Metal rockers December In Red just wrapped up a tour with (hed) p.e. including have a homecoming showcase with Kottonmouth Kings these guys have been keeping busy playing here and there. In between that they have written and recorded for their latest album "The Way Out" with further plans to release more music and play more shows of course! Frontman vocalist Del McGeachy talks about their tunes and how they come up with such creative ideas.
1. What type of band are you?
Del: We’re a hard edged melodic rock band with some metal elements. Some songs are definitely on the heavier end and others are softer and more artsy. Between all four of us, we draw from a wide range of influences from very melodic and artsy to super heavy and bludgeoning. It’s allowed us to meet a wider variety of people although it does become more difficult to describe within a sentence or two. I think a listener would have an easier time categorizing our music with less invested themselves, only hearing the finished product without any of the other material that the finished song came from. You never really know what you sound like to other people.
2. Tell us the brief history of your band.
Del: We have a lot of history playing together in different projects, but when we started this band, it was just for the fun of making music together without the pressure of the business side of being in a band. We didn’t name the project in the beginning until we eventually played our first show as a band. Around Spring of 2012, we put together what ended up being our first album, Colbey replaced our original bass player who left to pursue other goals, and we made a decision to hit the road and work hard on this band. Our original drummer bowed out with Marc taking over right before we released the first album. We hit the ground running with this lineup and our first album out. Scott McKinley brought us onto Cavigold Records and we continued to build while working on the songs for The Way Out. We’re proud to be a part of the Cavigold family and the kind of game changing independence that it represents. It really is a family. During the writing for the new album we really worked out what we wanted to do musically and professionally. Now that the new album is out, we’re on the road supporting it and making new friends everywhere we can.
3. Where is the band based out of and is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Del: We are based just north of Seattle but there are a lot of great bands in Washington. Check out The Fail Safe Project, and Projectkings who are both very badass bands from Spokane, Washington. These guys are close friends and label mates of ours and we always look forward to anything we get to do together. We help each other out as much as we can.
4. What is the story behind the name, December In Red, if there is one to tell?
Del: We chose our band name from a list of names that we all came up with and it didn’t have any deep meaning when we settled on it. The name puts a vibe out that matches the music. We’re going to make up an exciting story for when this question gets asked in the future.
5. Who are your musical influences?
Del: They range pretty heavily from member to member. We’ve had comparisons to Deftones made by listeners at times, and they are an influence the whole band can agree on. Incubus is another one. Mainly due to the vocal similarity. Metal, in general, is a big influence on all of us but there are some eclectic tastes running through the band as well. Ministry, Portishead, Tricky, Tech N9ne, Nine Inch Nails, Meshuggah, Helmet, Pink Floyd, Periphery, Devin Townsend, Karnivool, Hed(pe), Sevendust, early Korn, Opeth, and Alice in Chains are just a few that come to mind for a list that could go on for days really.
6. What are your songs about? (What specific themes does it cover?)Del: The songs on this new album cover different subjects but the title “The Way Out” applies to each one in a different way. Sticking to your convictions and finding the path to better things is a general concept that can be pointed to.
7. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the song writing process in detail.)
Del: There are lots of different ways you can put new songs together, but in general, someone comes in with something new and we all pounce on it. Everyone gets their hooks into it and we let it develop. A new song idea either turns into a whole song or it ends up on the back burner for a while. We don’t spend a lot of time trying to force something to go somewhere if it isn’t happening. It helps that we’ve all been playing together for so long and are pretty instinctive about how to work together musically.
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