There’s nothing stopping Guards, not even a little snow. I got the chance to speak with Richie Follin of Guards as he braved the aftermath of the East Coast’s Winter Storm Nemo. Follin spoke to me on the phone when he and bandmates Loren Humphrey and Kaylie Church drove from New York City to Baltimore for a show.
Now that is dedication, but then again it comes as no surprise because that’s the kind of attitude that these California natives have. Their album, In Guards We Trust, came out last Tuesday and it is a testament to that “go with the flow” spirit. Follin told us what he thinks might be the biggest single off of the album, what Madison should expect from their upcoming show, and how all they are simply is a rock band.
Where are you now, and what are you up to?
“We’re actually driving to Maryland. We’re playing at MICA [Maryland Institute College of Art], doing a college show. Just left New York this morning.”
So how’s it been driving in that weather?
“Once we got out of the streets of New York, everything was fine. It’s even kind of sunny. Everything is dry. It died down this morning. We were afraid we were going to have to cancel the show.”
Glad you guys didn’t have to. Your new album [In Guards We Trust] just came out this past week, and it’s amazing, by the way.
“Thank you.”
What’s the story behind the album title?
“Oh, you know, that was the first thing we hashed out.” (laughs) “Right when we decided what we were going to name the band, that was the album title.”
So, it just kind of fit?
“Yeah, exactly. The name stuck.”
What’s your favorite song on the new album?
“Umm, I… you know, maybe ‘Nightmare.’ I really like ‘1&1’ and ‘Not Supposed To.’ But I feel like the strongest song is ‘Giving Out,’ probably.”
My friends and I have been listening to the album the past few days. “Giving Out” is getting a big response. I think that might be the hit.
“Awesome. That was the first song I wanted to release, but the label kind of fought me on it. Hopefully it’s a single later on.”
Your music has been described as vintage pop, modern, post-modern, new wave power pop, and, well, all this other shit. Where do you think Guards fits in the music world? How would you describe your sound?
“I think we fit in a lot of influences, but I think at the forefront we’re just a rock band, you know? And we tried to make our record sound ‘of-this-time’. I mean, I don’t think people are off in citing the influences, but I think essentially we’re just a rock band.”
What do you expect your tour to be like with Menomena? What should Madison expect Wednesday night when you support them?
(Laughs) “I’m not sure. I don’t know that much about them. As far as their side, I really have no idea. But, our show, we’ll do a lot of our own interpretations of stuff and we try to, you know, translate that epicness of the record into our live show. We even do jam stuff, in a good way.”
You’re from California, right? What’s it been like traveling across this great country?
“Yeah, we all are actually. We have been doing it for so long, everybody in the band has kind of been everywhere. It’s not necessarily a new thing, but we definitely have stops we love going to. It’s great. I love traveling.”
What are you guys listening to these days? We’re always on the lookout for new artists. Any discoveries worth sharing?
“We all listen to Tame Impala, non-stop pretty much.”
Is there one band that really inspired what you’re writing, or anything on the road?
“You mean, contemporary bands?”
Or anything, really.
“Obviously at this point, you know, Neil Young, The Beatles, a lot of folk stuff. Black Sabbath.”
Awesome. I’ll let you get back to driving. We’re all looking forward to the show in Madison on Wednesday.
“Aw yeah, thanks so much. Thanks for doing this.”