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| Red Carpet Rats | ||
LBM: What’s the story behind Red Carpet Rats Forming? Uni: McCabe and I are from the northeast, which means we both have a certain affinity for winter weather advisories and women with attitude. Doc is from North Carolina. The hills of North Carolina. The deep hills of North Carolina. ‘Nuff said. And last, but certainly not least, as far as anyone can tell, Tige rolled into Nashvegas from the great state of Texas, bringing an intense love of hot sauce and a ‘if one is good, then a hundred is absolutely necessary’ mantra. Now McCabe and I moved to Nashville basically on the fact that it had billed itself as “The Songwriter Capital of the World”. And we, at the time, considering ourselves songwriters of the first magnitude, thought we’d just follow the yellowbrick road straight into OZ. I’m talking the Emerald City, not the prison. Although we could have just as easily ended up in prison, mind you. Deciding that we wanted a little something more, McCabe read an ad placed in a local rag advertising a drummer looking for a band. Next thing we know, Tige’s in and we’re a three piece, which is cool, if one of those pieces is a bass, which it wasn’t. So after an exhaustive internet search we found Mr. Doc Singles, who came to audition one weekend and never left. Now I’ve omitted many key points of the story so as to protect both the innocent and the guilty, but I’m sure they will all come out eventually on YouTube, or in the subpoena. LBM: As far as sound and lyrical depth, what has been the most influential aspect in your musical careers? Uni: As a band, our musical influences cover a range wider than the state of Oklahoma. All swinging I might add. And when I say swinging, I mean in a Miles Davis at the supper club in a 3 A.M. jam kind of way. You want our back-story, I’m talking the ups and downs and ins and outs and in betweens of the 20th and 21st century’s most slammin’ popular music. Singing the praises of heaven movers and ground shakers from Van Morrison to Van Halen. Black Sabbath to The Black Crowes. Both Elvises. Or would that be Elvi, I’m not sure! LBM: Is there anything else in the world that you could see yourselves doing besides making music? Uni: Maybe time! Ya’ see, for me, ever since I can remember, I’ve imagined myself standing on a stage, singing, dancing, telling a few jokes, bowing, then running off into the wings. Seven years old with a dream of playing bars, clubs, arenas . . . hell, cruise ships, whatever! Traveling. Like a salesman, selling laughs. There, you just got one on the house! LBM: So much has seemed to come your way since the 2007 release of your E.P. “Rug Burns,” has it begun to feel overwhelming? Uni: You never know how the general public is gonna react to any kind of art one makes, so to have so many say such positive things about a relatively unknown band is actually overwhelming. And I say relatively unknown because we still have relatives in our own families who don’t know what we’re up to. But they will, by God, they will. And ya know, I’ve always heard that you’re not supposed to read reviews, but hell, why not. The good ones anyway. Besides, it’s always interesting to hear someone else’s take. Just remember, if you believe the good ones, you also have to believe the not-so-good-ones, which I don’t, but that’s a whole other therapy session entirely. LBM: How would you describe your new album “The Year of The Rat?” Uni: Just good-old fashioned, school's out, big blockbuster, summer fun. It's Will Smith versus the aliens. Russell Crowe against the Romans. The underdog of all underdogs fighting for truth, justice and your entertainment dollar. I like to think that listening to the album is like riding the Cyclone at Coney Island (R.I.P), where you might feel a little light-headed afterwards, but man it was fun while it lasted. “The Year Of The Rat” is chock-full of finger-licking good McCabe production spread out over eleven songs of faith, hope, and misery. Faith, hope, and misery. Hmmm. Gonna have to store that one away! LBM: You worked with some pretty impressive names on this new album, how was the overall experience? Uni: On a 10 scale, I’d probably have to give it a 40! Which is a hellava lot better than those times when you have to drink a 40 just to get through 10 minutes together. Musicians, can I get an amen! LBM: Any words of advice, or more like survival tips for making an album? Uni: You have to cut your own path through this chunk of land we call the music jungle. So keep your machete sharp and your head up. A trustworthy guide doesn’t hurt either. And what is any good piece of advice without a ‘Godfather’ quote, so I’ll just say keep your friends close and your enemies . . . well, try not to make any, ya know? Be honest with yourself and identify what it is that you do best, and then do your best to exploit that to its fullest. Oh yeah, and send me a $50 non-refundable cashier’s check for consultation services rendered. Made payable to Red Carpet Rats. LBM: 2008 has seemed to be a great year from you as far as press, fan base, and chart toping radio play; what’s in store for The Red Carpet Rats in 2009? Uni: The long and short-term goal here is harmony, both within and outside of the band. The ultimate direction? Up, God willing! LBM: Thinking about your live performances, what has been some of the more memorable show? Uni: One we haven’t played yet. In particular, we have been invited by Armed Forces Entertainment to play for U.S. soldiers overseas. This is a huge happening for us. I don’t care what your position on the war is, there are Americans over there sacrificing their lives, for that, RCR salutes you! We have our passports in order, bug spray packed, McCabe working on an electrifying version of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, and await our orders. We’re looking to do it up right too, because these brave men and women deserve it. So we’ve got a few surprises in store in hopes of bringing a little piece of home to the field. And let me also take this opportunity to announce that we will now be referring to ourselves as U.S. Ambassadors of Rock . . . and wish to be addressed as such! LBM: Being a magazine full of musicians, we’ve all had a few absolute nightmare shows, is there a show you’ve played that just seemed to be a total wreck? Uni: How about the time we were gonna be cool and flirt with some alternate tuned guitars. RCR rocking classically like the Stones. Get our collective Keith on, so to speak. Had a few songs worked up. It was gonna be brilliant. Well . . cut to the opening of our show when our fearless lead guitar player McCabe hits the first few chords and gets a “what the hell was that?” look, not only from the rest of the band, but also everyone in attendance. Ok. Gotta roll with the punches to get to what’s real, right? And hey, it’s not that bad, he can just switch guitars, can’t he? Of course not! Cause our rent-a-roadie-for-the-night got his wires crossed and thought we played all of our songs in that tuning. So here we are mid song, as McCabe disappears to go give someone side stage a piece of his mind and a few other things, yours truly is left soldiering on with, oh yeah, did I tell you that my guitar was also tuned incorrectly? To make a worst-experience-of-my-life story short, we were a three piece for about 4 of the longest minutes in recorded history sounding like a bad band playing a bad version of a bad Sex Pistols song. I’m nevertheless proud to say that eventually we came out the other side and, after much therapy, have fully recovered, and are now ready to lead relatively happy, semi-productive lives. LBM: Finally, what is the one thing you want current and new fans to know about the members that make up Red Carpet Rats? Uni: We are 24-carat workaholics. Somebody call the appropriate rehab facility, and reserve us a wing. We’re always working. While the other guys are hanging out at the club, we’re working. While the other guys are sleeping, we’re working. While the other guys are getting it on with their special someones . . well . . we’re doing that too, we’re just working harder at it! -------------------------------------------------------- For more info, show updates and music
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