ach Davidson, the explosive and enigmatic lead singer of Vendetta Red, likes to reiterate the fact that he doesn’t know a goddamn thing. After many well-composed statements, Davidson likes to humbly discredit himself by saying, “Yeah, but then again, I don’t know a goddamn thing.”

Right.

Anyone who has ever witnessed the spectacle that is Vendetta Red live—Davidson’s Sammy Hagar-esque mop of hair bouncing and swaying in time to the catchy guitar riffs of songs like the band’s first single, “Shatterday”—will probably vouch for the fact that, yes, Davidson does know a thing or two.

The intensity that is conveyed by his soaring vocals (if you think Robert Plant sang high…) hints at a well of experience and the tattoo of a pair of scissors that adorns his and his bandmates' arms are an example of the outspoken sense of responsibility that Vendetta Red takes very seriously.

And Vendetta Red is all about responsibility.

Davidson sees his band as a vehicle of positivity, a courier for motivating philosophy that is at the heart of the band’s live show and their most recent, third full-length album Between the Never and the Now.

“We’re just about believing in yourself and doing what makes you happy,” Davidson said. “You don’t have to prove your happiness to anyone but yourself. People just need to be positive.”

Davidson has a healthy understanding of the influence his band and message have on fans, too.

“If you have an influence on kids, you’re a politician,” Davidson said. “I set an example for kids by being me, not by being a teacher.”

And some example he sets. Davidson, in line with his pervasive philosophy, is quite the outspoken vocalist. T-shirts on Vendetta Red’s Web site have a picture of President Bush with the words “The Face of Terror” written above.

Davidson has voiced his opinion of the president in concert—to mixed crowd response.

“I mean, you don’t go and start a war in the name of peace,” Davidson said. “It’s better now, but during the war [on Iraq] some fans got pissed…I had to verbally defend myself a few times.”

That makes no sense because Davidson is one of few musicians who leaves absolutely everything on stage night after night. Wouldn’t fans love him?

“Most [concertgoers] are just surprised and operate on first impression judgments,” Davidson shrugs.

Davidson says that the scissors tattoos, which the band all got about two years ago, despite the fact that the band formed in 1998—“We didn’t have the money to get them back then,” Davidson explains—are a representation of the band’s philosophy: Cut ties with whatever brings you down.

“That’s what the scissors are all about. We’ve used them on Tshirts and flyers for a while,” Davidson said. “It’s about just detaching from pain and just living life. I’m not ever going to do anything stupid that’ll keep me from my band—it’s what I love.”

It’s that combination of wisdom and passion that seems to drive Vendetta Red in concert. Live, the band is a hydrogen bomb of melody and mayhem. It is not rare to see Davidson wrap his mic-cord around his neck, climb the P.A. system and swing from the rafters during songs.

“It’s just fun for me to jump and swing and sing louder and harder and better every day,” Davidson said.

Impressively, the band has managed to carry the raw stage energy of its live show over into its album Between the Never and the Now.

Though Davidson is not so sure.

“Trying to play live on a studio album is contradictory,” Davidson said. “We’re going to be putting out a live album sometime, when we’re good enough and we’re going to make it worthwhile for our fans.”

In the meantime, until that live album comes out, Vendetta Red fans have a solid record to tide them over. Between the Never and the Now is an acerbic and abrasive mix of Davidson’s sarcasm and sincerity, but despite its musical ingenuity, it is an album that almost never came out.

All the songs on Between the Never and the Now were previously written and recorded on the band’s first two albums, but due to legal hassles, they were never made widely available. Another serendipitous legal loophole allowed Vendetta Red to rerecord the songs and perform them live—a very, very good thing for present and future fans of the band.

Despite its raucous and invigorating live shows and its ambitious third record, the best thing about Vendetta Red is its endless love for being themselves. Davidson is unsure of what the future holds for him and his band, but he knows one thing.

“I don’t want to be the Beatles, I just want to be Vendetta Red,” Davidson said. “I want to take this as far as it can go.”
eryn@red-mag.com