John: So how�s the follow up to Full Time coming along?
Matt: Slowly but surely. There`s teaching the new bassist the songs, and figuring out where we`ll record and who will produce it to consider. Ninety percent of the songs are done, some of which are longer than our usual two-minute approach. I blame that on ZZ Top and the Brought Low.
John: Was it tough breaking in a new bass player? And how well has he fit into the RPG family? And just who the hell is he anyway?
Matt: His name is Ryan Shade. He grew up in Richmond and loves Slayer and vodka. Luckily Ryan is really good, so teaching him the set was painless, and he made it through his first tour with us without hating us all or being scared to death of The Chief. He doesn`t make us want to punch him, either. Those are important things.
John: How�d this last tour fare for you?
Matt: It was the best one yet. We have lots of great people all over the country that look out for us and make sure we`re well taken care of, and we`re very grateful for that. There are a few sketchy, no-good ass candles out there that tried to scam us this time out, though. One of them lives in Seattle and the other lives in Phoenix, and I hope they both get syphilis.
John: Full Time was initially self released � how did that work out for you guys? Obviously, there are pros to working with a label like Arclight, but do you think the route you took with Full Time is a solid way for new bands to get their name out (in other words, would you do it again if you had to)?
Matt: It worked out well for as limited as the release was. We sold quite a few on our own, which I think helped make the decision to sign us easier for Arclight. We`d certainly do it again if we had to, but I hope we don`t have to.
John: You guys really went the distance with High Performance. That had to have been one of the funnier DVDs I�ve seen. How did the whole concept come about? And how long did it take to film it?
Matt: Thanks for getting it. On long van rides we tend to come up with ideas both absurd and stupid, so we decided to film them. Couple that with the ideas that Matt Flowers and Patrick Power had, and the great live footage that Denise Korycki shot and you get High Performance. The scenes that aren`t live footage were all shot in about a month or so.
John: In High Performance, you note that prior to RPG, you were in heavier, more metal-oriented bands. When you switched to good ol� ass kicking rock, were you able to retain some of your fan base or was it from the ground up again?
Matt: Every once in a while someone might ask if I was in so and so, or that they heard one of us was in such and such, but that`s not a regular occurrence. We usually tell people that we`re a Lamb of God side project. Because we love to lie.
John: How would you describe the music �scene� in Virginia?
Matt: Better than most.
John: Will we ever see the video you were shooting in High Performance?
Matt: If you do, it will be the unrated director`s cut that Matt Flowers will be selling out of the trunk of his car ten years from now. And if that happens, let us know.
John: How often do you find yourself �in a corner, naked, crying, wet for some reason?�
Matt: More often than you`d expect. We all do it as a part of our group therapy for three days after we come home from tour. Our practice space is lined with plastic, and a team of women hose us down with a pressure washer. It`s really quite terrifying, but it brings us closer as a band. We don`t want to end up like Metallica, now do we?
John: Are there any pros to wearing a loincloth and standing in ice cold water, or is it just a miserable experience?
Matt: It was 100 degrees the day that scene was shot, so it probably wasn`t as miserable as we`d hoped. The miserable part is that the loincloth has become a staple of the Chief`s wardrobe.
John: Matt, say you see a teenager lighting gig flyers on fire. Do you (a) tell him that pyromania can lead to severe consequences and he should consider a more virtuous path in life or (b) tell him that he�s going about it all wrong and show him the proper way to burn things?
Matt: Definitely "a." Then I`d see if he has any spare change.
John: Ok, the usual banter � name some of your favorite RPG gigs.
Matt: Any show we`ve ever done at the Hole in the Wall in Richmond, playing with GWAR at the 9:30 club in D.C., and the ten gigs of music Partin put on his iPod before we went on tour.
John: And your top five albums of all time.
Matt: In random order:
Fear - The Record
Stooges - Raw Power
Aerosmith � self titled
Grand Funk � self titled
Stones � Exile�
John: And here�s where you get to rant and rave about things.
Matt: I`d love to rant and rave, but I have to go make breakfast. Eggs benedict with home made hollandaise sauce, anyone?
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