The Red Scare
Preface
Hey, Max here! I’m writing a little preface before this interview to let you know that this is an interview I published in Scrapped Magazine, a local magazine I’m a part of made in collaboration with Fort Collins non-profit and show planners, Blast N’ Scrap. I highly encourage you to get yourself a physical copy of the latest issue to see local art, music, photos, and more. I contributed this interview, as well as many photos I took of Machine Girl at The Coast on February 18.
Thanks for reading this, and go get a copy of Scrapped Mag from our Instagram(@scrappedmagazine).
Also, we take any and all art submissions, so submit your own works to be featured (Colorado and Southern Wyoming only). Go to https://scrappedmagazine.org/ to check out our stuff and what we do.
And now for the interview!
With an amalgamation of influences, sound, eccentric songwriting, bold lyrics, but true to themselves, Fort Collins band The Red Scare is one of the boldest- and most authentic- bands in the area.
I first heard about them through the band’s guitarist, Larson, who you might also recognize from the midwest-emo/punk band Yail, who I interviewed late last year. After listening to their song “Scrotum” on Scrapped’s very own “Colorado’s Angstiest Indie Rock” playlist from January’s issue, I was hooked.
“Scrotum” is an amazing song. It’s been on repeat for me all of February. The distorted and rhythmic guitar riff, the hyper-loud drumming, the washed and screaming lyrics from vocalists Quinn and Larosn, the melody that gets ingrained in your head, the tempo changing a little before the midway point on the song? It’s the band’s most popular song on Apple Music (and Spotify), and rightfully so.
Blending a sound similar to early shoegaze, melodic post-hardcore indie akin to Built to Spill and Duster, and lo-fi recordings that sound like a controlled mess, The Red Scare is everything you want out of a band of young adults that share a love for ‘90s rock of all sorts.
I met The Red Scare at Chipper’s Lanes in Fort Collins, or 830 North as it's known for showgoers, before I went to work. It’s a cloudy and chilly February Saturday. We all meet in the parking lot, where I’m introduced to Quinn, Walker, Larson, Johnny, and Andrew. They all came prepared in thrift store mechanic jumpsuits except Quinn, who sported a white tank and insisted his stomach be out during the photos.
Quinn also happened to get us access to the back room of Chipper’s, where all the lanes are powered. The mechanic (shoutout to him), informed us that this was the first time a photo shoot had taken place back there. How cool to be the first band to have a photoshoot behind the lanes at Chipper’s?
After shooting a few last photos, we went back out to the parking lot, where we perched at Quinn’s car and started talking.
To start, how did you guys meet? What was the basis of The Red Scare?
Quinn: Johnny and I were freshman roommates, we just met randomly through RoomSync. On like, the last day possible.
Q: So that’s how I knew Johnny. And then Walker, Andrew, and I were friends in high school. Larson was friends with my older brother, so by proxy, I knew him. We had always played music together, Walker and I, in high school with some of our other friends. Once we got an actual house that we could practice in, we started playing together. Larson and Walker had played together a couple times before that. We kind of figured that we should all keep getting together and keep playing. Andrew is a recent addition, he’d always been our friend, but he started playing the sax again. He hadn’t played since middle school, and uhh…
Walker: He proved himself to us.
They all laugh again. In a dramatic voice, Quinn continues.
Q: This’ll be your tryout, and it stuck.
Andrew: I proved that I had eighth-grade saxophone abilities, and that was good enough.
What made you decide on The Red Scare as a name?
Johnny: I think Quinn came up with it. We couldn’t think up a name for a long time and then we were sort of like, “Yeah, this is good.”
Larson: I think it was a deadline for a show, actually. Our friend Alex was making a poster for the show. Was that the genesis?
Larson looks toward Quinn.
Q: Yeah. I was in class, and this person next to me, their screensaver on their laptop was this picture of Lenin. It was this crazy image. So I thought: “Oh, red scare, that’s cool.” It kinda stuck. Here we are. Still Red Scarin’.
