An interview with Bobby J by Ryan Endean

Why did it take almost three years for Red Star Memorial to release its first album?

It was pretty unusual how quickly things happened for this band in the beginning. Because I'd been in a couple of bands around town that were fairly popular, and because I'd always had a very good relationship with all of the clubs, we were able to book shows without a recording or a press kit.

A couple of newspapers gave us press based on our live shows (you did one of the first for the CSUS paper), and things kind of took on a life of their own from there.

We decided to go into the studio after only being a band for a few months. While we were a fairly tight and good live band, prior to recording, we recorded a handful of demos and became aware that how we were doing things live wouldn't translate well in the studio. Enter David Houston, who is the Producer on what would eventually be our first release, It's About Time.

I took our demos to David, and we (David and I) decided on five songs to concentrate on (although we had a bit of a tug-of-war about recording the song Everybody Loves A Parade, which eventually got cut from the sessions at my insistence; I wrote it years earlier and, frankly, I was pretty tired of it). We stripped the songs down, and then began building them back up again, until we had the arrangements and the parts more closely refined to a studio environment.

Of course, during all of this time, we were playing live shows, along with dealing with everyday things like life, work, vacations, family, etc. I've always played in a few other bands too, so all of those factors, in addition to sporadic recording, made those first sessions drag on a bit longer than expected.

Over the course of the next couple of years, we became an even better band, and really learned how to work with each other and to compliment the songs with what we did, or didn't, play. All four of us have learned when to hold back at certain times, and when to let it all out; just as long as it makes the song better.

We went back into the studio, and this time, instead of breaking things down in the studio, we refined the songs in rehearsal. We all decided on the songs to be recorded, and worked hard at getting things ready before the next recording session. David brought us into the studio, positioned the drums and the amps, hit record, and let us loose. We recorded everything live with no overdubs (besides the vocals, of course), and there are even a couple of songs from those sessions that were recorded on the first take. David just kept the tape rolling, adding his input along the way, and really captured the live essence of Red Star Memorial.

A record label asked me to submit a couple of 'solo' recordings, so I went into the studio and recorded two songs that would end up on the Red Star Memorial record; Darling and Last Glimpse Of You. I decided that I didn't want a 'solo' career, and wanted everything I do to be under the Red Star Memorial name. As a band, we decided that some of our favorite records had solo acoustic songs on them (Steve mentioned Blackbird by the Beatles, but I'd never mention our bands side by side. Ha!) so we decided to include those on our record as well.

It ends up that the whole journey made for a pretty solid record. We all grew up listening to l.p.s, and decided to have a 'side one' and a 'side two'. I really think the album takes you on a journey from start to finish, and has all of the elements that make being in this band so great. From the richly produced songs, to the raw one-take songs, to the acoustic songs, I really feel like we have something great to offer the people that have (patiently) waited so long for this thing to came out.

What was your favorite part of the recording process?

Learning to come together as a band, and how to utilize what we do in order to make the songs the best that we can. Working with David as our producer, not just as the guy turning the knobs, was probably the best thing that we lucked into as a band. David not only brought his knowledge of recording, but was gracious with all of his gear too. If he thought a song needed one of his vintage Fender amps, or if we needed to fire up a Leslie speaker cabinet, he didn't hesitate in putting us in front of them in order to get a specific sound. It was good for me to be able to bounce things off of him as a songwriter. Sometimes I would think a certain part was redundant, or I wouldn't totally like the lyrics in a certain spot, and David was always so great in knowing just how to make things turn out for the best. We really did take advantage of his role as the producer, and I think he handled it better than anyone could have hoped.

How did you come up with the title for the album?

I had the idea for the clock on the cover from nearly the beginning (although Ted Angel is responsible for the layout and packaging, and making it look so great). "It's about time" is what everyone, including the band, was probably either thinking or going to think when the record was finally released. The title has a much broader meaning for me in relationship to the songs that are on the record, but I never really expected anyone other than me to think much beyond what the literal meaning is. The clock on the cover should probably make for an obvious double meaning.

Is there any song on the album that you’are particularly proud of or one that came out better than you'd hoped?

I think the whole album came out better than I had hoped. I've had a new favorite song every few days since it came out, and I'm always finding new things that I really dig. I'll pick up on a bass line that hadn't dawned on me before, or a drum part that fits so perfectly that I didn't catch how brilliant it was when we play live, or one of the leads that fits right in. That's probably been my favorite part of listening to the record as a fan; just catching all of the little things about the recording, which I hope people listening will catch on to as well.

