A Chat with REDSIX (06.06.20)
Hailing from Jakarta, Indonesia, REDSIX is a rock band made up of Denny (vocals), Kevin (lead guitar), Wicak (rhythm guitar), Rizma (drums) and Ipang (bass). Their debut album was released in 2018 and followed up by their new EP. Their latest track ‘Vessel‘ is out along with a music video. We sat down with the band (R) to talk about the new single, their music and more!
OSR: How did REDSIX meet and what inspired the band name?
R: Kevin and Denny met in high school and were in a band together around 2007, and that kind of dissipated as everyone graduated and went off to university. After Kevin and Denny finished their studies they decided to pick it up where they left off and, after recruiting some old friends and a couple of new ones through networking, REDSIX was formed as a new project to showcase what everyone’s been learning and had been influenced by over the last few years. Making music was always the point, no matter how we chose to do it.
The name REDSIX is a Star Wars reference to an X-wing pilot named Jek Porkins who’s call sign was Red 6. He gets blown up in a battle during the first movie (Ep IV) and we thought it would be funny to name the band after the x-wing that blows up instead of the x-wing of the main character.
OSR: Describe your music in a single sentence.
R: A bunch of dudes with very different tastes in music that will always try to find that balance through the songwriting.
OSR: What can you tell us about ‘Vessel’?
R: ‘Vessel’ is actually a song that was written a long time ago. We kept rewriting and rearranging the song until we finally found a version we liked. The song lyrically depicts a lot about passion and connection, but keeps it quite broad so the listener can have their own interpretation on what it means to them. We feel that a song becomes more personal that way.
OSR: Did you face any challenges when composing and recording ‘Vessel’?
R: The biggest challenge was always feeling like the song was missing that ‘extra something’, which was why it always got put in the backseat so we can rearrange it later when inspiration strikes. Fast forward five years later, there was relief and happiness that we finally finished it.
OSR: What can you tell us about the official music video for ‘Vessel’?
R: Much like the song, we wanted to give similar imagery to the music video. It has two people put in scenarios where they’re very much spending time with each other, something that can be taken for granted. However, there is a lot of subtext present in the video that eagle-eyed viewers can pick up on as well. If the viewer has a completely different take on what the video means to them, then we feel like we have done well as that was the intent.
OSR: How have you been dealing with the Covid-19 lockdown?
R: Luckily the online infrastructure these days makes it very easy to communicate and share material back and forth. Still not as fast or as organic as cramming into a studio, but we’re still really lucky we live in a time where technology doesn’t inhibit creating content.
OSR: How do you think this global pandemic will affect musicians and the musical landscape?
R: It definitely changes what it means to play live now. There are many artists trying different strategies to combat that to see what works, but because it’s so new and so sudden we haven’t found the right way to do it yet. However, at the very least, we feel like discoverability is higher than before. People now have the opportunity to listen to artists that you were always meant to but didn’t have the time for.
OSR: How do you stay motivated, particularly during this pandemic?
R: We kinda use this time to reflect and, hopefully, get inspiration from that and it’ll lead to new material that we can record. Luckily, recording technology has gotten to a point where making a song can be done at home.
OSR: Who inspires you on a professional and personal level to keep creating music?
R: Listening to other artists, especially from different genres compared to ours, is very inspiring for us. It opens the possibilities on a different approach to structure, melody and rhythm. We usually go through that process before we start writing. This always inspires us to keep creating and to keep improving our craft.
OSR: What is the scariest dream you have ever had?
R: The scariest dream is when our drummer gets even more drum gear!
OSR: What’s the best advice you’ve received regarding your music career?
R: Take your time.
OSR: What is next for REDSIX?
R: We have another single planned sometime around fall this year. In the meantime, you can expect to see some playthroughs of our previous songs and some covers as well.
OSR: Do you have message for all our readers?
R: There are a lot of great bands nowadays that no one’s heard of. With recording and platforms to be heard on now being so accessible you can stumble on unknown bands. So we encourage everyone to stumble and find those bands.
Thanks to REDSIX for chatting with us! You can find more about band on their Facebook, YouTube and Spotify.
