Melbourne rock outfit Redcoats have just released their new self-titled album over the weekend, and will shortly head out on a national tour to launch it. To find out a little more about the album, the band took the time to answer our On The Record questions this week. Expand this post to take a read and re-cap all the dates. You can pick up a copy of the album online now [Here].
Tell us about the release title.
The album is self titled. There is no reason or significance behind this. Honestly, we couldn’t agree on a title so we decided we wouldn’t title it.
Tell us about the artwork.
The artwork was done by a friend who goes by the name Raphael Rizzo. We went through many different variations of what we ended up with, some simpler, some more complex, but we landed on this one. We sort of felt it was a pretty good representation of the album and how it came about, where it was made etc.
What format/s will it be released on and how will it be packaged?
It will be released digitally in cyberspace, on CD and on vinyl. The packaging is a gate-fold style arrangement, all cardboard. Basically, the CD looks as much like a vinyl as possible. The vinyl is a single sleeve, nice and simple. The CD and vinyl have posters with them, but they are different posters. We hope this brilliant business move will take our sales into the stratosphere.
Who will it be released through, and when?
It just came out through Island Records on the 19th of October.
Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there?
We recorded the album at Studio 301 in Byron Bay. We enjoyed the idea of spending a month or so in a place like Byron Bay, and we thought we could fit in recording an album while we were there. In the end we didn’t spend a lot of time with Byron outside of the studio, but hey. We lived at the studio, which was really easy for transport logistics and such. Wake up near twelve have a coffee and get started. Or if you were feeling particularly into life that day, perhaps get up early and go into town for breakfast or a beach swim. It was a great place to record the album.
Tell us about the producer / engineer and why you chose to record with them?
His name is Dave Schiffman. We chose him after speaking to him along with a few other producers a number of times on the phone. We liked where he was seeing the songs go production wise. He was very keen on a raw, dry, natural sort of sound; how it sounds in a room is how it should sound on record vibe. We enjoyed this angle and he was great. Very funny and kept us all on track like a pro. Producers must have heaps of tricks to keep musicians with short attention spans on track, we got to see a few in action. But generally he was happy to go along with our vibe and it all got done with no real problems.
Did you go into the writing process with a clear direction in mind?
We had spent a while on the songs accumulating them slowly. The songs tend to dictate the direction to us. It was really a matter of picking the strongest ones that fit together the best and give the album some kind of diversity and direction. By the time we had gone through demoing everything and we whittled down what we were gonna do in Byron to fourteen, the songs were pretty much set. So once we were in there it was a case of just getting the best take of something and moving on.
Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing / recording process that influenced the songs at all?
Lots of soul music, lots of 60′s and 70′s rock and pop, lots of jazz. In the control room we had a picture of George Harrison, a picture of Miles Davis and a picture of The Band. They guided us through, or some crap like that.
Were there any albums you were referencing to aim for a certain type of sound production wise?
Not really. Again, it was all about what we as a band sound like in a room together. Stuff like Creedence, Derek and the Dominoes, the way they sound natural. They aren’t made particularly big sounding, or not bigger than what they are. They just give the impression that’s what they sounded like at that point in time. We liked that idea, so I guess taking that ethos and applying it to our particular thing is what we did.
How long did it take to record?
Recording lasted three and a half weeks, we did a week of pre-production with Dave right before that.
Tell us a little about the recording process the band used?
We played live, in a room together. We played through a song four or five times and had a listen. Pretty much every song we got a good rhythm track out of one of them. Then we started doing overdubs. We wanted to keep as much of the initial tracking as possible and add what we needed to where we needed to. Some days we got into positions where we lost sight of what was going on and picking whether parts were right or not, but coming back the next day and listening fresh always fixed that.
Was this any different to previous processes you have used?
No. Pretty much the same.
Any guests involved? if so, who.. and what did they do?
Just one. Our friend Joe Cope came in and played some keys and organ parts on a few things.
Any particular equipment outside your usual live gear used in the process?
Just more options I suppose. Extra amps to mess around with, different pedals, different cymbals. One of the fun parts of recording is you get to get all your gear together and fuck with it and find the best sounds for all these parts. Different textures and tones, the things that make subtle differences.
Any memorable studio moments?
It gets pretty blurry looking back at it. your relationship with time becomes incredibly warped for that period of time and memories seem to swish around each other. We had a friend around who got a lot of stuff on camera which will be fun to look at over the years. Just heaps of time killing shit talk. We played plenty of cricket. Cricket’s good.
Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
Yeah, there were four. Two of those will be around as bonus tracks through various retail outlets when buying the album. As for the other two, who knows? Maybe we don’t want anyone to hear them.
What track/s are you most looking forward to playing live?
One hundred seasons, serpent charmer, mean money, the death of ecstasy.
How would you compare the final product to previous releases?
It is probably less effected than previous recordings. More honest.
Anything else you want to say or tell us about the release?
The vinyl is the best sounding of the three formats available. It sounds warm and fuzzy. More pleasure on your earholes.
————————————————————-
REDCOATS – Redcoats
Available now via Island Records / Universal Music
Buy Online [Here]
————————————————————-
REDCOATS
NOVEMBER
8th – Karova Lounge, Ballarat [18+]
9th – The Bended Elbow, Geelong [18+]
10th – Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne [18+]
15th – Star Bar, Bendigo [18+]
16th – Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool [18+]
17th – Jive Bar, Adelaide [18+]
22nd – Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane [18+]
23rd – Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay [18+]
24th – Spotted Cow, Toowoomba [18+]
29th – Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle [18+]
30th – Annandale Hotel, Sydney [18+]
DECEMBER
1st – Transit Bar, Canberra [18+]
————————————————————
