Red Tape - Interview [D1 Music]

Interview with Jeff of Red Tape - a band produced by Orgy's Amir Derakh.

Jeff: WHAT UP! It's Jeff from Red Tape.
Valdyr: Hey! It's good to talk to you. Thanks so much for doing this...we really appreciate it
Jeff: No prob.

Valdyr: Alright then. First of all, can you tell us a little about yourself and your band?
Jeff: I play guitar and sing. Red Tape is thrash-punk band that's been around for a few years and is heavily influenced by punk & hardcore of the 80's and 90's. Our basic song formula is short, fast, and heavy.

Valdyr: What inspired you to get involved with music?
Jeff: Boredom...I've grewn up as somewhat of an outcast... but I've always had a love for music. I could sit in my room and make mix-tapes for days! Then my dad bought me a drum kit when I was 13...things just just slowly progressed from there.

Valdyr: What kind of stuff did you grow up listening to?
Jeff: My first experience with music was listening to The Beatles in elementary school...I went to a private school in San Francisco that was run by hippies, so music was always a big part of our day. Then I got waaay into breakbeats and dj mixes. Then my older sister said "here - listen to this." It was a Suicidal Tendencies record! Then we went and saw them play and I became a punk rocker like the next day! I mostly listened to the early 80's punk like Dead Kennedy's, Bad Brains, Circle Jerks, DRI, etc, etc...but I also had love for more mainstream stuff like Billy Idol and U2.
Valdyr: Awesome. Would you say that any of those influenced the kind of music you make today?
Jeff: Definately. I take influnce from all types of music, though - old stuff, new stuff...punk, soul, hip hop, yiddish folk music...whatever!

Valdyr: I think I mentioned before that we found out about your band through a recent interview with Amir. What's it been like working with him?
Jeff: Amir pretty much rules. I can't say enough good stuff about the guy! It was fun and enlightening working with him. I'm sure we'll be doing something with him again soon!
Valdyr: Do you have any funny or inspirational stories about him that you'd like to share?
Jeff: Stories? Yeah...we could pretty much get into any of the top clubs in LA with what we called "the power of Amir". Seriously, you'd see like 500 people trying to get into some place and all being turned away. Then Amir walks up and parts the sea of people like Moses and walks us all in - that was always pretty handy. Oh geez, then he'd tell me about the Ruff Cutt days...he was in this 80's hair-metal band called Ruff Cutt - I never knew that 'cause I just knew him from Orgy - but yeah...them crazy groupies back then! I won't go into detail, but man...it's just not like that anymore! Another funny thing was going into the world famous Rainbow Room in Hollywood and seeing Amir's picture up on the wall right next to Guns 'N Roses and stuff...crazy.

Valdyr: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would you want to work with?
Jeff: I'd love to work with Jello Biafra - and do a Dead Kennedy's cover. They are still around without him singing, which is crazy! I'd also like to do a song with a good female punk singer...someone like Brody Armstrong, ya know?
there is a local hip hop dude I'm gonna work on a song with, too.
Valdyr: That's really cool.
Jeff: Yeah - he's got gold teeth!
Valdyr: LOL! That's great.

Valdyr: We've heard that your album is coming out very soon. Can you tell us a little more about that?
Jeff: The album is RADIOACTIVIST and drops Feb 10th. It's got 15 songs - produced and mixed by Amir. The songs range from mid-tempo punk rock, to full speed thrash. It's fulla hooks and slammin beats! We're very happy with how the recording came out, as well as the CD layout artwork...you know, you can download the songs off the internet, but you gotta see the artwork, too! It's being put out by Roadrunner Records - we're pretty much the only punk band on the label.
Valdyr: Yeah, I had dl'd "Stalingrad" from your site, and saw the album cover...both are great.
Jeff: Thanks. We're gonna get more songs up there soon!

Valdyr: Which do you find more fulfilling, playing live or working in the studio?
Jeff: Wow, that's tough...both have their ups and downs - but I'd have to say I enjoy playing shows more. That's not to say I don't love being in the studio and creating new music!

Valdyr: What's the most memorable moment you've had in your music career?
Jeff: Geez...there's been a few. I had a lot of fun filling in on bass for Will Haven. It was what turned out to be their last tour - all mid-west dates with Soulfly. I'm a big fan of WHVN, Soulfly, Sepultura, and Soulfly's drummer's old band, Nausea. I was actually on the road on that tour in Nebraska when I got the call from Roadrunner that they wanted to sign Red Tape!
Another very memorable moment was meeting the Bad Brains! We just did an east coast tour with them and Murphy's Law - that was just incredible.
Valdyr: Wow, yeah, I can imagine!
Jeff: We also played a show daaaays ago in a house that smelled like cat pee! Very memorable.

Valdyr: How do you feel about the status of the music industry today?
Jeff: Wow, it's weird...the internet just changed everything. Not just the downloading of music, but it just seems like there's more bands than ever now 'cause everyone's got websites and all that...it's gonna be hard for new bands to stand out. I don't have much major industry knowledge, just what I know from talking to friends in signed bands and junk; it's apparent that rock bands don't get as much chicks, money, and coke as they used to! All that's owned by hip hop now. Also, it's a big plus to be a Christian band - whereas 10 years ago that might have been something to hide. Nowadays, you gotta truly be down for the ART & MUSIC, 'cause a lot of the perks are gone. On the plus side, it's cool to see a lot of indie bands getting signed to majors; hopefully, you'll be able to turn on the radio this year and hear a band like Avenged Sevenfold or The Bronx. Punk rock has gone more mainstream with Hot Topic and Blink 182 and stuff...I guess there's more pro's than con's to that.

Valdyr: Had you guys heard about D1 before I contacted you? And now that I know you know about us, what do you think about what D1's doing for the industry?
Jeff: I'd never heard of D1 before...heh, I actually have to learn a bit more about it...but from what I understand it's about empowering the artist as well as the fans - and that's definately a step in the right direction. I'm eager to learn more!
Valdyr: Yay! Thanks!

Valdyr: Well, that's all the questions I had for you. Thanks so much for doing this! Is there anything else you'd like to say?
Jeff: Check out our website at www.redtapearmy.com. We're shooting a video for "Stalingrad" this month on the 17th, so keep an eye out for that! Please give our CD a listen! And please come see us live when we come to your town! Thanks for the interview!
Valdyr: Thank you!

You can listen to Red Tape's songs at Roadrunner Record's site.