Today we’re bringing you a full stream of In Circles, the new album from Vegas punk band Rayner. The album will be available this Saturday, January 9, at the band’s show at the Hard Rock Cafe on Paradise. If you can’t make the show, you can still purchase In Circles digitally via Bandcamp. Want to know more about Rayner? Check out our interview with the band.
Let’s talk origins. You guys have been pretty active in the Vegas music scene in one form or another (Burning Agrestic, GDB, Hard Pipe Hitters, Scrap Iron Saints, etc), so I’m curious, how did you came together as Rayner?
Christopher Piro, guitar:
My previous band had been coming to an end but I was still writing a lot of music that I didn’t want to just abandon. I got a hold of Sergio [Cervantes, drums], who got a hold of Rory [Child, guitar], who got a hold of Dany [Henrriquez, vocals], who got a hold of Manny [Panda, bass]. It came together pretty naturally since we all knew each other from playing in other bands, going to shows, and just hanging out. We have all been involved with music before so we sort of drafted the people we thought would fit and we’d get along with best. I think in general, a few of us all agreed that we wanted to do something different than our other bands and better aligned with our mutual influences.
Musically, what are the major influences on your sound?
Rory Child, guitar:
I’d say we all have pretty varied influences, ranging from ska to hardcore and everything in between. Overall, I’d say we pull a lot of our styles from 90s era punk bands like the Bouncing Souls and the more melodic [modern] pop punk like Direct Hit! and Iron Chic. We like sad stuff. Dany loves Air Supply though, so we gotta throw them in as one of the OG influences
What was the recording and songwriting process like on In Circles? Who did you record with?
Rory Child, guitar:
We spent the better part of a year writing the songs for this album and it’s been pretty fun to see how the band has evolved in that time. Usually one of us will bring some chords to practice and we’ll all start to add our little bits on top of it. Lyrically Manny, Dany, and I jump around on what melodies and words we use. Everyone gets to put their spin on it which I think helps us all better convey the feeling the originator had when they brought the song to us.
When we first started we were a little more all over the place figuring out what our sound was together. Going back to the older songs now adds a nice element of differences based on who we are as a band at this point. Little things like vocal melodies or guitar parts have had slight changes made to fit more with the band as it is now. Many of songs were thrown to the dust to never be used again (except when I need parts and I can cannibalize them because that’s what I do).
When we went into the studio, we had written 10 songs for the album that we thought should make the cut. Some we were iffy on as we had never really heard them except when we played them at practice. We ended up spending about 4 and a half days at Camel Hump recording with John Brown and he really helped us pull the songs together in different ways. It was pretty nerve racking trying to get everything done in a timely manner and I think some of that nervous energy is captured in the music.
Working with John was an awesome experience and he gave us a lot of input as to parts that didn’t mesh so well and things that we could add in places. I think it pushed us to try different things out that we would have otherwise never done. He was also gracious enough to lay down some tasty licks on the opening track “Dreameater” and add his angelic voice to the backups. It was a time full of pizza, tacos, bud light limes, and long days. Best time of my life.
You guys have a release show set for In Circles at the Hard Rock Café on Paradise with Guts and Eliza Battle opening. How did you pick the lineup for this gig?
Manny Panda, bass:
We have a ton of friends who are in amazing bands in town: Hard Pipe Hitters, Anti-Vision, Alex and His Meal Ticket, Bogtrotter’s Union, Be Like Max, and many more – so it wasn’t easy to choose who would play with us on this show. But I believe that schedules helped narrow down the choices and for me at least, this lineup created an all-around feel to the show.
We’re not pop punk, were not just punk, and like the bands playing with us, it’s hard to fit us into a genre. You’ve got Guts, who are absolutely amazing and I owe so much for putting us on shows with bands that I have grown to love and in some cases become good friends with, who blend new and old school together in a way that appeals to the younger crowd.
Then you have Eliza Battle, who have members who we are really good friends with, like Nick [Shelton] and Sal [Giordano], who as a band we owe so much to, that pull from that rock and roll style of punk that the older crowd can relate to, and those two styles are something that we connect with as a band. So with this lineup you’re getting something that I think embodies us, you’re getting a wide view spectrum of “Punk” that we pull from to make music.
I’d have to turn in my nerd card if I didn’t ask about your name, which comes from 90s-era Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. How did you settle on that name and which color Lantern Corps would you guys belong to?
Rory Child, guitars:
We jumped around for a while trying to find a name that suited us well and I gotta say it was probably the hardest thing the band has had to agree on so far. The band was taking a different direction than anything we’d all previously played in before and conveying that with a name was important to us. We generally write about emotional things and after some thought it hit me that there is literally something I love based on the emotional spectrum.
The Geoff Johns Green Lantern run is one of my favorite stories I’ve come across in the comic medium. Each of the Earth Lanterns seem to represent certain parts of the emotional spectrum with Hal Jordan being the embodiment of will, John Stewart being more of a representation of compassion, Guy Gardner being more prone to the rage side of the scale, and Kyle Rayner balancing out all of the emotional spectrum.
I’ve probably over analyzed this all but Kyle Rayner has been my favorite Lantern because he uses all of the emotional spectrum which eventually gave him the responsibility of being the White Lantern. I feel like we try to hit on all the emotions of Rage, Fear, Hope, Compassion, Will (not really an emotion amirite?), Avarice, and Love. Plus Guy is Manny’s favorite and he sucks so Kyle all the way!
If I had to assign a corps for each member of the band I’d say
Manny – Red (he mad)
Christopher – Orange (don’t touch his stuff!)
Dany – Sapphire (he loves lots)
Sergio – Blue (he generally doesn’t worry much which equates him to Hope in my eyes)
Rory – Yellow/Sinestro (because I’m making this and they’re my favorite. Plus my bass is painted like it soooooooooooooo)
Thanks, guys! Make sure to give the stream above a few listens and check out the details on the release show below:
In Circles release show
Lineup: Rayner, Eliza Battle, Guts
Date: Saturday, Jan. 9 at 9 p.m.
Location: Hard Rock Cafe on Paradise
Admission: All Ages
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