When
Redwater enters the studio this fall, the band will be determined as ever to put hits to hard drive and release a full, proper album.
"Plain and simple, this record is going to happen because, for us to be together for as long as we have and not actually have something to show for it-- is one of the most frustrating things." states singer, guitarist and
de facto frontman Kevin Di Lucente.
Di Lucente, like the rest of the band, carries himself as easy going-- almost to the point of reluctance. Rounded out by guitarist Tony Nash and the rhythm section of drummer Mike Dicioccio and bassist Jay Czuba, the band members maintain an understated, yet ebullient confidence, holding conversation as easily as cracking a cold beer.
The band's primary sound is based around a trio of classic rock, grunge and country. Loud, catchy, up-tempo, blues-based hooks and riffs have been the band's meat and potatoes. As the songs shift gears and change palettes they tend to highlight Nash's technical flourishes and Di Lucente's vocal swagger.
Nash, with his beard and shoulder-length hair, comes across at first impression as a rockist through to the bone. He says when they first started playing together almost three years ago, they first gravitated to a "raw, rock" sound that was a "common denominator." However, he adds that the group's sound has begun to evolve into something more complex, less immediate.
"We've had that time to get through that, just that debut period, where it's just hungry... but after a while you don't have to scream. Slower songs-- basically what it translates to-- different tempos, trying different things... we don't just listen to hard rock, or rock 'n roll and you know, alternative."
The band practices and records in a converted basement in the last house on a dead end road in Orchard Park, just a stone's throw from the Stadium. Set back from the road and bordered on one side by a small patch of woods, the space is far removed from the downtown bars where they regularly play. The sincerity of the Southtowns comes across in the band's music and attitude. Describing themselves as an "honest band" looking to reach a "broad audience", they bristle at the thought of elitism or pretension in their music.
In looking to keep their music honest, especially on the upcoming record; the group is setting the goal of giving it a raw, live sound. While Nash cites the layered production of Pink Floyd as an influence, he says the band must walk a fine line and keep the recorded songs true to their live versions.
"Kind of like Zeppelin and Beatles, all these classics, they revolutionized recording with crazy panning and all this stuff," he says. "But at the end of the day, there was a [good] song underneath all that and it was easy to see."
"We don't want it over produced, but we don't want it to sound like we just threw a tape player down," says drummer Dicioccio.
They plan on recording the entire album themselves, in their neon-sign lit basement space, with Nash's recording equipment. It's an approach the band has used before on their previous two Eps. Nash, who takes the helm with respect to engineering and producing the band's sessions, has been recording music for around 10 years and says he has a good feel what will work and what doesn't.
Jay Pagano, an engineer at
Select Sound Studios in Kenmore, says bands that hone their sound live can sometimes experience pitfalls when entering the studio.
"The big difference between playing live and playing in the studio is what you can hear," he says. "[Some bands] might feel that they're well rehearsed, but when they're in the studio they might be totally off key, they're playing their pitches too high or too low, their tempos are way off-- you don't really hear that in a live aspect that much, but in the studio you hear the slightest little thing," says Pagano.
He notes that newer bands are also not set in their ways and tend to "go with the flow" more over groups who have logged more studio time.
Redwater has an ambitious agenda, setting the goal for the upcoming release at 10 to 12 songs. They say the ratio of new-to-old songs will be about 4-to-1, with the "newer" songs being played out only a handful of times. Fully embracing the idea of changing or writing songs in the studio, they say they will take full advantage of the control and time they have in Nash's
ad hoc studio.
The band, currently in the pre-production stage, is
posting updates on their mySpace site. Expect silo3 to follow the band through the process as a look at a local band recording their first full-length in a DIY setting.
