AltWeeklies Wire » Music » Profiles & Interviews

Against it All?

By Ballard Lesemann
Charleston City Paper | September 30, 2006
The newly-established Red Handed are a quartet of melodic, Charleston, S.C.-based alt-rockers previously known as “Agynst.” Lead singer/guitarist Scott Gould, lead guitarist Drew Reindollar, drummer/brother Matthew Reindollar, and bassist Kenny Varner — all original members — started jamming together while in middle school in Summerville. They officially released their first recording in 1999. Agynst first big boost in the local scene won the College of Charleston’s Battle of the Bands in 2003.

In 2004, the band spent four weeks in Weed, Calif. recording a well-polished full-length titled Off The Record with producer Sylvia Massy Shivy. The sessions were huge and full of raw energy, especially the riffy, anthemic tunes “White Lies” and “Hollow Man.”

According to Gould, the transition from Agynst to Red Handed had more to do with the desire to start over with a clean slate than any shifts in the lineup or sound. They’re eager to take their own big step ahead after the touring and efforts that followed the release of Off The Record, which was recorded in Weed, Calif.

“Honestly, we are kind of tired of people mispronouncing and misspelling the old name,” says Gould. “This is fresh, new, and a little more marketable. We’re fixing to try a lot of new stuff this year, too. We’re writing in a slightly different style of pop-rock now than we were a few years ago. People in Charleston may not like it, but they’ll have to get over it [laughs]. This year is kinda like our official coming-out party. It’s gonna be rad, man.”

Red Handed already has seven songs tracked from a recent session at the now-defunct Lighthouse Studio in West Ashley with local engineer Eric Bass. They’ll be recording another EP this summer with Bass at Fusion 5 Studio this summer.

“You know, we never really fit into the rock scene in Charleston,” notes Gould. “I think that’s why we stood out. I think we’re a good band, but we really don’t fit with anybody. I just consider us a rock band — rock music with no specific date on it.”
Tags: Agynst, Eric Bass, off the record, Red Handed

Charleston City Paper

Founded in 1997, the locally owned and operated City Paper is Charleston's only weekly alternative newspaper and the second-largest publication in the metro Charleston area. Reaching a strong mix of active, affluent locals and tourists, the City Paper has thrived...
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