Bravewords.com correspondent Deb Rao recently spoke with RHINO BUCKET / KIX guitarist Brian Forsythe. The interview appears below

Q: Brian, Rhino Bucket have placed a track in the upcoming Darren Aronofsky feature, The Wrestler. The movie stars Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei, both nominated for a Golden Globe, as well as Bruce Springsteen for Best Original Song, 'The Wrestler'. How did this come into fruition?

Forsythe: "That's news to me, I didn't even know about this. Awesome!"

Q: Rhino Bucket is currently putting the finishing touches on your upcoming release, Taking The Fifth on Acetate Records. Tell us about the writing process for this album. Over how long a time period did it take to record the album?

Forsythe: "Taking The Fifth is just the working title. We're still trying to come up with something better. We all contribute. Each individual song is someone's initial idea, then we all put our own spin on it and it turns into a Rhino Bucket song. We wrote most of the songs during the fall of 2007 in a Winnebago driving around the country. This record took a lot longer to record than we had planned. One of the reasons is because we were still running off on the weekends to play gigs all around the country and then coming home to record during the week. The mixing is a whole other can of worms."

Q: In your opinion, how does this compare to previous Rhino Bucket releases?

Forsythe: "It's the best one yet!"

Q: What does the title, Taking The Fifth denote to you?

Forsythe: "That was George’s idea and we have since decided to change it to something else."

Q: What is it like working with Simon Wright?

Forsythe: "It's like playing to a drum machine that has feel. He's as steady as a rock, smokes like a chimney and drinks a lot of beer."

Q: Rhino Bucket is often compared to having an AC/DC sound. How does it feel to be compared to AC/DC and what are your thoughts on their latest release Black Ice?

Forsythe: "I take it as a compliment to be compared to the best. To be honest I haven't heard anything except for the single 'Rock n' Roll Train' or whatever it's called. I hope there are better ones than that on the record."

Q: You also performed with Kix at the Crazy Donkey in Long Island last weekend. What is new with Kix?

Forsythe: "Nothing new really except that we hired a booking agent this past year and started playing outside of the Baltimore area finally. We're still just having fun playing together again and finally making some money."

Q: What are your thoughts on the state of metal in 2008?

Forsythe: "All I know is a lot of the old bands from the 80s have gotten back together and are cashing in on this wave of nostalgia. I can't say that it's actually coming back into style, I think it's just being revisited for the time being. Although I do see a lot of young kids wearing the t-shirts and showing up at these festivals."

Q: As 2008 comes to a close, what was your favorite Metal Moment with Rhino Bucket and Kix?

Forsythe: "With Rhino Bucket... as we prepared to start recording the new record in the upstairs of my house this past summer, we nailed drywall over all the windows and skylights creating a cave like atmosphere. We then discovered that the central air only works in the downstairs portion of the house. Have you ever sat in an enclosed attic during the summer? When you listen to this new record you can hear the sweat. With Kix, Rocklahoma.”

Q: What are your Top 3 favorite albums of 2008?

Forsythe: "AIRBOURNE - Runnin' Wild ...that's the only new thing I can think of that I have listened to this year.”

Q: What can the fans expect to hear from Rhino Bucket and Kix in 2009?

Forsythe: "With Rhino Bucket we will have a new rockin' record out sometime this coming spring (title still pending) as well as more movie sound track placements and of course some sort of tour. With Kix more gigs in more places.”