When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
My epiphany moment was when I was 16 and for the first time I’ve heard “In my darkest hour” by Megadeth on vinyl. That literally blew me away. A huge punch in the face from the guitars. That was the best moment in my life and the one that made me into Megadeth and then into music.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
Well, I don’t really have a songwriting process. Let’s say I’m improvising and I think of a riff that could work I replay it a couple of times and that’s it or let’s say I’m in bed, falling asleep, suddenly a couple of lines for some lyrics hit me and I jump out of bed to write them down and thats all. Another thing I do is, I write lines that come to my mind and then I try to make a mix and if it goes along with a riff the song is done.
Who has influenced you the most?
I grew up with my parent’s listening to queen, dire straits, deep purple, led zeppelin and so on so I was surrounded by music, my grandfather use to listen to lyric music and I spent days going through his cds. Growing up, 15-16-17 yo I started to listen to more heavy music: Metallica, Megadeth, Iron maiden and all that stuff. My first metal band was Children Of Bodom (R.I.P Alexi). But the most influence was made by Black Sabbath, when I was 17 I started to go through their whole discography and you can hear from most of my songs that they’ve left a mark. Other two big Influences are Dave Mustaine and Zakk Wylde that is more about the lead guitar and the sound of both of them, one it’s pure raw thrash and the other one it’s full of harmonics, vibrato and wah.
I find inspiration in pretty much everything. If I want to write some lyrics but nothing comes out I go for a walk in a peaceful place to be just me and my own thoughts. For the music I just start to play and if something that I like comes up I work on it. I also give myself deadlines. E.g. “this month I want to write 3 songs”, this spurs me forward .
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?
My hometown band was a metallica tribute band but, I come from a small town in Sardinia, Italy where you couldn’t make a living out of music as it wasn’t seen as a job but as some “hobby” so we didn’t last long. This influenced my music a lot and was something that I couldn’t understand. In “No More Time To Waste” by my actual metal band KRUDE, I talk about that and many other topics that the average listener won’t notice.
Where'd the band name come from?
KRUDE, it’s actually product of a transformation during the years. When I first arrived here in Dublin, Ireland, I wanted to call my band Panik. Then, once I settled I found a guy to start the band with and he told me “listen you have a really long beard, why don’t you call the band primitive?” Then, in 2019 after a bit of research we found out that the name primitive was already taken so we decided to call the name crude but with a K so yeah, it’s quite a story.
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
Terminator
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?
I would write a 1000 words essay for “BROKEN’” my latest release. I've wrote this song in a very dark and difficult time and I talk about it in a blog article on my website https://www.richard-tree.com
I had a few and more yet to come.
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you and for your fans?
Playing live it’s an emotion that you can’t compare with anything. I remember the first time I played in front of a crowd of 100, 30 were my friends but they were screaming my name like a thousand because when you’re there you become like some kind of god. To me it’s a great moment when you’re on stage as it’s just you and the crowd and it’s the only moment when I can really be myself.
What makes a great song?
My answer is...People. People make great songs, we just write them down and put them out. Today we’re surrounded by distractions, smartphones, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and a lot of other things that are making us become kids with no attention span. If you can’t catch my attention in 15 seconds you’re gone and that it’s reflected into the music as well. People nowadays are making short songs for this reason. People now don’t even make the effort anymore to listen to a song of 6 minutes.
What is an album you wish you’d written?
Master of puppets cause I would have liked to work with Cliff Burton
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
I kick my ass every day to write better songs ahah. Would I surprise you if I tell you that Megadeth after 40 years still write great songs?! But there are a lot of great bands that write great stuff.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Vinyl cassette and CDs as I grew up between ’98 and early 2000 when that stuff was still going. Digital of course because let’s be honest, if you’re not on Spotify or apple music or whatever other platform, you’re never gonna be discovered and listened.
Damn this is difficult! Mmmmh I’d say the old and beloved uncle Jack. I fell in love with it.
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
My hometown it’s a small town on the west coast of Sardinia and I’m sorry to tell you that (I’m disappointed myself) but there’s no record store.
What's next for you and the band?
With KRUDE we’re recording an EP of 5 songs. The goal is, when this corona situation will allow us again, to play in pubs and small venues and from there, well that story has yet to be told.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
Final thoughts? Waveriders, you’re awesome!
Social Links
Twitter: @RichardTree93
Instagram: @richardtreemusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichardTree93
Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC-WiUehX34X7x5PyD1umYbg
Bandcamp: https://richardtree.bandcamp.com/music
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/34ivTUCUF4D97bAiCq2P4C?si=dkhgjGFiTKSZz6T0-Pelxw&dl_branch=1
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ie/artist/richard-tree/1550364610
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