Interview with Wrench in the Works bassist Darrell Tauro

Having recently signed to Facedown Records, New York City based Wrench in the Works is in the studio hard at work on their debut. With influences as varied as Bad Brains, Deadguy, and Johnny Cash these guys are heavy in sound as well as faith; but don’t let that fool you Wrench in the Works rocks. Bassist and vocalist Darrell Tauro recently spoke with me about the new CD, the bands message, and life on the road.

Your lyrics are infused with heavy detail and raw emotion. What is it that gives you inspiration when writing lyrics and was there a theme (or themes) behind the writing of this album?
Darrell: Inspiration for our lyrics comes from many different places whether it’s hearing a good sermon or passing a homeless person on the street. Just life in general gives me inspiration. As far as a theme for the new record as a whole, there isn’t one. Each song is individually themed and if when the record is done if a common thread unites the songs into a theme than that’s what was meant to happen.

Many of your songs are so hard and intense that I’m sure they translate well into a live environment taking on a whole new life in front of an audience. How does it make you feel when the emotion or power which you envisioned when recording a song comes to life when playing in front of a crowd?
Darrell: Wrench in the Works has always been more of a live band and I think that that’s where the intensity of the songs comes from. We always feel good when the audience gives us a lot of energy back because the songs are written with the intention of creating a reaction. We like to rock people!!!

You guys have recently signed with Facedown Records and are in the process of recording for a 2008 release. What can fans expect from the band?
Darrell: Once the record drops we hope to be touring as much as possible especially with our fellow Facedown bands. We really want to put our music in front of people and impact them in a positive way. Be on the lookout this summer for us, come and say hi, we like to make new friends.

Every band has its musical influences. What are some of the artists or bands which have greatly influenced you guys and your music?
Darrell: Neurosis, Zao, Johnny Cash, Deadguy, Bloodlet, Bad Brains, Strongarm to name a few. We all went to school to learn to play jazz so learning to play different styles of music has definitely had an influence on our song structure and harmony but that’s just boring “tech” talk.

Life out on the road can be very difficult. What keeps you going on those long drawn out tours? Do you have any inspirational stories that have taken place on the road that you would care to share?
Darrell: A lot of personal and group prayer is what helps us through the good as well as the difficult times on tour. One instance that I can think of is when we were on our 1st U.S. tour. We were on our way to Delay Beach in FL. and we stopped off at a rest stop to pee and grab drinks. Everyone had left their doors unlocked, so I went around the van rolling up all the windows and locking the doors assuming one of the other guys had a set of keys. Upon returning to the van to our dismay we found out that we were locked out of the van. In the midst of that whole dilemma I had asked God to help us out with that situation. Two seconds later a man happened to drive up next to our van… he was a tow truck driver on vacation with his family. For some strange reason he happened to have his tools in the car so he unlocked our van and we were on our way within minutes.

When you are on the road for a while I am sure you see and experience many different things you might not even have known existed. Are there any stories that stand out in your mind as being exceptionally strange or odd?
Darrell: Parts of downtown San Francisco are pretty strange. There’s a place they call the “tenderloin” where the crack heads and tweakers on the side of the road remind me of scenes from Zombie movies. Other than that nothing too odd or strange yet.

When you are out on the road anything can happen and often does. Can you think of any disastrous events that happened while out on tour? How did you solve the problem?
Darrell: Thank God there haven’t been any disastrous events that have happened while out on tour. Unless you count cancelled shows which in that case we just pick up and move on to the next venue.

The public perception of life on the road differs greatly from the reality of it. Can you tell me a little bit about how you travel? (Bus, Van etc…) What accessories do you equip your ride with to make the time go by? What are the living arrangements like while on the road?
Darrell: We travel in a van, occasionally with a trailer but sometimes not. As far as accessories go books and iPods, we also have a portable DVD player which is pretty sweet. At this point living arrangements would be sleeping in the van and on floors of really nice people that we meet along the road.

What is a normal day on the road like for you? Can you walk me through it?
Darrell: There is no normal day on the road for us that’s one of the reasons why we love to be on tour. Typically a 24 hour period will involve a lot of driving, somebody putting Phil Collins’ “I can feel it coming in the air tonight” on. If we’re lucky a little Waffle House or Sheetz. Some loading out of extremely heavy equipment, a whole lotta rocking out, and then more driving. And then you throw some sleeping in there at some point.

Do you find it difficult being away from family and friends for such an extensive period of time? How do you cope with the separation?
Darrell: I don’t personally find it difficult being away from family and friends for an extensive amount of time. I call home a lot from my cell phone although I tend to lose that.

What is the one thing you travel with that you just can’t live without?
Darrell: My faith.  [ END ]