FRI 23 APRIL 2004
Q and A with Vendetta Red
By Bill McGovernArgonaut Staff
Vendetta Red, the Seattle rock group that graces Beasley Coliseum on Saturday with Cypress Hill and MxPx, has moved up and beyond the local Seattle music scene. Recently, lead singer Zach Davidson had a phone interview with Argonaut staff writer Bill McGovern.
BM: I have seen a lot of words that are used to describe your sound; the most predominant one seems to be Screamo. How do you feel about this description? What does it mean?
ZD: Well, I think it’s fair in the sense that we definitely have those elements to us; it’s easy. I think it’s just an easy media-generated monitor. It just probably means bands that have sad sound that scream.
BM: How would you label yourselves, if at all?
ZD: I could sit here and tell you all day that people couldn’t put a label on us, but people do in order to categorize us and try and define our sound.
BM: A lot of people compare you to Roger Daltrey (lead singer for The Who). Do you like the comparison?
ZD: I can’t help it; it’s very flattering, I love that band so much. I don’t think we sound that much like The Who, but they’re a great band, and when people say that, it’s flattering.
BM: How much has that impacted you both professionally and personally?
ZD: I don’t think that it’s impacted me that much. It’s just one of those things; it’s a nice thing to say, but it has no bearing on the band or our sound, or how my life operates.
BM: Seattle seams to be the musical Mecca of the United States. Is it intimidating coming from there?
ZD: The rest of the country doesn’t really have as much of a nurturing musical environment, and it’s hard to work from that point. I’ve been around the country 40 or 50 times, and it’s like starting over. It’s nice to go home and realize that we have Seattle conquered so now we can try and conquer the rest of the country.
BM: Do a lot of people put you in the same category as Kurt Cobain or try to force comparison? How has — if at all — Nirvana influenced you?
ZD: I haven’t felt any pressure from that; there will never be another Kurt Cobain and I’m the only Zach Davidson, and hopefully our movement will influence kids and teach them to do more with their lives than hate themselves and to shoot up.
BM: What made you decide to move to Seattle?
ZD: I’ve been in other bands that toured through Seattle, and I fell in love with the city, not to mention that my allergies were unaffected by the air up there.
BM: I read that you moved from Bakersfield, Calif., to Seattle with your childhood pals and formed the group. Are the childhood pals the article in ReQuest Magazine talked about the current band?
ZD: I’m sure that they’re the same people that they were when the band started. Three of us are from Bakersfield and three of us are from Seattle. Me, Justin and Joseph are from Bakersfield, and Erik, Michael and Burk are from Seattle.
BM: I thought there were only five members of the band. Is Burk new?
ZD: Yes, we just added Burk Thomas — We call him BTO — and he plays the drums.
BM: I thought Joseph played drums. Are there two drummers now?
ZD: No, Joseph now plays keyboards and guitar.
BM: Why did you make the change?
ZD: We did that because it really opened up our sound like 10 times what we were before. Now there is nothing we can’t do live that we could on the record. It’s pretty amazing; it just sounds huge.
BM: I see your favorite bands listed as U2, Fugazi, Gorrila Biscuits and The Who. Are there any other bands that have influenced you that you would like to mention, or one in particular that is listed?
ZD: A band called FYP influenced me quite a bit, and probably U2. That’s been my favorite band since I was a kid; they’re just so challenging. They challenge you not only to be the best that you can be, but also to live large without becoming a junkie. They’re a shining example of what musicians should be as people.
BM: The name Vendetta Red is named after the color of sweet revenge; why did you decide on that for your name?
ZD: I really love the way it sounds when people say it back to me. I really like the cadence of it and the mental pictures that it brings to mind.
BM: Are there any other names that were thrown around, or did you start off with a different name?
ZD: We were kind of toying with The Myth of Insignificance, but I think it’s better to call ourselves Vendetta Red; it sounds more like a band.
BM: Are there any bands that you have toured with that were especially exciting to tour with? Any bands that left you star-struck?
ZD: Playing with Glass Jaw É was pretty cool. I love that band; I think they’re amazing. When we toured with Dashboard, that was pretty cool.
BM: Is that Dashboard Confessional?
ZD: Yeah. And Juliana Theory, that was another one. It was pretty damn exciting to be sharing a stage with them. But we’ve made really good friends with the smaller bands we toured with.
BM: Is there anything else you would like to add?
ZD: Yeah, there is one more thing I’d like to say: Vote Bush out.
Schedule for Eastside Cinemas
“Alamo” PG-13 8:50 p.m.“Ella Enchanted” PG (12:40), (2:50), 5, 7:10 and 9:20 p.m.
“Whole Ten Yards” PG-13 (3:15) and 9:30 p.m.
“Home on the Range” PG (1:30), (3:20), 5:10, and 7 p.m.
“Walking Tall” PG-13 (1:15), 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.
“Man on Fire” R (noon), (3), 6 and 9 p.m.
“13 Going on 30” PG-13 (12:50), (3), 5:10, 7:20 and 9:30 p.m.
Schedule for U4 Cinemas
“Hellboy” PG-13 (1:30), (4), 7 and 9:30 p.m.“Kill Bill 2” R (1), 4, 7 and 9:45 p.m.
“The Girl Next Door” R (1), 4:30, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.
“Lady Killers” R (1:30), 4:30, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.
Showtimes in ( ) are for Saturday and Sunday only.
UI Argonaut, 301 Student Union, Moscow, ID 83844
Argonaut: 208.885.7845 Advertising: 208.885.5780