Russ Rankin is a workhorse. Minus a brief band hiatus, he’s been the voice of long-running socio-political punk act Good Riddance since 1986, and has been an integral part of many other side projects. For this interview, we rolled a SIX.
1) Russ, to begin as I was writing this out, I saw the news about Chuck Platt’s unfortunate accident. On behalf of TGEFM I wanted to express our best wishes for a quick recovery to Chuck. That’s not part of the question, I just wanted to get that out there. Anyhow, you’ve obviously been busy from a music perspective, but the upcoming Come Together, Fall Apart is your first new solo album since 2012’s Farewell Catalonia. Was there any specific impetus that lead you to dip back into the “solo” bucket?
I have to thank Stefan (SBÄM) for being persistent, and really driving this project. I hadn’t really been thinking about another solo album and he planted the seed in my mind and kept after me about it.
2) When most people hear “solo album” they often think of a plain old acoustic album. But CT,FA even more so than Farewell… has a lot of musical elements to it and, when it really gets going, has a very folksy element to it. Was it a conscious decision to lean in that direction, or did it evolve organically?
I wanted to add some other musical voices to the songs, but tried to not overdo it, so that the guitar remains the driving, constant, piece. I didn’t know it had a folksy vibe, but if that’s what people hear I think that’s cool.
3) Building on question 2, do these songs evolve collaboratively with other musicians, or do you most, or all it down on your own?
I wrote all the songs (except for the cover), and I played all the guitars and bass on the recordings. Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Russ’s bandmate in Only Crime) was instrumental in helping foster the project with his notes & suggestions on my demos as I was writing.
4) Many of your songs throughout your career focus on socio-political commentary and criticism. I like the idea of turning the senate floor into a café (“Abolish the Senate”), and you have a multi-decade knack for keeping these musical commentaries fresh and entertaining. How do you pull that off?
I honestly don’t know. I have always gravitated toward the more political side of punk and hardcore music, so, when I write, that’s typically where my inspiration is typically drawn from.
5) Can you name a few musicians or bands that our readers may not be aware of, which they should be keeping their eyes on?
I’m inspired by a lot of music. Currently, I am listening to a Spanish band called Ebri Knight. I obviously am inspired by Billy Bragg, Pete Seeger, and artists like that.
6) With your prolific output well-documented, I’m guessing you already have something new in the works. If so, would you care to share a tease of what that may be? If not, what are your vacation plans? (laughter)
Currently just trying to get shows booked in this chaotic climate to try to get out and play as much as I can.
Russ’s new solo album Come Together, Fall Apart is due out this Friday, 28 Jan 2022, via SBÄM Records, Cursed Blessings Records, and Say-10 Records.
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed.
the white drew carey (aka – Jeff Sorley) is the founder and head editor of TGEFM. He’s lived (outside of) Chicago, Madison WI, (ugh) Penn State, Lyon FR, Oxford UK, central New Jersey, and now within earshot of SFO in the Bay Area. When not scouring the web for more great bands and labels to post about, he also spends time drawing (mostly) silly sci-fi and anime stuff under the name Asplenia Studios.
