WWR: A lot of the older bands I talk to such as yourself, lagwagon, NUFAN etc, I always pose the question do you still actively follow the punk rock scene? And where do you think its gone in the last 5 years since its died down a lot in England especially!
CR: Yea I always feel like i'm completely saturated with music and sometimes a little over saturated to me I feel punk rock to me has always been more of an ethic rather than a style or a fad or even a genre, punk rock to me when I learnt about it 24 years ago was a completely different thing to what it is nowadays, it has some of the same elements but it was more frowned upon more than anything else.
You weren't accepted at school, we just weren't you know the punks , the skateboarders we were the ones that were always hassled, it was cool to us but it wasn't cool to anybody else ha!
Over the years as i've grown older i've believed a lot of those ethics are still there with some people, and some of those people who I believe still hold those ethics may not be considered from a outside perspective punk rock people at all! Some of the most punk rock people I know are more farmers and ranchers, its more about this DIY ethic of knowing how to grow their own food and knowing how to hunt and fish and live off of the land and be completely self sufficient. Growing up when I learnt about punk rock it was more about rebelling against the norm, rebelling against society, church and school and all the rules, and I was this 12/13 year old kid that happened to know everything in the world! So for me the best part about it one way or another there will always be an underground and they'll always be that undeniable ethic of doing things yourself and maintaining and sustaining on your own.
WWR: When you play live you tend to have a lot of stories behind your songs, I love this because its educational and its not just a song, where do these tend to come from? Books? Family? Friends?
CR : All of the above really, i've just always felt like song writing for me is something that I always more or less have to do rather than a choice, I say that meaning its like therapy to me its more or less like someone keeping a journal or a diary its something I need to do to get it off my chest, I do it for that first and foremost and I love releasing records.
I love to make these journals and diary's into a song and get them out and I feel like when I put them on a record and I them 'out' away from me its almost like i'm able to step forward with my own life and choice.
WWR: So essentially your records are history books?
CR: Absolutely , as far as where the stories come from think about what effects you everyday from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed, all these people that you see, the positive things, the negative things just everything you've faced throughout the day just like day to day life.
With your family, job and society to me i've always felt that if something, anything effects you in an extremely positive or negative way most likely for me its worth getting it off my chest and telling a story about it.
WWR: Last question, what's going on with hot water music at the moment? I know you've done random shows, but George is playing for against me etc is there plans to record?
CR : yea we are actually writing a new record, so that's kind of new and its fun and the best part about it for us is that its like the beginning again.
We don't have any contracts no label , we have no managers no one telling us when and where, even though we have always done a good job in doing what the hell we want to, ha! But still it feels like we are not expected to do anything and it definitely got to that point when your this band and your going and you put out a record and you tour on it and you let everybody know yea we are going back in the studio, everybody's waiting for the next record and the next tour and there's that pressure there and for us.
The main focus now is just to write new songs and when it feels right and ready to record we will do it , and when we feel like getting a label we will do it.
WWR: do you feel records come out better without the pressure and having no time limits?
CR : yea if we just relax and we do exactly what we want to do it'l come out great, and if it doesn't at least it will sound good to us aha! No one else may like it but as long as your happy that's fine! Ha ha!
WWR : Ha! OK Chuck huge thanks for your time and we shall see you soon
CR : My pleasure I appreciate it!
