INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD RODRIGUEZ

Richard Rodriguez plays bass, guitar, drums and vocals. He is in Real Regular and has played in Lucha Eterna, Obnox, What A Waste, BxVx, Fascist Insect, Ghostbread, Paint Chips, Tuck Peenersen and his Weinermen, Burger Boys, and more. His label is Saucepan Records:

https://www.facebook.com/saucepanrecords?ref_type=bookmark

saucepanrecords.bandcamp.com

ARH: Hello, Richard! So, what are you working on this summer? Are there any upcoming shows you're excited about? I heard you're cooking at Class and you have a new label--what's going on with that stuff?

RR: This summer I'm doing more recording and releasing than actually playing out. It's not necessarily ideal, but that's just kinda how it's turning out. Today I actually got test presses for the Lucha Eterna 7" that I'm putting out on my label Saucepan Records. Coincidentally I also got the final copies of the Real Regular 12" today as well. I'm really excited about both releases and the response they have both been getting from everyone. I have a few other releases in the works as well. The Fat Vegan tape "Music To Eat Tofu To" is done and will be available soon. I also have a Bad Noids 7" and Mr. California 7" in the works as well so I'm keeping myself pretty busy. There's always a show I wanna see, but a few that have me really excited are Infest and the West Side Punk Connect Fest with Los Crudos. Both great shows showcasing the best in punk and hardcore. I'm losing my mind, I can't wait.

So, yeah, I also make food every Wednesday night at Now That's Class. I make pupusas, which are a traditional Salvadoran dish that's essentially a stuffed tortilla with beans, cheese, and minced pork. I change it up and add different meat options every week. It’s going great! People are coming out of the woodwork, sometimes just to eat my food and that means a lot because I honestly didn't know how well this would go when I first started back in January. Started out a little rough, but I know its gotten a lot better and I'll be adding other options (tamales, vegan options, etc.) real soon.

ARH: Wow, we'll have to come out and get some of your food! I love Now That's Class--there is no place like it. Are those two shows at Class? That's cool you're doing so much recording. Do you have a site or something where people can buy that stuff? 

I've also been recording more the last year after years of focusing on performing. I feel like recording and performing are totally different art forms. For me, they come from such different points of inspiration and require different compositional approaches. What do you think? I imagine for some genres recording and performing may be closer. As someone who's worked in different genres, do you find that to be true?

RR: Both shows are in fact at Now That's Class. I'm involved a lot more with that place these days its pretty cool. I’m still trying to set up the online store/mail order stuff. It’s a bit of a pain haha but it needs to be done a.s.a.p. because by mid August I will have a decent amount of releases ready to go.

I completely agree with recording and performing being two very different outputs. On the one hand you have a medium that can be done over and over again with many different layers to sound the way you want it to sound at home on someone's stereo. It can take hours to days on end. On the other hand is the performance that doesn't necessarily have to be anything like the record at all. When I was in Obnox we stripped down the blown out multi-drum layered psych rock recordings to fit a two-piece outfit when we played live. Then there are punk and hardcore bands/songs/records that try to stick as close to the recordings as possible. I think different genres have more wiggle room to experiment with that others have or choose to use. That said, I personally enjoy doing both and am always willing to experiment with a live setting and have no problem with steering away from what's expected.

ARH: When and how did you get into performing? Since you’ve started performing, have you noticed repeating cycles in terms of style and energy? How would you describe the current zeitgeist?

RR: First began performing about five or six years ago with What A Waste and Fascist Insect. Regardless of what anyone else may have thought of those bands at the time, I had a blast playing live almost every time. My only influences at the time were bands like Black Flag or The Ramones. Now, mind you, obviously nothing I was playing sounded ANYTHING like either of those two bands, but my point is that I wanted to play as simple and as aggressive as I could at the same time. That's still somewhat the formula for any band I still do to this day. It's totally a repeating cycle no matter what instrument I'm playing. Three chords on the guitar and no drum rolls/fills ever. Just meat and potatoes, it's what I enjoy and what I feel most comfortable playing. Not that I haven't ventured out of my comfort zone, but I just always come back. It just feels right.

ARH: I hear you. Anything else coming up you are excited about?

RR: Well since starting this interview the Real Regular LP has been released and people seem to be liking it a lot so that's pretty exciting haha. The new Lucha Eterna 7" will officially be out in two weeks and I have a couple of new projects that are about ready to perform in a seedy basement near you! I have since taken on new releases for Saucepan Records so I think 2015 is looking pretty bright for the label, I can't wait!