Worn in Red is one of the best bands in Charlottesville that you probably haven’t heard of. I’ve been following them since 2004, after the demise of Brad and Brendan’s previous band Skyline Awake. Their new album ‘In the Offing’ was just released on No Idea Records and things are really starting to take off for them. I had the opportunity to conduct an email interview with the guys while they’re preparing for a string of CD release shows (they are playing in Charlottesville this Saturday 11/21 at Random Row Books). In addition to being some of the nicest guys you’ll ever come across they are passionate about their music, their direction, and (apparently) David Lee Roth.

Buy the album and listen to it in its entirety at No Idea’s site HERE.

Q: How long have you guys been a band?

A: The current line-up has been around since September 2007. But we had 2 different members before that since late 2004.

Q: What is it like being from Charlottesville, VA? That town is known mostly for jam rock and Dave Matthews?

A: It’s sweet broski. We love smoking a nugg of “Grapejelly Cush” and cultivating a tasty mellow to some Widespread.

Q: What was it like recording In The Offing?

A: Have you read the David Lee Roth autobiography, “Crazy From The Heat”? Yeah, it was pretty much like that.

Q: In the Offing has a much heavier and focused sound than your previous album Autumnus Ortus. Was the lineup change the big factor in this?

A: Yes. having Brendan and Matt in the band definitely made us buckle down. Brendan joined about a year before Matt, and he brought a lot of good ideas about the guitar tone, paying attention to what equipment you’re using, etc. Brendan and Matt both brought a ton of energy and upped the songwriting bar. The Murph and the NeagleBagel helped us improve on a sound we were already pretty excited about.

Q: How did your new album get to be on No Idea? It was recorded in 2008, was it a long process?

A:Have you read the David Lee Roth autobiography, “Crazy From The Heat”? Yeah, it was pretty much like that. Kidding. It was a long process, but we’re all super proud of the final product. As far as No Idea…that was our first choice for this record. A ton of our friends moved down to Gainesville from various spots in VA about 9 or 10 years ago, so there’s a huge community of good, old friends.There’s even a handful of folks with “FLA-VA” tattoos. Having all of those folks down there makes playing down there REALLY fun. We basically played Gainesville as much as possible for several years, and then in Fall of 2008, we played down there and the owner (Var) came out to see us after hearing about us from a bunch of our friends down there. He liked it enough to start a dialogue about putting out our record, and by June of this year, he decided that there was no way he couldn’t put out the record…he told us it had “gnawed it’s way into his brain”.

Q: You recently played THE FEST 8, what was that like? I know you’ve been down there in years past, how was it different this year?

A: Have you read the David Lee Roth autobiography, “Crazy From The Heat”? Yeah, it was pretty much like that. It was awesome. Being the new No Idea band on the FEST (which is run by No Idea) was insane. It was definitely a great experience…best FEST so far!

Q: People like hearing about crazy tour stories. What’s the craziest one you have lately?

A: Well, at 3 AM on the last night of the FEST, we closed out a huge FEST afterparty. We were probably the last band to play that weekend. It was fun, intense, and a total release…as if everyone – including us – had saved all of their remaining energy for one last blast. It was one of the greatest show experiences we’ve ever had. That, or Southerngatorlawyergentleman. [editor's note: the photo at the top of the article is from this show]

Q: What top40 artist would you most want to cover a song by?

A: Randy Newman. More specifically, the song “Short People.”

Q: What are your plans for the immediate future? Are you touring to support the album soon?

A: We’re doing a 6-week U.S. tour this winter, and then a big ol’ European tour later in 2010. STOKED.

Q: How has networking with other bands helped you guys? Your Myspace page lays down the heavy rules! Have you caught any flak for this? It seems like bands really respond well to it.

A: Networking with other bands is the lifeblood of DIY punk. As far as the statements on our page, that’s really just geared toward people who are just trying to exploit your goodwill. Bands and people who are cool/legit seem to like it, or realize it’s not for them.

Q: From each of you: Who is a hero of yours that keeps you consistently positive about making music and trying to make a living from it.

A: Brad – I doubt that I’ll ever make a living from music, but Ian MacKaye is, and always has been, an inspiration to me. Both in terms of the music he made/makes, and the way in which he went about producing, promoting, and otherwise purveying that music. If you’re not familiar with him, I HIGHLY recommend watching the Fugazi documentary entitled, “Instrument”. I watch before every tour to get in the right frame of mind.

Brendan – I recently saw ‘Anvil: The story of Anvil’. Say what you will about about those crazy canuck metalheads, but it’s hard not be be inspired or somehow connected to that story if you’ve ever been a struggling musician.

Matt – Two words: Randy Newman.

Joe – I don’t know that i’ve ever even considered “making a living” off of playing in this band. Ee clearly feel passionately about a form of music that isnt considered popular or profitable. Maybe thats the point; we feel part of something that youre only going to be involved in if it truly moves you. And the inspiration for that comes from a lot of the bands on the very label we are now able to call home, most importantly (to me) Planes Mistaken for Stars. This is a band that, both musically and lyrically, made me want to play the type of music that i play, and even now putting on one of their records encourages me and continually reaffirms my love of dirty punk rock. I am proud to be on the label that they also once called home.