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Interview with We Were Wolves; Vocalist and Guitarist Drew Haught Discusses His Band and New Album ‘Ruin Your Weekend’

We checked in with We Were Wolves vocalist and guitarist Drew Haught about the Houston, Texas trio’s new 4-song rocker of an EP, Ruin Your Weekend.

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We Were Wolves are an independent rock trio from Houston, Texas which dropped their new 4-song EP, Ruin Your Weekend, on June 12, 2015. Out now for around a week’s time, the band scored it big when they premiered their album on both Diffuser.FM and PureVolume.com. As we love all things ROCK, we checked in with vocalist and guitarist Drew Haught to learn more about his band.

For those not familiar with your band, can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?
Haught: Were a rock band from Houston, TX. We started out in a town called Beaumont, TX around 2007/2008.

Your new disc Ruin Your Weekend has just been released. Now that it is complete, how do you feel about it, and what has been the response so far?
Haught: We are super-excited about the record being out. We worked pretty hard on it and we are very proud of what came from that. We had recently lost and gained a member leading up to this recording so that made things interesting. We have seen a great response for the record only being out almost a week.

What is your writing process like?
Haught: We don’t have a “process” really, we just let the songs come together naturally. We have found that we can’t control our creative output in that way. We can’t force ourselves to make art… it comes when it comes. Sometimes it can be frustrating because we want to create constantly but that’s just impossible. We are advocates of not forcing creativity and more of the mindset of letting it come and go as it pleases.

You guys are a heavy band, how does it make you feel when that power and energy you channeled in the studio comes to life in front of a crowd?
Haught: That’s where we really thrive… we’re a live band. That’s what makes this record so special to us, it’s a pretty clear representation of us live. No frills or tricks, just two guitars, a bass and drums… that’s what we are. We love playing live and connecting with the people in the crowd. When it really comes down to it, that’s why we started playing music in the first place. We just want to play music as much as we can.

Check out the song “Space Whip” here.

When you write, do you do so with the live setting in mind or do you write a song just for the song’s sake?
Haught: That’s not something we think about… we just want to write good songs.

Along those same lines, do you take advantage of technology and email riffs and parts back and forth, or do you get together in a room in a more traditional sense and write together?
Haught: It’s funny that you ask actually, 3 of us all live together in a small apartment in 3rd ward Houston. Living quarters can be tight at times but we’re lucky in the sense that we are all immersed in this together. If one of us is writing something or has an idea, it’s super-easy to get one of the other guys to help contribute to the thought. We take advantage of technology at the same time, were always recording or trying to create music in any way we can.

What’s the story behind the name of the band?
Haught: We actually didn’t put that much thought into it… We had formed the band and started practicing and all that. We got some dates booked and then needed to come up with a name. It was the first thing that everyone agreed was pretty cool so it stuck.

What is the story behind the name of the new record?
Haught: We had written the song and were thinking that we might add it to this release. Whenever we were tracking the record and got to this particular song, we knew we had to go with it. The song is just reflecting on being young and the mistakes you make that put you in bad places.

You have toured the world extensively. It there anywhere you would like to go that you have not been?
Haught: We love to play live so anywhere that we get the chance, we’re all over it. We have played some amazing cities and seen tons of beautiful places but we would love to go to South America. We haven’t had the chance to play there yet, but it looks amazing!

What do you think of the current state of the rock/metal world?
Haught: We don’t really know, honestly. The rock and metal world seem to be doing good. We don’t like to put titles on things though. Yes, we are a band that has guitar solos and loud drums and stuff, but does that mean were a metal or rock band? I don’t know….

What are some of the newer metal bands that you are listening to or enjoy?
Haught: The new Mastodon record is killer. For “newer” bands: The Bronx, Torche, Red Fang, Baroness, Graveyard, Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats – just to name a few!

What is the heavy metal scene like over there in America?
Haught: It’s cool, the bands are killer and the fans are thirsty for more! There might be more national attention in other countries for rock bands, but the scene in America seems to be getting stronger.

Do you receive a lot of support from your local scene and fans in general?
Haught: The people of Houston have been great to us, the scene here loves seeing its own grow. It’s like everyone is family and there is nothing better than that feeling. Whenever one of us is down, it seems like everyone is there to help pick you back up.

Do you have any rituals before you hit the stage? If so, what are they?
Haught: We do all of your normal warm-up stuff, but nothing really crazy. Other than that, we love to drink beer and make each other laugh.

Check out the song “Lovetits” here.

Do you have any touring plans in support of the new recording?
Haught: Yes, we do. We plan on doing a bunch of regional dates as our tour is coming up. We are looking to get on some support slot dates and can’t wait to get out and show the world these new songs.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take 3 CDs with you for eternity, assuming there was a solar powered CD player, what would they be?
Haught: 1. Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak 2. Queens of The Stone Age – Songs For The Deaf 3. Mastodon – Crack The Skye.

What has been the most memorable moment of your career so far?
Haught: We were on tour and had to drive like 9 hours through the night to our next stop. I think it was somewhere in South Carolina or something. We didn’t know anyone that lived there and didn’t have anything to do so we just drove to the beach. As we were walking up to the beach, the sun started to rise. It was amazing… I know it might not be what someone would consider a career-defining moment, but for us it was. For us it represented that even after all of the shitty moments, there will still be something beautiful in the end.

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you on tour, or at one of your shows?
Haught: Man, we have had our fair share of weird stuff. Our van breaking down, people getting arrested, getting shit stolen… you name it! I’d have to say that this might be the strangest thing that’s happened to us though: We were playing a show with some buddies of ours and after the show was over somebody stole the other band’s floor tom. Vinc (guitar player) happened to be walking through the parking lot of the club at the moment and saw the guy that was taking the drum. The guy set it down to open his trunk up and Vinc ran by and stole it back while the guy wasn’t looking. We were all in the club freaking out and Vinc comes walking in with drum and saved the day! It was crazy!

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