Inspired by Vh1’s You Oughta Know.

The Red Tide

(An interview with the new local band The Red Tide with Matt Schell and Sam Blackstone) The Buzz: You’re called the Red Tide. Why did you choose that? The Red Tide: You may have noticed the video we projected at Mr. BHS. Well, as Matt looked at different videos to include, he found a bunch on the red tide, an algae bloom that occurs in New England and Florida.  The tide makes great impact on the ecosystem and literally changes the water color to red. Similar to the tide, we’re trying to change music and bring in some different colors of our own. B: Have you played out much? RT: We’ve played every show we’ve ever been offered. Most of the shows have been at the high school and a few have been at the Guilford Congressional Church. We’re very new, which makes it difficult to get a gig. But, after we get a few recordings done and create some advertisement, we’ll be playing at places like The Space. B: What style of music do you play? RT: Well, I’m not really sure. It’s kind of like The White Stripes got into a crash with Beck and Radiohead and out popped something great. We’re trying to make something new and exciting. B: Do you do covers? Or is it all original music? RT: No, we don’t do any covers. All of the songs are completely original, even some of the tones on the piano have been custom made to give that extra uniqueness. Matt does all of the song writing, but he works with Sam to find the perfect beat to match the music style. B: Are there any famous bands/musicians who greatly influence you? RT: Our band has a very wide of influences. As mentioned earlier we have a sound that gives hints of The White Stripes and Beck. But, we’re always searching more new and interesting sounds to give us inspiration. Recently, we found the band Mute Math, a new band with an amazing drummer and electronic sound that sounds like nothing else. We are also influenced by some of the older blues masters and even get into jams that are derived from some of the funk masters from the 70’s. B: Tell me about any new stuff. RT: We have a ton of new stuff coming out. First off, we hope to have eight recorded songs done by the end of June that we’ll be able to make into an album titled, Within the Tide. We have also designed a few t-shirts and stickers that we’ll be giving away. If you would like to hear what we sound like, we have a new myspace (www.myspace.com/theredtidect) that will be constantly updated.  Also, we are considering expanding, adding a bass player to the group. We’re still searching, so if you like our style, and play bass, let one of know! Thanks to the members of The Red Tide. Good luck! By Rachel Rimm Photo credit: Miranda Platt For more interviews with local artists check out our interviews with: Dr. Rocktopus and the Nunks Great Caesar and the GoGetters The Smyrk