J: Joe McCarthy, or whatever.
Q: [Our music is] strictly communist.
Quinn laughs, and we continue.
What influenced the sound of your music?
W: Mostly ‘90s rock honestly. That’s one of the big overlaps in the music we listen to and the instruments we play.
Well, I can definitely hear- especially in your new single “Sanctity Tapestry”- some My Bloody Valentine, shoegaze-y, noisy stuff, for sure.
Q: Yeah, a lot of shoegaze influence. Which I’m sure Lars can speak more on because your guitar is the driving force of that.
L: Yeah, I’ve always been a fan of shoegaze. Well, in the past few years I’ve been a fan of shoegaze. When we started the project, I was more into traditional alt-rock. You know, Pavement’s a big influence, obviously. On the guitar tone, and the kind of thing we were trying to do. And Sonic Youth. As we just kept going, I don’t know, it just felt like we needed to get larger and larger sounds, you know? Have something that made it more of an experience instead of just playing the same kind of alt-rock songs. Something more interesting. There was a lot more Swirlies influence, especially. My Bloody Valentine, for sure, but the songwriting that Swirlies does? Where they combine loose jamming structures, and hyper-tight reverb-y and overwhelming bits of noise was really cool.
Q: And we started out playing just to get drunk and play loud music. We’d play Fidlar covers and shit. We eventually realized that we could actually play and write our own stuff, and the stuff we were making and writing was good. So we kind of evolved a little bit from college kids that wanted to get fucked up- and we still like to get fucked up, naturally- it’s more than that now, I guess.
What was a defining album, artist, or song for each of you? Individually, or as a whole?
Q: I mean, style-wise and sound-wise, they’re not very similar to us, but an album that made me really want to get into music and play music was 6 Feet Beneath The Moon by King Krule. That album still resonates with me pretty heavily. It made me a lot more interested in music than I was. When I was a kid, I listened to classic rock, like AC/DC. And AC/DC is sick, but it made me more interested in getting to know music on a different level.
W: I don’t know about music in general, because there’s a lot of albums like that, but for this band in particular, Iceage, the punk band. They do have more straightforward punk sounds, but it seems like their songwriting was pretty thoughtful and challenging. They did a lot of interesting stuff with song structure, and structuring instruments, among other things. They really showed that punk can be really more complex and still maintain that core energy that makes it punk. That was for this band in particular a big thing, especially for the first few years, just listen to them.
Q: We can’t forget the influence of The Replacements either.
J: Never heard of them. Not familiar with their work, but they seem like nice guys.
We all laugh for a moment and then continue.
For Larson: How has working on The Red Scare post-Yail, a previous project, been for you?
L: I feel like I have more time to focus on the songwriting, which is fun. It was kind of a moment where Yail is such an intense band to play in. Especially in a live atmosphere. Hard and fast, all the time. Time signature shifts, and just having to be really on it, as an artist. Having the time to shift from a lot of my energy being taken up by that when it wasn’t taken up by work, right?... This was always my primary music project, but I felt like I was always splitting my time. But getting to learn how to be more on it, and I guess steady and tight, with the way that you write songs. Having to think about structure in a more serious way. And then being able to take that energy and those lessons, and put it into Red Scare, has been something that I think has colored a lot of our recent songs. There’s a lot more focus, I feel, where the older stuff would wander around a bit, and shift between genres pretty heavily.
I can definitely hear the improvement of sound going from “Laundry Room” to now hearing the new single, it feels so much more refined. “We’re gonna do this instead,” to go “Bang! That’s our path.”
W: A lot of it had to do with recording it in a studio, too. Where the older stuff we recorded a lot of that stuff ourselves. Yeah, when you’re in the studio, you have to make more decisions and have a better idea of what the song is gonna sound like before you start recording it.
