By Bruce Moore. Photo by Joseph Anthony Baker.

I recently had the opportunity to sit and chat with guitarist Anthony Armstrong of the alternative rock band, Red. The band’s newest release, Until We Have Faces, was released in February to critical acclaim and debuted at number two on the popular music charts. The band members were also the recipients of the 2011 GMA Dove Award for Best Recorded Song Of The Year for the song, “Start Again.” Red is currently on the road this summer playing numerous festival dates, and then they will be touring as part of the Rock Allegiance tour alongside Buckcherry, Papa Roach and Puddle of Mudd. Here is how the conversation with Armstrong went.

Bruce: How has the tour been going so far?
Anthony: “It has been going good. We have been doing festivals, and then we have four more dates on this leg of the tour. The crowds have been great, and it has been insane.”

Bruce: I know that the record, Until We Have Faces has been out for a few months now and has been doing really well, but now that you have had time to live with it, how do you feel about it and are you satisfied with the outcome?
Anthony: “Yeah, we kind of hit the ground running with this record and the response has amazing, people have gotten behind us and the shows have just been a reflection of that. People show up and they are psyched and singing every word with us.”

Bruce: Many of the songs on this record are so anthemic I imagine they lend themselves greatly to the live setting?
Anthony: “Yeah, we are just a very intense band live. There is a lot of emotion in our songs, and people really get that experience in the live setting. Hearing it is one thing, but live you get to see the faces of the guys in the band as we perform our hearts out; it is a totally different intensity.”

Bruce: It must be a great feeling when you get that kind of reaction from the crowd?
Anthony: “Oh yeah, we always feed off the energy of the crowd. They are just as hooked up to the music as we are. They are happy to be there and thankful to be there just as much as we are. We all have a good time, and it is great.”

Bruce: Are there any tracks on Until We Have Faces that are personal favorites or that have good stories behind them?
Anthony: I would say “Feed the Machine” for sure. I like the overall concept of the song, the video was incredibly fun to shoot, and I think it has become a band favorite. I like it so much I have had “Feed the Machine” tattooed on my arm.