Interview mediated by Jon-Michael Rogers Photo by Victor Yiu
Each month, Soundcheck finds two worthy (and willing) artists to participate in our recurring column, “It Takes One To Know One”. The two artists interview one another and Soundcheck becomes a fly on the wall; we let them do all the work and subsequently shape the face of the column. This month, we at Soundcheck were beside ourselves with excitement when solo artist and former Hot Water Music alumnus Chuck Ragan agreed to interview - and be interviewed by - Thrice frontman and newly-touring solo act, Dustin Kensrue.
The interview that ensued was more of a conversational reunion between two lost friends than that of a formal interview. Through old times, new projects, and the fears and successes that drive them, Chuck and Dustin picked deep at each others’ experiences, exposing an honest and deliberate look at where their careers have taken them and what they have planned for the future.
CR: Chuck Ragan
DK: Dustin Kensrue
CR: Hi.
DK: Hi buddy.
CR: Cheers. (Laughs) How ya been?
DK: Cheers. (Also laughing) Good, man. (Both chuckling)
DK: You were touring back when I was a fresh young lad to the music scene...
CR: (Laughs)
DK: ...at 21. It’s five years later…
CR: Yeah. When was it that we first met? I think…was it Plea for Peace [Tour]?
DK: Yeah, I think that was the first tour with you guys.
CR: Was there anything before that?
DK: No, we were a brand new band for that. It was us, you guys, Alkaline [Trio], Cave In…
CR: …But yeah, I guess that was the first time we really, kind of, hooked up. You guys blew me away. Cause you were young, and you were fresh out into the road.
DK: That was, like, our first national, full American tour.
CR: I think, uh, you tore it up and continued to do so.
DK: I think we were completely imprinted on you guys, like a baby bird. [Chuckling.] Big brother Chuck. [Both laugh]
CR: Yeah, we probably weren’t the best influence. [Laughs.] At that point, for sure.
...
DK: How you been liking getting away from the pressure of the whole band stuff?
CR: I mean, I love it—really love it. …I know you can probably relate totally, but for me, it’s just— It’s so liberating, and just freeing, and almost— One of the reasons that I love doing this…so much is that it still scares the daylights out of me. You know what I mean?
DK: Like every time you play?
CR: Pretty much, 'cause there’s just not— I mean, depending on the room and the vibe and the people, you’ll definitely feel more or less comfortable as the energy of the room dictates. But you know, there’s definitely something about standing up and not having anything to hide behind... And especially when you’re playing acoustic, rather than dirty, distorted guitars with, you know, people pounding behind you and a group of guys backing you up. Yeah, like getting out there and knowing, “Okay, I’m either gonna sound okay or I’m gonna sound really bad.” You know? (Laughs.)
DK: For me, [acoustic is] so much less stress than the band. I can be so much more expressive singing, because a lot of it is more in what my natural range would be, where in Thrice I’m pushing everything, you know, high stuff and screaming. Like, at Thrice shows, I’m like, “Man, can I even do this tonight?” Whereas this [acoustic] stuff I can do; even if I was super sick, I mean, I could probably get through a set. There were nights with Thrice where it was like, “Wow, I physically can’t sing. Nothing will come out of my mouth at all.”
CR: Yeah, I mean, you’re right. I was the same with Hot Water 'cause, I mean, we put it out there every night. Everybody opened up harder than the night before. It was basically always at that same level, which was, like, on ten, nonstop.
DK: Which is good; it’s just exhausting.
CR: But you’re right…doing it like this is just so much— You make your own range, pretty much. We can control—
DK: You are in control of the song.
CR: Yeah, I mean, if you have a part coming up that you want to hit hard, but you pretty much know that you’re not feeling that, you just hit it different. You know? (Laughs.) And you can do that.
DK: I love the stuff that you are writing right now; I just think it’s great.
CR: The feeling is mutual, man.
...
DK: So when is your full-length album gonna come out? 'Cause you were doing a bunch of seven inches, right?
CR: Yeah, well, the seven inch club got backed up.
DK: Oh, did it?
CR: It’s kind of a pain, but I think the way we’re going to remedy the whole situation is—Well, originally, it was a good plan in theory, but we just weren’t prepared. Originally, the plan was to just have it all recorded and done and artwork and everything and just slide it across [the table] as a new idea and kind of let them make the schedule. We ended up changing some thingsm and I recorded some new songs and time kind of dragged. And so, it ended up being something that— Originally, it was supposed to be a seven inch every month, and now it’s like… (Nervous chuckle.)
DK: Are you gonna rush them now, or—
CR: Well yeah, now it’s gonna turn into— When I get home from SXSW, I should have the rough press for number four, and I think what I want to do is just go ahead and cut five, six and seven, and print a CD of all of the seven inches, and just send it all out to the subscribers all at once.
DK: Oh, 'cause you buy like a subscription to all of them?
CR: Right, right. There was 1,100 pressed—
DK: Are they all gone?
CR: Yeah! There was 1,100 pressed and I get 100 of each copy, so I’ll get you a copy. (Both laugh.) ‘Cause I have some sitting on my bookshelf right now. (More laughing)
DK: I’d love that… Did you ever go into the studio for the other stuff though?
CR: Yeah, yeah.
DK: 'Cause you were going in with the Flogging Molly guys, right?
CR: Yeah, the last couple or two and a half weeks has been insane. [My wife] Jill and I just closed on a home. We’ve been working on it and we just got it.
DK: Really? Where is it?
CR: In Grass Valley.
DK: Where is that?
CR: It’s right in between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, right at the foothills. Just great fishing—
DK: Oh man, every week I’m like, “I want to get out, I need to get out into the woods or something.”
