We recently caught up with Shotgun Rodeo’s guitarist Don Shrediablo to ask him a few questions about the band’s brand new single Up In Smoke. Check them out below, and keep an eye on the site for our review of their upcoming album World Wide Genocide!
You recently released your new single Up In Smoke. What’s the story behind the track?
Up In Smoke was one of the songs that came together really fast. Me and Nino had a little back and forth on the verses, but other than that this song pretty much wrote itself and it all came really naturally. The lyrics is about someone making plans for your life that your heart and soul is not into, so naturally..(at least for me) that shit is not going to end very well. A recurring theme for this album is do whatever is right for YOU. Normal is what you make it, don’t go around and fake it.
What made you choose this track as a single?
We felt that we needed to go with a more up-tempo song since Scavenger Of Death and Skin Crawl (which we have already released from this album) has a more mid-tempo feel . The thrash style has always been an important part of our sound so we wanted to showcase that with Up In Smoke!
What has the response been like for it so far?
We are really overwhelmed by the response we have gotten so far! Not only for the songs that we’ve released, but from those who have heard the album in its entirety as well. It’s always cool when other people enjoy something that you’ve put your heart and soul into.
Would you say Up In Smoke is a good indication of what fans can expect from your upcoming album World Wide Genocide?
I think Up In Smoke is a good indication for what to except in terms of intensity and energy. That being said this is the most typical thrash metal song on the album and it’s just one of the many sides of Shotgun Rodeo. We really wanted to showcase diversity with this release and keep the listener guessing what’s coming next.
Can you describe the writing and recording process for the album as a whole?
World Wide Genocide is the culmination of many years of hard work and us trying to find our own sound. We have thrown a lot of stuff against the wall, but we have finally found something that stuck. The recording was done at the great Skarp Studio in Trondheim who also mixed the album. The best way to describe the writing and recording process is mentally taxing because I almost ended up batshit crazy in the process, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
You need to give it your all when doing an album and I think you can hear that we did in the final product. A big thing for me in the songwriting process is to never force it. Inspiration can strike at any time and it’s up to you to act on it when it does. For the longest time we didn’t have a chorus for Scavenger Of Death or Dying Inside for example, but we just waited it out and sure enough it came to us when we needed it. If we would have forced those songs they would have been the drizzling shits.
And what is in store for Shotgun Rodeo in 2016?
Hopefully we get to play a whole lot of gigs! We haven’t been playing live for the last year, so it will be great to get back on stage again! We hope to do as many gigs as possible in 2016. Other than that we will keep writing music (as always) and keep evolving as a band. There’s always room for improvement, so we will keep pushing forward with reckless abandon! Thanks for the interview!