I think Guadalajara is probably my favorite in terms of how we pulled it off, and how the vocals in particular came out. I'm still amazed at how perfect Steve's lead in Girl is, and again, is something I hadn't totally grasped until I took it home and put on the headphones. It's Every Single Thing is my favorite drum performance on a whole, but my favorite thing Chris did on the record is something that most people may not even notice; he does this little fill in the second bridge of Ten Years Behind that I've always loved, and comes to life on the record. I think Bryce's bass lines carry most all of the songs, but I think is most evident on Call To Arms.

Lyrically, Girl is probably my favorite, but I think that Last Glimpse Of You is the best song that I have (well, out of all of the songs that I've written, it's my personal favorite) and I'm grateful that it was able to be included on the record.

What did you REALLY mean when you wrote the line "I can't believe I won't be naked and in you, again"” in Last Glimpse Of You?

In the chorus before, the last line is "I can't believe I won't be making love with you, again" so I think it's an obvious reference to that line for the second chorus, but for me personally, it had a broader meaning. People are allowed to interpret the lyrics any way that they'd like, and relate to them in terms of their own experiences and relationships. It's the same thing that I do with all of my favorite records and songs that have grabbed me over the years.

When you are truly in love with someone, then you'll let them in, tearing down all of your walls to do so, remaining vulnerable and naked.

Were there any songs you really wanted on the album that had to be cut?

We have well over 30 original songs, so it was a little hard deciding what to pick, especially as we kept writing more songs. In the end, it was all about making a solid record from start to finish, not how many or which songs in particular were on it. There are songs that we've been playing from the beginning like What's The Deal..., and relatively brand new songs like It's Every Single Thing that ended up on the record. The version of Darling that's on the album is a very sparse recording that I did one day in the studio, but we do a pretty great version of it as a band live, so that may end up on a record down the road.

What do you hope your fans will take away from the album?

I just hope they like it, and feel it was worth the wait. We're pretty proud of it, and just want people to be satisfied that we made the best record that they could have hoped for.

How important are the fans to a local band like Red Star Memorial?

Of course, very important. I think that whether you come to some crazy sold-out show with a couple of hundred people, or to a show with just a couple of dozen, you'll always see us turn in the best performance that we can. The people that come out to our shows are not taken for granted, and we really try to give back everything that we get.

What inspires you to write a song?

The songs that I write, or have written, for Red Star Memorial used heartbreak as the catalyst, but it's a bit broader these days. Newer songs like Call To Arms and It's Every Single Thing off of the album are examples of things other than depression being used to write songs.

Lyrically, it's just when I'm moved to write something down on paper. The same goes for the music in that I'll just pick up a guitar and start goofing off. I've never sat down and said "I'm going to write a song", it just kind of happens, and I'm always surprised when it does.

Sometimes I'll think that the well has run dry after not writing anything for awhile, but out of the blue a really great song will emerge, or I'll be suddenly inspired and write a few songs in a short amount of time.

What are your biggest influences?

The biggest influences as far as song writing are probably Paul Westerberg (Replacements and solo), Bob Mould (Husker Du, Sugar, and solo), and Echo and the Bunnymen. Buck Owens has been a very big influence on me as well, especially in the way a song is laid out, having memorable melodies and choruses that get stuck in your head.

I'm always looking for new music, and am influenced by everything that I hear that grabs me in one way or another. I was always a huge Uncle Tupelo fan, so of course that parlayed into becoming a big Wilco, Son Volt, and Jay Farrar fan. The first few Whiskeytown records have become some of my favorites as well. If it wasn't for the legendary Los Angeles punk band X, I may not have gotten into the rootsier side of Rock-N-Roll. I could go on forever, naturally, but I think you get the idea of the things that are directly related to the sound of this band.

How do you think the band has evolved since that first show at the Capital Garage?

Our first show was us playing a bunch of songs that I'd had laying around for a few years. I only brought the songs in that I thought were 'hits', or that I thought were exceptionally good. Over time, I would bring in the skeleton of the songs, and let them come together within the band, and began to think less about what were 'hits' and which songs weren't. I didn't intend Blue Candy Shoes to be a Red Star Memorial song, for example, but I played a recording for Steve that I did, and he insisted that I let the band give it a shot. It's turned into one of our more popular songs, so ever since then I've just tried to bring in anything that I've written and let the band have a go at it to see if it may be something that suits the band. There's been a few songs that we tried but just didn't work for one reason or another, but I have to say that it's pretty rare that we can't find some way to make the songs that I write work.

When can we expect Red Star Memorial's next album?

My goal is to have another album recorded by the end of the summer, but that really depends on what happens with It's About Time. We're doing short runs of the album ourselves until we can reach an agreement with someone else to put it out. I'd love to put out two records in one year, after taking three years since the start of the band to put out the first one.

Where do you see Red Star Memorial in five years?
Working hard touring and recording.