The Ric Menck of Velvet Crush Interview

Velvet Crush is a rock band with a long career marked by exquisite songwriting, excellent taste and the right choices. Ric Menck, its drummer, is far more than the man behind the kit. He plays with the chops of a Keith Moon but with the rock solid sparse time of a Charlie Watts. He is an accomplished songwriter. He has toured with Matthew Sweet, Pernice Brothers and worked with Adam Schmitt. On their latest, Stereo Blues, Velvet Crush has made a guitar rock record that is not derivative and not genre specific. Stereo Blues is a fresh and exciting CD which I would describe merely as well crafted music without a label. It is the rock recording of 2004 and I highly recommend it. It was our privilege to speak to Ric recently.

DF: First of all thanks for taking the time to do the interview. The new record Stereo Blues comes out on August 10th. I think it's your best CD yet.

Ric Menck: Thanks.

DF: I hear the emergence of a Velvet Crush sound: a merger of rock and blues and other influences. Do you hear the emergence of a more mature Velvet Crush sound on this record?

Ric Menck: Well, I think it's more mature because as human beings we are older and naturally I think it's a bit more mature just because of that. Paul and I have been playing together a long time so we've been developing a sound over a long period. You don't really consciously try to copy anything anymore. I think that if anything sounds the way it does it's because it has subconsciously been absorbed. At this point, I feel that we're making very pure, honest music in that regard.

DF: What were your goals in recording the CD and did you accomplish what you set out to do on the new record Stereo Blues?

Ric Menck: The only goal going in was to make a record that was a really powerful live rock sounding record. That's about as much of a goal as we had.

DF: What was it like working with Adam (Schmitt)? I think he did an amazing job in terms of the warm clean guitar sounds that he got.

Ric Menck: Yeah he was great. I played in a band with him years and years ago. When I met him I recognized his immense talent not only as a songwriter but as an engineer. He's been perfecting the art of recording for 20 years. He's a guy like Jon Brion or Mitch Easter, super hyper talented. He is almost too talented for his own good. Adam and Paul worked really hard to get good guitar sounds. Working with Adam was like working with an old friend that we could really easily communicate with. There are a lot of old friends playing on the record which made it really fun and casual.

DF: Do you guys do a lot of pre-production or do you come up with a lot of the stuff off the cuff in the studio.

Ric Menck: My songs have no pre-production. Paul makes rough demos of his material because he can. I don't have a studio so we just start doing it and then it gets made that way. Obviously, we're thinking about what we're doing when we're recording, but it doesn't seem like we're thinking about it that hard anymore.

DF: The best rock is basically spontaneous but I think that you guys have a strong idea of where you're coming from. Once you have the structure of the material, maybe it comes to life in the studio.

Ric Menck: I think we probably spent a lot of years working on song craft. Hanging around with really talented people, you learn. I certainly have been hanging around with a lot of great songwriters over the years so it's part of the mix.

DF: You've played with Matthew Sweet and others.

Ric Menck: And the Pernice Brothers.

DF: How was that? Did you enjoy that?

Ric Menck: It was fantastic. Phenomenal.

DF: Where did you tour with PBs?

Ric Menck: We did the East Coast, the Midwest and the South.

DF: Are you going to do anymore dates with those guys?

Ric Menck: No. I was filling in actually for this tour because their regular drummer's Dad was really sick.

DF: Patrick?

Ric Menck: Yeah. So I just did this one tour but I think they're making a new record now and also mixing a live record. I don't know when they'll play again. I probably won't be doing it with them. I have a lot of Velvet Crush and Matthew Sweet shows.

DF: Do you think you guys might ever tour with Pernice Brothers? That would be an interesting pairing.

Ric Menck: I don't know. It would be great, but I don't know.

DF: Why don't you talk a little bit about the tour with Matthew. Where are you guys going to be playing?

Ric Menck: I don't know when we're going to do American dates right now, but I know that we're playing in Japan at the end of August and then going to Spain and playing at some festival in Spain and also one club show in England. But I don't know about American shows at this point.

DF: What is the personnel going to be for Velvet Crush on this tour? Is it going to be you, Paul and who else?

Ric Menck: Pete Phillips who played on Heavy Changes who is also in Matthew's band and Tony Marsico who's been Matthew's long time bass player. Paul is playing guitar and keyboards and then myself. We're doing a combined show of both bands with Matthew's songs as well as Velvet Crush songs. There will probably be an interlude with the Velvet Crush set and finish with Matthew's songs and covers and stuff.

DF: Sounds fantastic.

Ric Menck: Yeah, I can't wait to do it. It'll be fun. I haven't played with Crush for years in a live context and also Matthew hasn't played for a while so it will be good to start playing those songs.

DF: You guys listen to so many records. The record seems very focused as a result.

Ric Menck: I do. Paul doesn't really. He doesn't listen to as much as me. I listen to lots of stuff. But you're probably right because it's a really focused record for us.

DF: Could you talk about your Creation experience.

Ric Menck: There was a period where we had very little contact with the label, but for the most part the experience was really good. When we were dropped, we were at a really low end ourselves so I wouldn't say it was brought on by the record company. I would say it was just where we'd gotten to and it coincided with us parting ways with Creation. They treated us well, they allowed us to make a good living and tour and make records for at least five years so I feel really thankful about that and I also love being a part of their legend.

DF: And it is a legend.

Ric Menck: That label was a huge honor for me.

DF: To be a part of the Creation legacy is definitely something that you should be very proud of.

Ric Menck: Al McGee is a good friend still and he helps us out a lot. I appreciate that quite a bit.

