Review Fix Exclusive: Doug Rausch Talks ‘Book II’ And More

January 28, 2018 Patrick Hickey Jr. Music 0

Review Fix chats with RAUSCH frontman Doug Rausch, who discusses the band’s upcoming album, “Book II.”

On February 2nd, RAUSCH will release its second full-length album BOOK II. Heavy-hitting contributions come from the likes of Mark Zonder (Fates Warning), Ryo Okumoto (Spock’s Beard), and second Shadow Gallery mainstay, guitarist Brendt Allman. Picking up where the debut left off, it remains painfully vulnerable & autobiographical of the band’s trials & tribulations along the way. Things are “even more deep and dark” this time, observes the returning Rich Mouser who (along with Bumblefoot) applauds the “Queen-on-steroids” diversity running throughout. Lead-off single “Greener Grass” is adventurous and catchy; “Irked” at times flirts with jazz; “The End” is a nearly 10-minute atmospheric musical tapestry picking right up where Pink Floyd left off; the head-splitting “Speechless” shows the band clashing with Metallica-sized demons; and joining “Good Day” is 2nd Ivory-produced track “Swansong” which, by notable contrast, offers a glimpse of something completely unexplored up until now: optimism.

Review Fix: How did the band get together?

Doug Rausch: I have very few non-musical hobbies in life, but there’s pig-collecting & hot-sauce/pepper connoisseur. Bassist buddy Joe Fine’s family has long owned a sandwich shop, and – true story – I was presented with a particularly generous offer of hot peppers at our first meeting in 2004; I was honored. That was enough to get my attention, and upon discovering his playing was just as tasty as his sandwiches, the rest was history. Gary Wehrkamp – already known from Shadow Gallery – was initially less accessible, but my persistent courting ultimately got his attention, following a chance meeting in NYC in 2007. That one was fate. Drummer Chris, the new guy, we met less glamorously (but hey, whatever gets the job done) – Craigslist.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Rausch: Pre-packaged songs come to me, ready-to-go, via the radio in my head from which I steal at 3am. It’s the execution – birthing them into fixed, final recorded form – that takes an excruciatingly prolonged period of monogamy between music & creator. But I’m working on it.

Review Fix: What inspires the band?

Rausch: Tragedy, turmoil, hardship, Murphy’s law, darkness… the usual.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Rausch: Queen on steroids (technically how someone else once described it, but I accept)

Review Fix: What makes your upcoming album BOOK II special?

Rausch: Aside from the fact that it took a million years to produce, with my entire life’s being going into it, hmm… let’s leave that up to the listener.

Review Fix: What’s the standout track?  How was it written?

Rausch: Please don’t ask me to choose from my babies…

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Rausch: Great question, as some of these tracks are nearly impossible to replicate live (at least, without pre-recorded tracks, which people seem to be a little too accepting of these days)…we’re talking about two completely different things. I believe in studio art, and I believe in live energy. So I respect the separate respective entities, and they are to be approached as such. Only after the fact, take the “seed” or “soul” of the song and determine how to translate it live (there’s usually a way)… A recording is forever, so in the studio I work in that spirit. A live performance is all about the energy of the moment, so it must be an honest interpretation of what one is feeling at the time (similar to the writing process itself, which I unintentionally short-changed in the last question). In the classical world of course, this is highly controversial, but fortunately from Day 1, I never strove to be a touring classical pianist. There’s always someone “better,” so to me it’s a pointless path; even if you are the best, it’s like catching the biggest fish – “so then what”? Studio or live, my goal is to offer my true self; something different. Ha.

Review Fix: What are your goals for 2018?

Rausch: Same as any other year… to SAVE MUSIC HISTORY! But seriously.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Rausch: Get out and play.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFsCazemasE[/embedyt]

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14262 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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