From the many-headed gentle beast that is Virginia hardcore – the same gracious creature that spouted Pygmy Lush, Pizza and Pg. 99 – comes Tideland, featuring members of those bands and a few more. It’s what you’ve come to expect from DC’s most pastoral of suburbs (Leesburg and Sterling to be exact): George Crum’s focused, impassioned drumming that nosedives into chaos; Chris Wright’s melodic, poppy bass swimming deep underneath and a guitar-vocal combo from John Hand that screams out from reverb echoing all the way back to the ‘90s. I caught up with bassist Chris Wright to talk about Tideland’s recent tour through Japan and Europe, haunted battle sites, their latest release (Lull) and finally, what’s for dinner.
Where does Tideland practice?
Chris Wright: At John Hand’s house (basement) in Sterling.
What’s it look like?
Band posters from the 1990s and tour/ punk flyers. A shelf of horror flicks and hand-me-down furniture. Then we have our band equipment in the back corner.
Is it an organized space?
Yes and no. Band equipment, our whiskey and movies are organized… there are some nooks that aren’t. But John keeps it pretty much tidy.
What kind of whiskey do you guys drink?
All kinds. We like to try new things all the time. But since we’re a poor band we stick usually with Evan Williams.
Your second album is out; it sounds a lot more polished than the last one (Asleep in the Graveyard). What did you do differently on this recording? This last time around we worked hard on making our tones a bit more refined. I also think we lucked out and gelled with the recording engineer.
It definitely sounds less raw than the last one. What specifically helped you achieve those tones, though? Or at least one thing you found worked for you in the studio.
A lot of band practice… We changed settings on our amps the best we could. We also took a step back and analyzed our volume and turned it down slightly.
“Turning down” is a hard concept for a lot of musicians, especially loud guitar players.
It was hard for us too, yes. But we sucked it up. It comes down to this question: do you want to sound loud or good? We chose good!
What’s the weirdest thing you ate when you were on tour in Japan?
I can’t confirm or deny that we ate pig testicle on a stick. But may I add, they have green tea Kit Kat bars and shrimp potato chips!!!
So the thing that may or may not have been pig testicle: was it any good?
Like bacon.
What was the weirdest thing you ate in Europe?
I thought the food in Europe wasn’t really that weird. Some of it was basic and to the point but other than that, it was very delicious.
Getting back to the States, I remember when we went to Harpers Ferry that one time. It seemed like that place was special to you. Any particular reason?
I’m proud to live close to such a historical place… I’ve spent a lot of time there by myself, late at night taking photos. The place buzzes with energy; it felt like I was never really alone. It is also known as a “haunted” town. Which is a topic I like to study; I like reading about haunted places… There was a US armory in the town [where] they made the “Harpers Ferry Rifle.” Lewis and Clark came there to get supplies before they went to explore the Louisiana purchase. Also, the town was of strategic importance to both armies during the Civil War.
Do I remember correctly that you’re part of a Civil War reenactment?
Well I did that in years past, real fun. But I have too many hobbies and I try to keep them in priority.
Civil War or War of Northern aggression?
Northern aggression seems more correct only because there is nothing “civil” about war.
What side did you ‘fight’ on when you did the reenactment?
I never fought. I did “living histories.”
What did you do? Like, walk us through a day of living history.
Camped out, marched, did firing demos, answered questions for tourists.
What’s the most outdated thing you like to do?
Well, I like to go camping in the mountains in Virginia. There’s a cabin there built in the 1700s and it’s made of stone. No power. I stay there with my friends and my German Shepherd. Everything has to be done by scratch. If you want to eat then you make a fire.
What do you like to cook?
Sausage cooked with onions and peppers. I throw in a can of beer, then I make a gravy and put it over rice.
And what about Thanksgiving? What are you making?
Quartered potatoes deep fried. Smoked turkey. Baked white sweet potatoes. Spicy stuffing. I’m sure I’ll get leftovers from grandma, too.
Tideland will be playing the Circle Bar on November 10th with Habitat, Point Breeze, Opposable Thumbs and DJ 9ris 9ris opening. For more information, check out tideland.bandcamp.com
