touring this record heavily in the United States.
That's
most definitely the goal, and we're taking offers...any offer! Ha-ha!
Right
now we have a bunch of dates lined up this summer all over the
South-west US, and booking and trying to book more as we speak.
What
is the song-writing dynamic in the band. Is it a group participation
or down to one individual.
On
this record specifically, I did it all. Wrote, performed, recorded
and mixed the record. Now that George is in the band and our
chemistry is off the charts, moving forward, the plan is
collaboration.
What
influences you when writing music.
It's
really hard to explain. When I write or do anything musically, I
basically immediately fall into a meditative (flow) state. A hyper
focus I'd say, and the songs just spill out of my soul. Not to get to
philosophical. Lol.
But
honestly, there is never any premeditated thought or direction. It's
just all of my knowledge and influences being regurgitated in, the
form of sound.
Are
you all involved with different musical projects or is Red Beard Wall
your main band.
Red
Beard Wall is what we're 100% focused on. Especially at the moment
with the record coming out soon and all the shows lined up. George
does play in band as well as Red Beard Wall called Bummified that's a
straight doom band. Killer stuff.
What
is your musical setup when performing or recording live. Is it a an
advanced setup or a basic setup.
I
like to plug and play. The tone that tickles my soul is Orange OR
tone. I'm using an Orange OR100 and PPC412 with a octave pedal used
subtlety for a little extra low end since we're a 2 piece. I'll keep
adding as I go. Working towards Conan like setup. Volume!
You're
from Texas which seems to have a great Doom/Stoner Metal scene thanks
to bands such as Wo Fat, Mothership and Project Armageddon to name
but a few. How is the local scene perceived in Texas. Is there a
local scene for you to perform regularly.
The
Texas scene is badass!! Those bands you mention are carrying the flag
of stoner/doom high! Proud to be a part! We have a Our local scene is
getting better. We're doing all we can to help it.
Do
you perform many local gigs or do you have to travel further afield.
We
play locally and we get out and play as well. We'll play anytime,
anywhere.
Before
you go, do you have anything to say to your fans.
We
just wanna say thanks to everyone for the support, big and small.
This is our dream so it means everything. GO GET THE RECORD MAY 12!
Well
Aaron, thanks for doing this. All the best with the new album.
We
can't thank Outlaws of the Sun enough for the support and
opportunity. All Hail!!!
Words
by Steve Howe and Aaron Wall
Thanks
to Barbara at NeeCee Agency for arranging this interview. Thanks to
Aaron for taking the time out to talking to us. Red Beard Wall S/T debut album will be available to buy on CD/DD via Argonauta Records from May 12th 2017.
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