So This past week we had the pleasure of sharing a drink with gruff punk rock legend, Chuck Ragan. He is currently on tour in europe supporting The Gaslight Anthem so make sure you get out to a show!
CHUCK RAGAN INTERVIEW
WWR : So we are here with the man himself MR Chuck Ragan, how are you today sir?
CR: Very well, thanks for having me!
WWR : il crack straight into the questions/chat
CR: Sure fire away
WWR : So right now your on tour with the gaslight anthem and a few months ago were with frank turner, do you find these shorts of tours beneficial as your playing to a different crowd every night compared to your own shows and in America?
CR : Sure, always. I think that's the case for any artist or band doing support slots, that's the key that's what your trying to do, to have a chance and opportunity to share your music with a audience who have no idea who you are, don't care who you are and just to get out there and have that chance to put your music out there.
Whether they like it or not that is a whole other story, some people care about that some people don't, for me I respect the fact that my musics not for everybody and I have always felt that way, if people get something from it that's wonderful, if they don't that's fine also there's plenty of other artists out there!
We feel really blessed to have the opportunity's we have over here, the UK has always been wonderful for us from hot water music to the solo stuff, we've got a lot of really great friends over here, nowadays we come to different towns and see friends and feel comfortable and familiar, we feel really lucky you know.
WWR : Is this your first time in Southampton? I know you played with hot water music years ago in a youth centre, do you remember that at all?
CR : Ha! yea vaguely, I thought I had played at this venue at some point, it looks really familiar, but im not sure when.
WWR: Would you say its fair to say that you as Chuck Ragan is a follow on from Rumbleseat after that became defunct?
CR : Yea sure, somewhat but I was playing that sort of music before Chris and I ever started Rumbleseat, the stuff that im doing now isn't that far of a stretch from music ive been writing and playing for past 17, 18 years. I just never put as much focus on it as hot water music was always the main focus and not as many people cared ( laughs ).
So this music for me has been something ever since we (hot water music) took our indefinite hiatus some years back, I never stopped writing and one day my wife said hey you should be recording some of this stuff and I said alright! Then sideonedummy wanted to put some records out, so I stopped building houses and put more attention into writing and playing music , but yea ( rumbleseat) is some what similar I've somewhat progressed or least I hope so! Ha if not im doing something wrong ( laughs )
WWR : So your doing this split with Brian ( gaslight anthem ) is it going to be full band or is it back to bare bones for you?
CR : Yea its not even much of a split we are doing a full length record, so far we've just been writing songs on our own and sending them back and forth and singing on each others songs and playing on each others songs, the game plan is to try and record some stuff on this tour we will see what happens and if we are able and have time we will write together which will be wonderful, he is a brilliant brilliant song writer, I love his fire and his energy he's a good fella all round.
WWR : Do you feel you have some years more experience when it comes to writing?
CR : To be honest I don't look at it that way at all, its all relative in time. These boys have been trucking so hard in the past 5, 6 years especially you know they've seen and done more than most bands will ever do in a lifetime.
WWR : Do you think the revival tour will ever come to the UK?
CR : Absolutely! Yeah, we attempted to put one together last year, but we got sidetracked because of all our other schedules. Its been tough because my wife and I basically co ordinate that whole tour and we have a little help from some friends here and there, for the most part my wife and I make the schedule and the decisions but just doing that and the solo stuff and balancing simple everyday home life and now hot water music is doing more stuff, its quite a juggling act.
We've been really excited to bring it over here, im not sure exactly when were going to be doing it but we are planning it for 2011 as far as what month im not sure right now, we are getting ready to lock in the US dates and the Australian dates and once that's locked in we will have a idea, we will do the UK, Europe then Canada then just repeat the cycle
WWR : With Ben Nichols and Tim Barry as well?
CR: Possibly ( smiles ) we will see what happens! I can tell you , you wont be disappointed. A lot of the people that are good friends and artists i've never played with have shown interest in the tour, I mean if its half the tour that it seems like its going to be it will be amazing.
WWR : When you first sat down to record the 'blueprint sessions' did you ever plan to tour worldwide and release as much as you have?
CR : No I didn't, I wasn't thinking about touring at the time. I didn't want to tour at all. I was actually trying to get away from touring and my wife and I were actually planning on starting a custom home building business just on my own as a independent contractor & builder and then the music started doing better and we were able to get out.
Before I was making more money at home with my trade and then I would have to lose money to go play some music which was always fine and then it started getting a little better where we could make ends meet but the last thing I wanted to do was to get back into the machine of it all , the only thing that kind of rectified it for me you could say was that I was doing it solo and my wife and I could make the schedule and we were making our own rules and dictating our life.
It was a completely different feeling than being in a band because hot water music just got to this point where it was wonderful, we had great times and great shows and everything but definitely after a while we had the label and managers and all these people on payroll and all this going on, then you don't dictate your own schedule any more your just a piece of the puzzle.
There's pros and cons to it, its wonderful because you have this big family kind of thing but at the same time personal space disappears, personal agenda disappears, you miss birthdays and funerals and births and anniversary's you name it, its just extremely taxing.
So it was different then when I kicked it off again in my own way, but I had no idea we would have done as much as we have.
WWR : I remember the first time you came over you played by yourself, was there a point you decided to go full band?
No not necessarily I still play by myself quite a bit, tonight its just Jon Gaunt and I. The Cool thing about it in a non selfish way but kind of a selfish way (laughs) is having the control of being able to say i'm going to do this show by myself or get just John or get a whole bunch of people and just go for it. Its just nice to be able to have those options to me it feels more creative and free all round.