DF: How do you think you guys have grown from that experience and come to where you are now?

Ric Menck: I don't know if we grew from that experience. I guess we learned that whenever you're dealing with a record company that you have just a certain amount of control and it doesn't matter if it's a major or indie or whatever. I learned more about collaborative effort from working with them. I also learned that I preferred doing it on my own. We learned that we preferred DIY. It's more fun for us to do it ourselves.

DF: I would describe your drum playing as musical and instinctive.

Ric Menck: I guess it's a combination of both. Having played the drums for a long time, I want to play them in a musical way and also insert some of my personality into a track as well play dynamically. A lot of it is weird though because a lot of the stuff is subconscious. I don't always think about what I'm doing so much. It's more reacting and doing whatever stuff I've accumulated over the years. I think it is important for all the instruments to go along with one another and sit well, drums included.

DF: You were saying before that you listen to a lot of stuff. I hear that when you play. One of the things about what you do that I think is really important is what you don't play.

Ric Menck: I think I do try to play less because if I leave space then other things are more audible.

DF: You can't have a zillion things going on at the same time because it just turns into a big mush ball, particularly cymbals.

Ric Menck: Cymbals and distorted guitars are blankets on the mix. I think about that. I guess I used to think about that more when I was realizing how to make a recording. But now once again I guess I think about it but in a subconscious way.

DF: You kind of let your instincts take over.

Ric Menck: It's a good thing about where we're at with Crush right now and with Matthew because it is all very instinctual based on accumulating knowledge over the years

DF: You guys are veterans.

Ric Menck: Yeah, I feel that way. I like that.

DF: There is a difference between people that have made a CD or two and people that have had a career. You guys have had a career and that must be something you're proud of.

Ric Menck: We definitely committed ourselves. I don't know. It's been rough because we're doing it on a very independent basis and we're not hugely popular. We have to really work hard to make a living and make it happen. It's been rough in the past 2 or 3 years while we were making this record because it's hard to have a band where two people are in different parts of the country.

DF: Paul lives in Illinois?

Ric Menck: He's still in Champaign. He lives near Champaign with his brother in Illinois. He stayed in Rhode Island long after I did. He moved from there just a couple of years ago and had a huge change in his life. A lot of the record deals with a lot of issues related to that change. A lot of people might relate to the lyrics if they are older and hitting the middle of their life.

DF: Is there a theme to the record?

Ric Menck: I think the only theme is about a person evaluating where they are in their life. Anybody who is at a point where they are obsessing about everything that's happened to them and thinking about where and in what direction they wanted to go may relate. The theme of this record is definitely not geared toward younger people I suppose, but I don't know. Maybe they can relate to it too. Basically we wrote about stuff we both experienced or our friends had experienced and about concerns people that are in their late 30s may have. It goes back to the maturity aspect.

DF: Like you said the record is a mature record but it's a rock record. It's a rock record that can appeal to anybody but definitely it seems to come from a more mature perspective. How long have you known Geoff Merritt at Parasol?

Ric Menck: Since the early '80s. He's one of my best friends. Everyone in Champaign is great; they're all just great guys from that area.

DF: I remember when Parasol started making records and getting that 3 Hour Tour album. I really stood up and took notice of those guys when they released the June and the Exit Wounds record. Do you know that guy (Todd Fletcher)? Do you think he'll ever make another record?

Ric Menck: I wouldn't count on it happening anytime soon. He's pretty retired.

DF: That's too bad.

Ric Menck: He said what he had to say and got out. Maybe later he'll have the urge. We actually had a band going for a teeny little bit of time and I recognized right away that guy's talent. He could have been like Adam but he chose to do something else instead.

DF: Everybody takes different paths. We're lucky that he made that one record. Is there anything that you'd like to say to your fans that you think hasn't been covered by the zillions of people that have covered you guys over the years.

Ric Menck: That's a hard question. I don't know the answer to that. The only thing I can say is that I wish we wouldn't be pigeonholed as much as we have. I understand why we are pigeonholed but I guess I wish we hadn't been so much. It all seems to me to be limiting. Our intention was always to try to be a great band, not be a great power pop band or punk band or anything like that. I wish we hadn't got stuck in the power pop bin. I don't think of us as being a band like that. But a lot of people do so I'm just addressing what seems to be the general consensus.

DF: People want to put labels on things because it makes it more convenient. As a musician what do you think you're most proud of and why.

Ric Menck: I'm most proud of that we kept going. It reaffirms in me the initial belief that I had that I was meant to play music in my life. There are some periods where I felt a little lost or confused but I remember very early on the feeling that I wanted to play music. I just had to figure out a way to make that happen and do whatever it would take. I'm really thankful that it managed to work out because I'm 42 and I started playing when I was young. I've never done anything else really so I've been really lucky about that. I'm really proud of my longevity.

DF: Where can people buy the record?

Ric Menck: Right now online at www.parasol.com and the Mom and Pop stores. Hopefully, you can find it everywhere but since it's our own label and we don't have a huge massive marketing thing going on you may have to dig around a little. It's more fun that way anyway. A lot of our fans seem to be people that are willing to do a little more than the average Joe.

DF: Well, the Velvet Crush fans will find the new Velvet Crush record, that's for sure.

Ric Menck: I really appreciate everyone who stuck with us all this time because you know it's often easy to forget and go with something new that comes along. Thanks to everyone who has supported us all of these years.

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For more information, an audio sample or to buy the CD, click here or on the CD cover below.

To explore their entire discography, click here. To visit the official Velvet Crush website, click here.

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