With “Laundry Room,” as a whole, how was making that album? As a band, as a group, individually?
J: It took a while.
Q: It was fun. We did it in what was formerly known as The Laundry Room. That venue that we would run at our house. It was also our practice space and where The Red Scare was created. So it was kind of an homage to that. The part that took so long was the pandemic hit hot and heavy about a third of the way through, maybe. We were in progress, and then we had to halt, take a step back from it all. It was a cool experience to record it and do all that stuff on our own, you know? We were almost forced to, but it was a blessing, in a way.
W: Yeah, it was an extended process, but it was different from recording in a studio because you can do as many takes as you want and add newer tracks to older songs. It doesn’t need to be a final version of it until right up to the moment you release it. The pandemic, at first, was a bit of a setback. We tried recording and writing a lot of it remotely. Once we were convinced it was safe, it kind of added that free time you needed to create something. The free time without being preoccupied with work or school, or anything. The fact that everyone was at home made it a unique atmosphere for recording music.
There’s nothing else going on, why don’t we just get it done.
W: Yeah, pretty much.
Q: Might as well just work on songs.
J: We also probably weren’t as experienced. I mean Larson, I know you did stuff with Yail, but with the rest of us, we would do a pretty good take and just be like “yeah, it’s good enough”. But working with other guys, you gotta do it a million times, you know? And we’re kind of learning that. Might’ve been rough in a few parts.
Q: There were some flubs here and there. We’re not good recorders.
J: Catch us live though, it’s a different ballgame.
With features like Hotel Wifi and Nick from Yail, how does working with others improve your sound or creative output on music?
L: I think, for me, it forces me to try a bit harder. It’s not that I’m not trying on other songs we’re writing, but there’s a lot more attention to detail because when we’re working together, it’s easier to describe how a song works because we’re used to making music together and playing live together. When you’re working with other people, you have to not just be able to communicate it effectively and well, you have to shift how a song works based on a person’s style. With “Sanctity Tapestry”, it was a song I had written with Nick in mind with the way that he plays. I kind of have experience playing with him, I knew it has to hit harder and heavier. He’s not a loose [drum] player at all, right? Everything is hyper-loud. If you don’t have a guitar recording that’s extremely loud that you can still hear the details in with that, he’s not gonna be able to bring out the best in it. It makes the writing process a little more difficult, but the results are a lot more interesting.
Q: It’s cool to have another perspective brought in. Most of the time, I guess the two instances, when we did the song with Hotel Wifi- “Misery”- we kind of already had the song written. I believe that was the first Red Scare riff.
J: One of the first, yeah.
Q: One of the first. And we had never really gotten around to plan it too much. Then we were recording it and we figured Jae’s voice would be perfect for it. So, we already had everything set, and then bringing in that sweet, sweet, beautiful voice of Jae’s really took the song to the next level. Which was cool.
W: I think with all the people that have been on our songs, they’ve all added something that we probably couldn’t have. Features have always been a thing in hip-hop and pop and stuff, but it’s strange it doesn’t happen in rock. I kind of like there’s this reference to other acts in this strange, musical cinematic universe.
Walker laughs.
Q: Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
On “Sanctity Tapestry,” it’s been about two months since its release. How do you feel about the song after having it be released
Q: I’m proud of it. I like the thrashiness and how loud it is. Like we talked about earlier, it’s kind of us. Us more honed into a song, you know? A lot of our stuff is blending genres, but this is how The Red Scare sounds, and how it’s evolving to sound.
What’s next for The Red Scare?
W: Well, we’re kind of wrapping up a group of songs with that one producer we were working with, Derek. That should come out sometime in the next few months. We’re starting to work on something that’s longer-term, another thing we’re recording ourselves that’ll be a bit of a long-term project, but we should have something to release. I think it’s, like, nine songs. Hopefully this spring.
Q: More full length than we’ve ever done before. Like Laundry Room, this has been in the making for a long while now. I can’t remember when exactly we started…
W: I think October of 2020?
