Kick Out the Rouge! – Thanks for Asking!

Harvey VD of KOTR: Well, if we’re talking about “recorded” in the studio sense, the first song we recorded would probably be “Theme Song,” the opening track off our 2023 release GO OFF I GUESS, we mostly recorded the album in the order it plays out at on the record. In terms of “just recorded in general,” that would probably be from our first performance in front of a crowd, at a 2022 open mic night where we played a cover of “Altogether Ooky” by Bloodhound Gang, which I have saved as a voice memo on my phone. Recently though we’ve been in the studio working on a multitude of projects but the song that’s gotten the most attention so far from everyone else in the band is a tune called “Raging Bull.” Aside from the obvious of “‘Raging Bull’ is a lot longer than ‘Theme Song’,” we also added three members to the band since we first started and hearing everyone’s contributions to the song are a long ways away from the time we started off as a two-piece punk band. For my money, though, the biggest difference is that we’re treating the studio projects like actual studio projects and not falling into the trappings we fell into on our first album of “it needs to sound the same on the record as it would on stage.” That means we’ve had a lot more fun experimenting with synthesizers and different sounds to make the band come together in a beautiful way. We also just sound a lot tighter and way more disciplined as a group than when we started which is equally as great!

RRX: Part of learning to be a musician is to fall in love with a song, an album, and hammer away at your instrument until you can play that whole thing. What was that song for you? Was there a hardest part?

HVD: While recording our latest record “…All The Tall Poppies,” I found myself having quite a go at recording the drum part for the song “Anxiety,” but that was because it’s such a 180 from how my drum parts typically sound; while the rest of the album is fairly fast, loose, & freewheeling, trying to maintain an almost human-metronome-type quality to the part to go along with the herky-jerky nature of the song was difficult for me. Truthfully I’m not trying to do anything super flashy or technical, but sometimes an exception has to be made, so if you liked what you heard on that song then you’re welcome! haha In terms of favorite songs though, it’s a tie between “Somebody’s Problem” (off of GO OFF I GUESS), and “Roleplay With Penetration” (off our new album …ALL THE TALL POPPIES), though the vibes on both songs are wildly different from one-another.

RRX: Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Or so they say. Whether you’re off the wagon, on it, or never been, there’s something you got a thirst for. What are some of your basically harmless vices?

HVD: Hi, my name is Harvey VD, and I like to collect and wear sports jerseys from all different kinds of sports. It’s a massive collection and it takes up multiple rolling racks and an abundance of closet space to keep it all together. But also all those jerseys have stories that go with them, so if you ever want to hear what any given jersey is about then just hit my line! I also would call myself, gently, an “enthusiast of food” and say that there’s nothing a good meal can’t temporarily solve in my opinion. Truthfully though the most I can say about any one person in the band is that (rhythm guitarist) Johnny & I like to drink, & (lead guitarist) James is a stoner through and through. We’re not exciting people is what I’m getting at. Haha

RRX: What instrument would you add to the band if you could? Is there anything you are trying to do musically that would be helped with one or more additional players?

HVD: We are always, and I mean always in search of a saxophone player. I want to hear someone honk away on our white & talentless antics and give our lead guitarist James a real run for his money all while funneling ourselves a bit closer to the Iggy & The Stooges influences in our work. If you’re a saxophone player and you want to honk away with us in the world’s okayest band, then just hit my line!

RRX: Love is a big part of music. We’re talking first loves here. Lots of cool stories about first loves and the things we do for those loves. Can you (or, in the case of a band, one member) talk about your first love, especially if you did something cool to express that love? (No names needed.)

HVD: For the sake of the innocent (and not so innocent) I don’t think we should bring that all up, let’s let some sleeping dogs lie. Truth be told though I’m not really a romantic in terms of “how do I express it,” but that might just be because I’m neurodivergent and socially awkward anyway. I can confirm that I’ve written my fair share of angsty breakup tunes after the fact though! I know, it’s not a very exciting answer, but it’s the truth.

RRX: I know when pitching it helps to tell someone it’s “this meets that.” So let’s try that with you. If you had to give me two bands that meet each other in your sound, what are those bands? More than two bands?

HVD: Pretend that The Replacements were just getting their start today instead of in the 80s and all the while they were influenced by the at-times juvenile humor of Bloodhound Gang and had mated with The Hives to create the world’s okayest rock and roll band. Of course we have a multitude of influences, but really those three were a major launching point for us when we first started off and now three years later a lot of that influence still persists in how we carry ourselves on stage, on the record, and as a full-fledged unit.

You can find our music over here on our Bandcamp page, as well as on various streaming services (except for Apple Music, not sure why)