CR: I love it. Pretty much this last month, Jill and I went up to June Lake, finished up the record. We just did a week of preproduction. She was working on her screenplays and I was working on the record and we went straight from the mountains, straight into the studio – Mad Dog Studios, in Burbank – and started recording the studio full-length for Side One [Dummy].
DK: Are they all different songs from the—
CR: Yeah, well, some of them ended up being there, but there is a bunch of different stuff on there, too. But we did like seven days. I basically had about 30 songs at the time and, you know, chose about 18 and went into the studio.
DK: You’re much more prolific than me.
CR: Well, I mean, you’re busy with Thrice too, so—
DK: Yeah, but I’m just—
CR: With me, I’m either hanging crown molding or building cabinets. (Laughs) So it’s a little different. But yeah, the past month I recorded that studio record that’s just in the final stages of mixing right now, so when I get back, the studio record will come out August 7th.
DK: Right.
CR: But after we did like a week in the studio, we took one day off and played a show, and recorded that show for a live record that’s coming out May 8th.
DK: So three records in one year!
CR: Yeah, it’s good. We just signed on with Side One Dummy, and all those folks down there have been just amazing, just super hard hitters. I just signed on with Gary Schwindt, and that worked out nicely. I actually talked to him about getting the Flogging Molly guys into the studio, just trying to find their schedule, 'cause he represents Flogging Molly. We started talking about work and he said to come over, and the next thing I know, I’m remodeling his bedroom and building cabinets in his kitchen, just whatever. This was right at the time that I was under negotiation with Side One, finishing up a contract and thinking about, you know, doing this for real, on our terms. And it was like, “Let’s give it a shot!” And I just started shooting the breeze with him. I can’t wait for you to hear the studio! Nathen Maxwell [of Flogging Molly] came in and played bass, and Tim Berry and Caitlin, his sister, came down… It’s just been amazing.
DK: Has [the album’s sound] all been kind of stripped down, or—
CR: Well, that was the battle, 'cause—
DK: You still want to be able to play it, and you don’t want to over-do it—
CR: Yeah, but it’s a fine line, you know? It’s kind of weird to record some stuff that you can’t go out on the road and make it stand up on its own, you know, given what we do.
DK: Yeah, but you got to change it out—
CR: It’s fun to fill it out and beef it up, you know? John Gant, who’s with me here at SXSW, came in—[we] flew him out from Gainesville, and [he] played fiddle all over [the record], and also recorded that live show. But how’s your record doing?
DK: My solo?
CR: Yeah.
DK: It’s doing good. I did a show in California, then when it came out I went to New York to do a couple of shows, then back to LA for a couple of shows. I did Letterman and Leno and stuff, which was great.
CR: How was that?
DK: It was cool!
CR: Was it kind of surreal?
DK: Yeah, it was totally surreal, just, like, weird. This shouldn’t be happening. (Both laugh.) I had my brother playing bass with me, and my buddy Chris, who played drums on the record. I’m gonna be going out this summer on a headlining tour.
CR: Nice. When is that?
DK: Uh, beginning of June or July. It’s been lovely, just hanging out with the baby and all.
CR: How is family life? I mean, you’ve got the little one!
DK: Well, her neck is getting more solid; she’s holding her neck up more and you can play with her a bit. (Laughs.) It’s all colors and stuff and really exciting, like, “Yeah!” It’s like the really simple stuff, like a black and white giraffe going across the screen. It’s anything to get the brain going, you know?
CR: That’s very cool. Where was that stuff when we were little?
DK: Yeah.
CR: I don’t know if I would have rocked to Baby Mozart. (Both laugh hard.)
...
DK: Well, are you going to do any tours?
CR: Yeah, absolutely yes. We’re gonna do— Well, the live album comes out on May 8th, and we’re talking about doing some release shows. And we’re kind of trying to figure it out right now cause William L. Whitmore, who is doing some stuff— Do you ever listen to him?
DK: No.
CR: Oh man, you have to check him out. It’s your new favorite album. I mean, the guy’s incredible. But I’d like to do some stuff with him, and we are just trying to figure out the finances for it. We just bought this home, and even though we’d love to go out to do this tour, you know, we’re just trying to figure out how to make ends meet. But we’re definitely going to do some kind of record release show for May, probably in California, and then possibly some other stuff, maybe some more regional stuff. A group from Germany offered me a tour in October of like Germany, Austria, Switzerland...
DK: Cool!
CR: ...And we’re gonna do it. We’re gonna go over there and kind of hook up with them. By then the studio album will be out and the live album will be out and hopefully we’ll be able to break even on those. Definitely not expecting much! (Both laugh.) So right now, when we’re home, we’re just trying to work hard and save some money, you know? But ideally, it’d be nice to build this thing up. I mean, the goal of it for me, or for us, is to have longevity. To be able to step out at 40 or 50 and play a couple of shows and [have] it make sense.
DK: Yeah, totally.
CR: Have a handful of songs, and call up one of your buddies that you’ve worked with over the years and say, “Hey, I’d love to do another record.”
DK: And I’d love to get to a similar place. To always be able to just go out and play a quick show or whatever, just with my guitar.
CR: That’s what I love.
DK: Just to know that there’s not so much overhead to worry about.
CR: That’s what I love, I mean, about the opportunities that Jill and I have. It’s so cool to be able to get a phone call, or you have an idea yourself, and just call someone up and say, “Hey, can we just play?” And it’s a matter of packing up two cases, grabbin' a box of records, some shirts, and a couple of guitars and you’re gone. I mean, I love being on tour with guys and playing heavy, which is why I had to step out, but it’s so different than traveling with your buddies. It’s just cool. There’s always less drama. (Laughs.) And attitude. You’re not traveling with a bunch of smelly people. (Laughs again.) It’s a beautiful thing!
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