Q: Yeah. So it’s been a long time coming. We’re excited about it.
Well, I’m sure a lot of people that are going to be reading this are probably just as excited, too.
Q: I hope so. We hope so.
J: We’re trying to tour, too.
Q: Little west-coast action, maybe.
J: If people will have us.
Q: We’re gonna play with Crack Bong in Boseman, Montana, and whoever else.
J: If you’re reading this, fuckin’- make this an ad or whatever.
Where do you guys see yourself as a whole a few years from now, ideally?
Q: Ideally, we’d be playing Red Rocks, Ball Arena, Madison Square Garden…
They all laugh.
J: Take over Billy Joel’s spot with a new house band at Madison.
They all laugh again, and then Quinn continues.
Q: Ideally I would say, we’re all kind of becoming adults, so to speak. We don’t wanna just stop playing music.
W: I think we’ll find a way to keep on making stuff in some capacity. We would like to tour a bit while we still have that opportunity. Just to have that experience of playing different places and be in the band mindset for a while.
Q: I wanna avoid being one of those dudes that’s past his prime, so to speak, still trying to play. Gotta cherish it while we have it, I suppose.
L: I wanna come out with something that we’re all deeply proud of, and then after that, I’ll be satisfied.
J: I’m gonna be playin’ still if you guys are down.
Q: I guess we never really talked about it. We’ll just keep riding on what we’re doing right now, and then see where the road takes us…Hop on our Harley Davidsons and ride into the sunset.
Last question, what pieces of advice or other things do you have to say to those reading, or to those that want to get into a band?
Q: Just don’t be afraid of doing it. People are worried about sounding bad, or not knowing what they’re doing, but hey, you gotta start somewhere.
J: Just keep playing your instrument, you’ll eventually find people. It’s a cliche, but stay yourself. Don’t become a douchebag just because you’re in a band.
L: I would say the things that make it worth doing aren’t just the art of itself, but the art of getting to play with [people] that you both admire, and are friends with. I’d agree with Johnny. Don’t get a big head and remember the reason that it’s worth doing is that connection. Focus on building community with people, and doing it for that reason. Nobody’s making money in music, it’s impossible. So don’t worry about that too much.
W: The money should be the last thing. If people are playing instruments and writing songs on their own, I always think that’s a good thing. It’s an extra outlet for expression. As far as being a band and releasing stuff, I guess just people taking their time with things and not being pressured or rushed to put something out that sounds a certain way but to just really devote a lot of time to consciously making something as good as it can be and something that you’re proud of.
Q: And start a house venue. We need more of those.
J: Fuck it, yeah.
W: Fort Collins, especially. Bring it back.
W: Try to find musicians that live in your town and play with them.
Jokingly, they all start throwing around other things between each other.
L: Find Craigslist ads.
Q: Drink beer. That always works.
J: Go busk and see if anyone fucks with you. Play on the street like Ed Sheeran.
Q: Follow the Ed Sheeran plan. You’ll be at the top in no time.
L: Probably the best thing you can do if you’re really starting a band is to have wealthy parents. That’s your way to success right there. If you can, have a Jaden and Willow Smith situation. A Machine Gun Kelly situation.
A: If you don’t have that, you can go the Tay-K route.
Thanks to Quinn for hooking up the early access into 830 North for the photos you saw. We wouldn’t have gotten those sick photos if it wasn’t for him. Thanks to everyone in The Red Scare for talking with me and for being such cool dudes. You can find them on Instagram as @the_red_scare_sucks. “Sanctity Tapestry” is available now anywhere you stream music, alongside their lone album Laundry Room.
Also, be sure to get a copy of Scrapped Magazine to have this interview in your hands instead of on this computer and/or screen. Find us on Instagram as @scrappedmagazine, and on our website: https://scrappedmagazine.org/.
-M
