It's sometimes said about artists like comedians, writers and musicians that they often start out co-opting someone else's voice or style - someone they look up to, artistically - before eventually chipping away the derivative qualities, and hopefully arriving at their own thing. The Rolling Stones and the Beatles, of course, started by covering blues and R&B songs before finding their own sound. It's when this chipping away never happens that we end up with Lenny Kravitz.

"We all are in our thirties and grew up on Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Drive-By Truckers and all that stuff," says John Beidel, guitarist and vocalist for the Vile Red Falcons. "We got together and I think the first few practices we just played crappy Pearl Jam covers. And, when that worked, we just started jamming and writing songs."

It's easy to pick up on these influences when you listen to the Vile Red Falcons. Fuzz-laden guitars spew out exclusively massive riffs; drums are huge, pummeling monsters; lyrics and vocals are melodic, yet unerringly filled with attitude. These are heavy pop songs, in essence, and they wouldn't sound out of place in a two-hour rock block on a '90s alternative station. On their new album, Under Your Skin, the Vile Red Falcons keep up a steady pace of simple, straightforward grunge that carves out a groove for itself, while simultaneously finding little moments that surprise.

"When we first got together, we had a mission to play aggressive pop songs that people would be energized by in the bar scene," says Beidel. "We still do that, but we have expanded some of our styles. At first, everything was very cut and dry - a very verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-verse-chorus-chorus type of songwriting. Now, we try to mix it up a little more, and do things that are unexpected, to keep us from getting bored on stage. I think we've grown a lot as songwriters."

For the band's new album, the Vile Red Falcons couldn't have found a more appropriate producer than Conrad Uno. This is a guy who's produced a million bands, including Vile Red Falcons spirit animals like Mudhoney, the Supersuckers, the Presidents of the United States of America and Zeke.

"We recorded an LP two years ago in our basement - we engineered it, we produced it, and it sucked," says Beidel. "Conrad Uno's the man, and we got him to do our album. ... So, the production was in someone else's hands. It all got recorded on two-inch tape, and most of the stuff on the album, besides solos and vocals, is live. It sounds a lot fuller than our first album."

Word on the street is the Vile Red Falcons really bring it, live. It's easy to believe, listening to Under Your Skin and knowing that, as tight and propulsive as the Vile Red Falcons sound on record, that's precisely what you'll get when you see the band perform.

As time goes by, the Vile Red Falcons will only become more refined, true representations of themselves. They're still just getting started.

Vile Red Falcons CD Release Show

with the Fuzz and Surreal Sutra
Friday, Jan. 13, 9 p.m., cover TBA
The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St, Tacoma
253.572.4020