Fredericksburg has become a reliable outpost for high quality rock bands—close enough to the District to absorb its energy and take advantage of its resources but far enough away to develop local stylistic tendencies.

Raw Feels is a testament to both Fredericksburg’s local scene and its well known exports. Primary songwriter Ben Wood went through high school playing Fredericksburg All Ages shows in several bands. However, his new project co-opts the dark shoegazey undertones utilized by groups like Ceremony and A Place to Bury Strangers. But their new track, “Isolation,” is not so drenched in reverb that the individual notes are lost in the haze.

We talked to Wood and guitarist Chris Carr about living with their bandmates, working for their colleagues and putting out a record on the same imprint as Travis Morrison.

Find them online: Facebook.com/RawFeels

Buy their music: Available for preorder now on Bad Friend Records’ Bandcamp page.

See them next: On Dec. 30 with Tereu Tereu and Octopus Jones at The Dunes (1402 Meridian Place NW)

Are you guys in school in Fredericksburg or are you originally from there?

Ben: I’ve lived there pretty much my whole life and [Chris] moved down in seventh grade and that’s how we met. We went to school down there. We’re not going to school currently. I’m enrolled at the community college but I do not attend at this moment.

Well, you mentioned working together.

Ben: Yeah, we live together and we work together.

And you’re in a band together.

Chris: We’re in two bands together.

Two bands? What’s the other band?

Ben: I play drums and he plays bass in Ceremony which is also from Fredericksburg.

Chris: And we work with them, too.

Ben: And the bass player from Raw Feels also works and lives with us, too. So, we all hate each other.

How is that going?

Ben: It’s not going that bad, really.

Chris: I can’t stand him.

Ben: I’ve known him since seventh grade and we have yet to get into a big fight about anything. Even living together, which, I’m pretty surprised, because I thought I was going to hate him.

I’m not surprised that you’re also in Ceremony since your song “Isolation” has a dark shoegaze-y undertone.

Ben: I actually recorded that with John from Ceremony. I recorded the whole album in his basement, so that’s probably got a whole lot to do with it. I’d come in with a song and he would just be like, “Well, let’s try this,” and we’d end up turning the amp up a little bit louder or adding some more distortion or something. He turned out to have pretty decent sway on that.

Also, this isn’t your first band together, is that right?

Ben: We were in a band called Carlos, I’m Pregnant. Actually the drummer who is playing with us now also played in that band.

So, basically, you’ve gone from a four piece down to a three piece?

Ben: No, we’re a three piece again. Different bass player.

And a different sound.

Ben: Well, basically what happened is that Carlos broke up and then I started writing songs by myself. Then, I started showing them to him and we started writing stuff together. But, mostly I would just record some songs in my house and then take them to John and record them there. That’s how it started.

Was Carlos, I’m Pregnant more of a collaborative effort?

Ben: Definitely. I would have some sort of idea and then everybody would put it all together. Now, for the first time, I’m playing everything and it’s kind of different.

Is that what you prefer, though?

Ben: I think so. It’s kind of become that I can’t write anything without imagining what the drums are going to sound like. It can kind of get frustrating when I’m showing someone a song and they’re playing it and I’m like, “Eh, that’s not what I want.” Then, when I’m stumped on something, I’m like, “Chris, you’ve got to help me out.” So, that’s where it’s kind of nice. He’s always there to help me out when I need it.

Chris: Door buddies.

Also in keeping with the Fredericksburg connection, I know that someone who used to live there, Ryan Little, is putting out your album on his imprint Bad Friend Records. Was he the one to contact you?

Ben: He did contact me awhile ago and mentioned that he might want to start a record label. Then, a couple months later he sent me an e-mail and said, “Okay, we’re definitely doing it and it would be really cool if we could put out your record.” I was totally down with it although I didn’t know what I was going to do with it at the time.

How long had Raw Feels been playing that you’d already made that impression on Ryan?

Ben: I don’t know. I recorded one song with John—the first one I recorded with him—and I got it mastered real quick just to have a song. Then, I made a video for it of just found footage on the Internet. It’s probably hidden now but I weas really into it at the time. I think Ryan saw it and asked what I was doing, so I told him at that point.

Your release is coming out in January.

Ben: Jan. 10.

That’s great that you have a release date since there’s currently a Kickstarter for the Travis Morrison Hellfighters release.

Ben: Well, my release is technically only a digital release so there’s no overhead. It’s on the Internet and you download it. With Travis Morrison, they’ve got to pay for all the pressings and stuff.

Got it. How long have you been playing in bands together? Your youth had always been one of the selling points in Carlos, I’m Pregnant.

Ben: Since eighth grade. Because, I started playing drums, I think in sixth grade. Then, I met him. He didn’t play anything at the time but we met through trading CDs and stuff. So, we knew we were going to do something and once he got a guitar, that was pretty much the end of it.

I know that you’ve been very involved with Fredericksburg All Ages. What has your role been with them? Has it primarily been playing shows?

Ben: Well, I’m currently on the Board of Directors but that’s about to end its cycle. So, I’ll probably be replaced pretty soon. But, I went to the first show when it started, back when Adam was organizing it. Once I saw those bands playing—kids my age—I thought, “I’ve got to start a band.” So, after that, I was trying to play all the time, which I kind of successfully did. I’ve played in three or four bands that have played through Fredericksburg All Ages.

Do you have many shows set up?

Ben: We have the one here and then we have the one set up in the Trash Bar in New York.

Are you seasoned road travelers or have most of your shows been local?

Ben: I actually went to Europe with Ceremony last year. I’ve never really done any tours outside of that one here in the U.S., but I’ve played shows up and down the East Coast.

Are you hoping to do more of that with Raw Feels?

Ben: Definitely. I want to start doing two shows a weekend all over the state. But since we all live together and we all work together, scheduling a tour is very complicated. All of us would have to get off at the same time and we’d all have to pay rent. So, right now I’m just thinking of one-offs every weekend and then once we get more comfortable and there’s actually a reason to tour, if there’s ever a reason to tour, we will probably do it.

Where do you guys work?

Ben: Sammy T’s. It’s a restaurant in Fredericksburg. Sammy T’s has kind of been a revolving door of interesting people.

And you mentioned that the guys in Ceremony work there.

Ben: Yeah, they’re our bosses. They made it possible for me to go on tour, too.

Chris: I was pissed.

Ben: Yeah, but you’ll be going on the next one, so someone else will be pissed.

Chris: I’m a recent addition to Ceremony.

Ben: He actually hasn’t played a show yet, but Ceremony is playing with Screen Vinyl Image on the [Jan. 18] at the Black Cat.

Have you found that there’s anything thematic about your songwriting?

Ben: I think probably, musically, there’s some themes. That’s usually what I focus on first. The lyrics are something that evolves out of a melody that I already have. They don’t tend to run together too much. I feel like a lot of the songs come from the same places.

Like what sorts of places?

Ben: Just places where I’m alone and hanging out by myself. That’s usually when it comes out. Maybe sometimes when I get down. When I can’t sleep.

Any last things that you want DCist readers to know?

Ben: One thing that I’ve been pretty interested in is that in all the blogs that have put the song up, it seems that Joy Division is a very big comparison, but I don’t understand that quite so much. So, I’m interested in figuring out where the ties are for that. I mean, it’s awesome because I love Joy Division, but I don’t see it. It’s cool. I’m down.