One Fang Leads to Another

Photos by Gabriel Roman

Bryan Giles talks 21 years of Red Fang, life on the road, creative trust and why the band still refuses to fit neatly into a genre. 

After more than two decades together, Red Fang has accumulated plenty of labels—stoner rock, sludge, metal, hard rock—but the Portland band has never seemed particularly interested in choosing one. Maybe that’s part of why they’re still here.

When Red Fang rolled into Oklahoma City, I had the chance to sit down with guitarist and vocalist Bryan Giles before the show. What started as a last-minute interview quickly turned into a conversation about 21 years of making music with the same guys, sleeping badly in rental vans, songs he initially thought were terrible and the trust it takes to keep a band moving forward.

Giles summed up the mood before we really got started. 

“We’re easy-peasy. We’re laid-back nerds. Try to be, anyway.”

Roman: It seems like the vibe with the band and your music videos — you don’t get that unless you guys are actually friends.

Bryan Giles: We’re people like anybody. At sound check we’re like, “I’m gonna go do something else,” but it’s not because I’m sick of these people. We just respect each other’s space.

John, David, and I were in a band together for almost four years before this one started. I met them because they were touring in a different band — my old band and their band. We’d trade shows because they’re from North Carolina. We’d do a southern tour and play to their crowd, and they’d come to Southern California and play to ours. I moved to Portland and told them, “If you ever move to Portland, we gotta be in a band together.” He said okay, and then he did. That’s how Party Time started — David, John, and me. That broke up. I moved to San Diego, couldn’t start a band to save my life. Then Aaron, David, and John started sending me demos. I was like, “This is just badass.” They asked me to come back up. I did, and we started Red Fang.

Roman: You guys have such a unique sound. There’s a lot of debate about what genre it even is.

Bryan Giles: There’s no type. There’s no kind of song that’s a Red Fang song. If the four of us can agree that it’s cool, then it’s a Red Fang song. We’re not chasing some ideal sound. We’re just doing what strikes our fancy. It keeps it interesting.

Bands like AC/DC have a formula and they’re massively successful. I’m really happy they do that — I need AC/DC in my life. But I would go fucking bonkers playing A-D-G for an hour and a half. We’re just lucky people tolerate our eclecticness.

Roman: Especially Deep Cuts. I saw “Ice Ice Baby” on the tracklist and thought you had a cover.

Bryan Giles: I hope people weren’t too bummed when that wasn’t Vanilla Ice. I named it that because there’s a keyboard track called Ice Bells. It was just a working title for my home demo. It never made it off the cutting room floor. Then I thought, “I hope people don’t think I’m going to start rapping, because God help us.”

Roman: Red Fang turns 21 this year. How does that feel?

Bryan Giles: Time flies. It doesn’t feel like 21 years. I still enjoy it. We’ve had ups and downs, but I’m happy we still get along and still enjoy doing it. I think we’re ahead of the curve for how long a band typically survives. We respect each other. We’re different people, but our interests cross over. We have a great time on tour. Keeps you young.

Roman: Are you still van touring?

Bryan Giles: Yeah. We don’t make enough money to rationalize a bus. The drives aren’t that bad, and it’s nice being in control of your own destiny. The downside is a long drive means no sleep. In a bus, a long drive means extra sleep. Today I didn’t go to bed until almost 3 a.m. and had to get up at seven. That’s not something I want to do over and over. I like my sleep. It’s also rough on your voice. Rest is crucial to keeping your pipes working.

We’re at the will of the booking agent. Once you agree to the routing, that’s that. If you can keep the drives under 350 miles a day, it’s manageable. We’re in a rental van this trip. We used to have an Econoline with benches so you could actually stretch out and sleep. This one is a little odd — some pretty contorted sleep attempts.

Roman: What’s next musically?

Bryan Giles: I’m working on a solo project. I’ve been recording batches of songs over the past two years with different people — the old Party Time bass player, Aaron and his wife Zoji from Helms Alee, Pauly Poverene, Aaron Riesberg from YOB. Mini-band projects. I come in with a fairly fleshed-out skeleton. My rhythm parts are mostly done, but I still have to feel out how it works with new people. That gets me out of my comfort zone. In Red Fang it’s effortless. With new players, different syncopation can throw me off. It’s challenged my mind. Hopefully I’ll have it out by the middle of next year. We’ll see.

Roman: What’s the sound like?

Bryan Giles: Similar. Some of the songs I was writing for Red Fang, so same ballpark. I’m not reinventing the wheel. But there’s no Aaron singing, so it’s just how much of this guy you can take. How many songs in a row can you hear me sing?

Roman: When you’re finishing a song like “Prehistoric Dog” or “Blood Like Cream,” do you know it’s going to stick, or are you sometimes surprised?

Bryan Giles: The ones that become popular are sometimes the ones I don’t even consider. “Cut It Short” — I really liked it, but I wasn’t sure our crowd would go for it. We ended up playing it a lot.

There’s a song called “Voices of the Dead” on Whales and Leeches. I was like, “What the fuck is with this song? I can’t hear it.” I just trusted the other guys, wrote my part, stayed in tune and on time. We recorded it, Aaron did the vocal, and I went, “Oh, I get it. That’s great.” At the time I was thinking, “This is trash.” Now I think it’s a cool fucking song.

That’s part of what I love about being in a band — you have to trust other people’s vision. If you’re not seeing it, you don’t just shit on it. I try to keep the “yes, and” attitude. If you don’t like something, don’t say you don’t like it — do something to it that makes you like it. Improve it. Just saying something negative and shooting it down doesn’t get you anywhere. That’s walking backwards. If something’s lacking for you, put it in. That’s how you get a good song.

Roman: What should people expect tonight?

Bryan Giles: People enjoying themselves, hopefully mutually. The fun shows are the ones where the crowd has fun — it’s infectious. I’m hoping it’s a good night. In any case, it’ll be loud. That’s a guarantee.