Vendetta Red: New Youth Writer Talks With Seattle Favorite
NadaMucho.com Interview: Vendetta Red
Q&A with Zach Davidson
By Emily Gipson
I saw Vendetta Red for the first time at The Paradox a couple of years ago. As I watched with wide-eyed astonishment, I knew I had to see, and more importantly hear, more of this amazing rock band.
In August 2005, I rushed out and bought their new release, Sisters of the Red Death, a twelve-song concept album dealing with a nuclear holocaust and women, and was blown away by their mixture of deep lyrical content and catchy, straight-ahead rock hooks.
So needless to say, I was thrilled for the opportunity to interview Zach Davidson, the man who delivers both the ear-splitting screams and satisfying vocal melodies that give Vendetta Red-s music a powerful intensity.
NadaMucho.com: What inspired the idea for a concept album on a subject that so little is known about?
Zach Davidson: I’m very fascinated with cult mentality, and the history of brain washing and the way cults change who people are and what they believe, so it came from that.
NM: Once you decided on this concept, were there any obstacles to actually writing the album?
ZD: The lyrics happened really fast. I just kept writing and writing on the subject, so it was a pretty smooth process. We spent a lot of time writing the music.
NM: How was creating this album different from your major-label debut Between the Never and the Now?
ZD: The label had abandoned us at this point, they don’t care about bands unless they have a major radio hit. So it wasn’t at all like the first record.
NM: Now, let’s go back in time for just a moment… how did Vendetta Red come into existence?
ZD: We formed in 1998, living together in a house, doing a lot of drugs, jamming in the basement. We weren’t old enough to buy alcohol, so we were just doing a lot of acid and PCP.
NM: You’ve been together for a long time, comparatively speaking. How is touring with each other? Have there been any conflicts while touring?
ZD: Touring is hell, being tired, dirty, and hungry and in a van all day long definitely leads to a lot of fucking problems. But playing the shows is great.
NM: Talk about your experience with Loveless Records. What was the transition like going from there to a major label?
ZD: The only difficulty we had was Carter Evans, quote that. I hate him… he sued us for like three years. We gave [Loveless] some money when we got signed. We have a good relationship with them, and it was a smooth transition.
NM: How does playing in your home town differ from playing in other venues everywhere else?
ZD: There is a lot more spirit behind it … we feel like we have to prove something. It is hard to get good shows though, but we have developed a fan base. Every time we play here we feel like we are showing everyone who we really are.
Vendetta Red will prove themselves to a sold-out crowd one last time tomorrow night at El Corazon. The band announced on its MySpace page recently that this would be their last show.
Rumor? No one can say for sure. But while I keep my fingers crossed that their break-up is short-lived, I’ll be rocking out to two excellent albums this legendary Seattle band has left us with.
