Im Gespräch mit Chuck Ragan

Bekannt geworden als Frontmann von Hot Water Music, macht Chuck Ragan mittlerweile hauptsächlich Solo und durch sein Projekt The Revival Tour von sich reden. Kürzlich erschien sein aktuellestes Solo-Album Till Midnight. Dazu und zu vielem mehr Stand uns Chuck Rede und Antwort.

You just released your new Solo Album Till Midnight. Where do you see the differences between this one and the ones before?
In quite a few ways, we’re always looking to do something different, before we started working on that record I was talking to Joe Ginsberg and Jon Gaunt about how we wanted to make it different and we decided to make it more as a full band recording. Another way in which it’s different is that it’s a lot more optimistic, I just think that all in all it was a very much more positive effort throughout the whole process. When i started writing the songs i was more relaxed, had more time off, spent more time at home sitting at the fire

Why did you decide to record Till Midnight with a complete band?
When we did the Covering Ground record we were playing mostly three piece, Joe Ginsberg, Jon Gaunt and myself and as I said before I always want to make something different, I never want to write the same record twice, if I do something one way I say okay, that’s it, walk away and look what’s new, what’s next. We all felt that way and then Dave Hidalgo and Todd Beene became available. That group of people formed in a very organic and natural way it just made sense. Once we started playing the songs it made complete sense

Could you tell me a bit about the recording process?
We recorded the record with Christopher Thorne who we worked with on Covering Ground. Working with him a second time was just only that much better, we just found the language between us, the whole process flowed very easy, it was all very positive.

What role does fishing play in your life?
It’s a huge part of my life but I don’t want people to think it’s all I think about or all that I do. There’s a lot more in fishing to me than the fish, the fish are a wonderful part of it but what means a lot more to me is being in nature and being in tune with the real world. With the real world I just mean the natural aspect. I mean following seasons and moon cycles, the way animals breed work and feed, learning about that and becoming a part of it.

What was it like to see Till Midnight hitting the charts in several countries?
That was insane, totally overwhelming. To me, the way that we and a lot of my friends make music don’t make me even think about those things, that’s not our responsibility. Our responsibility is to make a great record, have fun doing it and trying to make it in the same way that the energy we put into it comes across. How the people perceive it, how the people accept it and whether they accept it or not, that’s not up to us, that’s up to the people. I can’t ever worry or bother about that, because there’s no way to you to control it. But it does feel good for somebody to notice the efforts that all these amazing musicians and amazing people had made. I have to mention that because my name may be on the record but it takes a village to make one of these things happen. When good things happen from it, I don’t think that’s great to me, it’s not only about me, it’s about everyone making it happen, I’m happy for me and I’m happy for all of my friends and the people I worked with because it’s something we did together.

You did an art contest for Till Midnight, can you tell me something about it.
We haven’t announced yet where we’re gonna be but it’s very exciting, it’s a very cool personal thing to do.

You are called one of the most important figures in newer Punkrock by some people, how do you comment on that?
I Think that’s crazy talk. I don’t know why. That’s very kind but man, you know that no one person can be that, we’re all a music community, we’re all part of something that would not work if it would all depend on one person or a hand full of people. Therefore there can’t be any one most important person, it just doesn’t make sense.

Can you talk a bit about the development of The Revival Tour.
There were many, there has been and there will be many! The first thoughts began in 2007 but we did the first tour in 2008, it’s been a long process. I love that tour, it’s a really special collaboration and just a beautiful thing to be a part of. I think we hostet over 100 songwriters in the 7 years we’ve done it. It’s a lot of work but it’s worth it seing the effort.

What was the cause for starting a solo project?
What a lot of people don’t know is that I play solo for nearly thirty years. I think I played my first show with people about 28 years ago I think, so this all goes on a bit longer than most people think. It’s been going on quite a while. A lot of people know of us from a lot of bands we’ve been in but when I did a lot of stuff with Hot Water Music  that was just the driving force at that time but I was still playing acoustic shows and recorded acoustic but I never put that much focus on it. Back in 2004-2005, Hot Water went on hiatus, the other guys started other bands and I was just back by myself again. I never wanted to stop playing or writing music, it just was about to put more focus on my solo stuff.

What is actually more important to you, Hot Water Music or your solo project?
Well, I’m here right now. Usually it’s what I’m doing right now.

Can you tell me a bit about the end and the reunion of Hot Water Music?
When we came together back in 2008, it was just great, it was a big reunion for a lot of people, not for us but for the people who came to the shows, for the bands we’ve played with. Then when we did the new record Exister, to me it’s the best record we’ve ever done. It’s great every time we can play together.

What influence did Charles Bukowski have on you?
The Name! Back then we were all Bukowski fans and at that time it’s nothing that dramatic. Literally we just needed a name for a flyer and one of the guys was reading Hot Water Music at that time and we all were just like “ahh we need a name” and the drummer said what about Hot Water Music and we were “ahh okay, why not” and it just stayed.

What do you do to compensate the tension between family life and the touring life of a Nomad by Fate?
Playing music. Well I always try to find that balance, I try to stay in touch with my family, that’s sometime very hard. You know, the older you get, the faster time seems to pass away. Well you’re a young man, you know it’s important to always slow down and enjoy all of those moments because one day youre gonna wake up and think “ohhh I’m 39”.

Can you talk about your musical influences a bit, please.
I could talk about it for hours. For me, a lot of influences are from the people we toured with, because it’s not just that I like their music but I get to know them on a personal level and sit down and have food or coffee with them, talk about normal things and that’s how they become real people to me and I end up just having more respect for them. A lot of the music influences that are the strongest are the people I regularly tour with.

Is there any band everyone should give a chance and listen to them?
There are many! I’m on the road right now with Northcote and Billy The Kid, great artists, there sometimes playing with full band too, The Drowning Men, it all depends on what kind of music people are looking for. I’m very happy to come in contact with so many different styles and genres of music. There’s just hundreds of artists I could recommend.

What is your opinion on political music?
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with it. In one way it’s important for songwriters, we have a voice, we have a microphone, there are things that aren’t right in our society, that’s where hints are great. But on the other side the reason why we even have politics is that we’re all different, it’s politics that gets us into trouble in the first place, that’s what’s dividing people, making boundaries, making lines, making sexes and different classes. To me when I think of it in that way I think there’s now room for it in music. It’s a very touchy thing, for some bands it works but other bands have a way that are like that’s the only way to live and that’s not okay. There’s a lot of my songs which are inspired by something political but there’s always been that fine line, I don’t want to raise my finger and tell anybody they should be living this or that way. I don’t want anyone doing that to me. I think if there are to much politics you start dividing instead of unifying.