Dear readers, we are pleased to offer you in this article an interview with a Dutch/Belgian band that mixes Psychedelia, Stoner and Funk Rock. We welcome RRRags.
Hello, how are you?
“Hey guys! Doing fine, thanks for asking!“
The name of the band RRRags is particular, what does it mean?
“It can mean a lot of things, from scrappy newspaper to old clothes, to more sexual connotations, as you can find in the Urban Dictionary. We spell it with three R’s because our first names (Rob, Rob & Ron) all start with an R.“
You were born after a jam session, how did the idea of creating the band come about?
“The jam session you mention went so well that decided to record an album as soon as possible. Four months later we were recording, and four months after that we presented our first record at Roadburn Festival. It all went very spontaneously!“
The new album “Mundi” was released on August 2023, how would you describe this work?
“This album is a lot more diverse and adventurous than the two albums that preceded it. There are some very spacy songs with Motorik-driven jam sections, but also some heavy songs. We also experimented with different vocals and guitar sounds. The album shows our unrestrained, experimental side.“
Heavy sounds intertwined with soulful vocal parts, what themes do the lyrics deal with?
“In the past, the lyrics were often inspired by everyday life situations. On the new album they are more abstract, written from a musical perspective and open to interpretation. They speak for themselves and mean what they say. One track is mostly gibberish, try to find which one it is!“
This double album consists of long tracks, how does the creative process of your music take place?
“We collaborated more closely and intensively than before. We took the time to jam and experiment and later on, we would work out how we could fit things together, maybe cut and paste some stuff, fit in some vocals, so we could form a song – or in a few cases: just stick to the riff and jam. I think the only song that was written the classic way, with a vocal line in mind, would be Sparrows.“
Intense and elaborate music and vocal parts, will there be a chance to perform live in the near future?
“Yes, sure! We’ve done quite a few shows in Belgium and the Netherlands the past few months, like Into The Void festival, and we’ve mostly played new work. It’s been exciting, because of course it’s a challenge to put together a good setlist when you have such different styles and so many long, instrumental parts. But it’s working out great, these shows were some of the best and most memorable ones in our career!“
You combine Psychedelia, Stoner and Funk Rock to create a personal style, where does your passion for these sounds come from?
“We all share a love for the styles that you mention. We all have different tastes to a degree, but what unites us are bands like Stooges, Grand Funk Railroad, Hawkwind, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix Experience, but also early Monster Magnet, for instance. We might have differing tastes next to that, but those are the sounds and vibes we share. The funky part, I think, has a lot to do with the way I sing, which has always been very bluesy – although maybe less so on the new album, I wanted to try something different. What it comes down to, is that we love organic sounding music, with groove and swagger, heady vibes, and the space to improvise. That’s what we’re about: basically, we’re a true vintage style power trio, doing what we do best.“
Music is constantly evolving, how do you see your genre in the future?
“No idea! We already sound a lot different than on the previous album, so anything can happen. We’re not really thinking about the next one yet. We worked long and hard on this one, and now we’re just enjoying playing live.“
The music market has changed a lot, how do you see today’s music scene and how difficult is it to make a name for yourself with a more rooted genre like yours?
“To be honest, we’re not really conserning ourselves too much with that side. We just want to create, that’s the main goal. These are strange times, but we just kind of roll with it. If people like it, I’m sure we’ll notice!“
Do you have any other passions or artistic activities outside music?
“I have to admit that for me, there is little more than music to life. Sure, I do some reading and I watch the occasional movie. I also like to go out – but only to places where there’s music to my taste, so there we are, haha! I think it’s about the same for Ron, but you’d have to ask him. Rob too, although I think he does like to travel a bit. Oh yeah, he also likes to work on his oldtimer motorcycle and van.“
I thank the band for the interview and wish them all the best for the continuation of their
artistic career.
“We thank you for showing interest! All the best, cheers!“
