Interview with Rites of Ash drummer Lumer

Like Venom is the newest release from the Washington, DC based electronic pop/hard rock band Rites Of Ash. I recently spoke with drummer Lumer about the band’s new release which is an interesting amalgamation of genres that is quite honestly, a breath of fresh air. I feel Like Venom is a creative and at times innovative release that is sure to get the band the exposure they need. Here is how the conversation with Lumer went.

Now that your brand new CD, Like Venom is complete, how do you feel about it and are you satisfied with the outcome?
Lumer: Well, I don’t know that any artist is ultimately necessarily satisfied. You put a lot of work into it. You keep upgrading or improving things as you go along but it gets to a point where you have just got to get it out there. We are happy with it, but I don’t know if satisfied is the right word.

What was the writing process like for this disc? Did you guys all write together or was it more the efforts of one particular member of the band?
Lumer: Yeah it is kind of a crazy writing process for us. We write stuff on our own, we write stuff together, it is a little hectic. You can tell by all the different influences and different styles that are incorporated on this album.

How long did the actual recording take?
Lumer: We did it ourselves in terms of the tracking. It was kind of… took a couple of months but not really. The actual recording time was probably less than three weeks but you take your time when you are doing it yourself. You can take a week off without having to spend a ridiculous amount of money having to lock out a studio.

How many songs did you guys write in total for this record?
Lumer: Oh man, probably over thirty. There is still stuff that we have not brought to the table yet. We just keep writing and writing and writing. Each one of us writes varied stuff and a lot of it, but when you bring it to the group most of it gets shot down and hopefully only the best makes it out.

I think Like Venom definitely takes chances artistically. Is it difficult taking chances with the industry being what it is today?
Lumer: Well, yes and no… right? If you don’t think the industry is in a bad situation in terms of the business side of it then you don’t want to take too many chances. You want to be edgy but not too edgy; you want to be edgy enough. I think trying to play that game it really just becomes a luck thing. You either get lucky or you don’t. With us we are not necessarily looking for a record deal. If it is going to happen it is going to have to happen in a way that we are all okay with. We are not desperate for it and that gives us the freedom to put something out that sounds good to us and is the way we want to do things. A good example is the auto tune that is so obvious on the album. We wanted to have fun with an effect and really bring it out because it is a relatively new thing doing it this way; especially in hard rock and metal. I don’t really even know of any albums that use it the way we do.

No, it is more of an R&B sort of thing I think.
Lumer: Yeah absolutely. It is very very prevalent in that kind of music; you know Hip Hop and R&B. We listen to everything from classical to death metal and whatever makes it through into the stuff we write is what gets filtered through us and that is one of the things that made it through.

Is there any special meaning behind the title, Like Venom?
Lumer: Yeah. It is a lyric from the third track on the album, “Toxic (Her Lips Are Like Venom)” I don’t want to paint 80-Two as misogynistic because he is not, he is definitely a lover. However he has had his fair share of bad experiences with the female race and he is the one that writes 90% of the lyrics.

Are there any tracks on the disc that are personal favorites or that have good stories behind them?
Lumer: Each one of us has different favorites and there is definitely a story behind every track. My personal favorite probably has to be, “Dead Side Of Hollywood.” Not for the lyrical content so much because it just talks about how superficial Hollywood can be. It is very scenic but you never know what you are asking for if you want to get tied up in that whole mess until you see it for what it is. The music on that track is extremely fun to play as a drummer. It reminds me a lot of Faith No More with a lot of slap bass and heavy elements in it… it makes me want to shake my ass.

What kind of touring plans do you guys have in support of this disc?
Lumer: You know I don’t know. Everything is up in the air right now. We just put it out and we are talking to a lot of people, getting the word out and sort of testing the waters to see if we want to try and put together any really big pushes. It is nice that the response has been uniformly positive, surprisingly positive. I did not think that so many people could like something that I had so much fun putting together. We will see. All I can ask is that people tune in and stay in touch with the band because if it keeps getting bigger and bigger we are going to have to step it up and go crazy.

So the initial response has been pretty good then?
Lumer: Yeah. I mean you do the best you can but again the response has been so overwhelming that I can’t complain.

Any closing words at all?
Lumer: Go to www.ritesofash.com, listen to the music, buy the album and a couple of shirts. There are a couple of great models, friends of ours that modeled the shirts and underwear. We actually professionally filmed our CD release show and we will be releasing that as a DVD soon too.  [ END ]