Robert Rios and Erik Benton started playing music together as teens in Dallas, but Rios thinks they are merely beginning to explore their capabilities.

Since those days, the duo has moved to Portland and formed Faithless Saints. The group just released their first EP, Sweet Sacrilege. Salem Monthly caught up with Rios to ask him about the new band and the experience of recording the album.

Salem Monthly: How would you describe the music of Faithless Saints?

Robert Rios: Faithless Saints is a mix of ska, folk rock, and a dash of metal all rolled into 15 years of love for punk rock.

SM: What, if anything, did you set out to explore when putting the album

together?

RR: My bass player, Erik Benton, and I have been playing in a band together since we were 12. With our high school band Thirty-six Drive we put out four studio records and one live album, but never had enough money for mastering or manufacturing. We had always burned and printed out by hand our CD and inserts. After going to college and getting my bachelor’s degree in audio engineering, I realized it was time to grow up and put my

money where my mouth is. So, I emptied my savings account and started our record label Irican Productions. Our record Sweet Sacrilege is our first

professional release and it was a huge learning process. I mainly wanted to

prove to myself that I could do it.

SM: Was it everything you expected?

RR: I am very proud of it. Since the recording of this record we

have been though a lot of changes as a band. Four members have come and

gone. All members have lived in many different cities and/or states. So, after all that to have it finally released after a year since recording is a big relief. But now I am ready to record our full length.

SM: How does it differ from your previous work as Thirty-Six Drive?

RR: It is a lot harder and more mature than mine and Erik's work with

Thirty-Six Drive. We are more political, and a lot more vulgar than

the cautious 14-year-olds we used to be. While we have also gotten a

lot harder, I think we have also have also gotten softer. Even though we have changed a little I think it is for the better and we are progressing in a natural direction.

SM: How did growing up in Dallas influence the work you put into the record or the sounds of it?

RR: Dallas influenced us a lot. While I used to hate it, I now appreciate

it because I no longer live there. I think our distaste of religion

was our main fuel we got out of living in Dallas. Religion is shoved

down your throat there. As soon as someone asks your name, they ask, “Where do you go to church?” I was always made to feel bad for not being

religious. What Erik and I believed was always so different from that of the town around us. It influenced us by showing us everything we didn't want to be. We try to be more progressive in our morals and ideals after growing up in a town where it is scary to be an free thinking atheist.

SM: Is there a song in particular that turned out exactly the way you wanted or is the epitome of the Faithless Saints' sound?

RR: I think "Dynamite in Hand,” the first track on our record turned out

the best. It was my baby while I was mixing it. I think it incorporates our ska/punk sound really well.

SM: What's next for the band as you move forward?

RR: Next for us is to just promote the EP as much as possible, as well as to go on tour. It looks like we will be doing a west coast tour this summer and, hopefully, make our way across the southwest all the way to Florida in the fall. We are also planning on getting into the

studio this spring or summer to start working on our full length.

SM: Where are you playing in the near future?

RR: The Space in Salem on March 13, Samurai Duck in Eugene on March 28,

and Ash Street Saloon in Portland OR on March 29.

SM: Where can people purchase the CD?

RR: Hard copies are currently available in the Portland and Gresham record stores: Everyday Music, Music Millennium, Green Noise Records, Exiled Records, CD Game Exchange, and Second Ave Records. We are also available online at: iTunes, Rhapsody, LALA, Napster, Amazon mp3, Stockhound, Arnie street and eMusic.