Vocalist of heavy metal band Texas Hippie Coalition (THC for short)  Big Dad Ritch is, as his name implies, big in stature and big in personality. As the frontman for the band that pioneered “red dirt metal,” he commands the stage completely with his gigantic cowboy hat, tattoos and hilarious persona To celebrate 4/20, the release of Dark Side of Black, Texas Hippie Coalition’s fourth full-length on April 22, and THC’s upcoming tour, Big Dad Ritch spoke to Myspace about living large, smoking weed and playing hard.

Hometown: Denison, Texas. Birthplace of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the KING OF TEXAS — BIG DAD RITCH. In 1948, the town premiered John Wayne's movie, a Howard Hawks directed western called The Red River in full on Hollywood style.

Homebase: Texas outlaws hideout in Oklahoma. NO CAN TELL.

How did THC form?

Some would call it happenstance or maybe even a meeting of chance. I call it destiny... We formed this band to save the planet.

Did you grow up listening to music as a kid? Did that influence you as a musician?

My parents were hippies who played music all the time. You might wake up to Led Zeppelin and ZZ Top one morning, Fleetwood Mac and Steve Miller the next, and then Waylon (Jennings) and Willie (Nelson) the next. As a young lad, I would face the speakers towards each other and lay my head between them... Turn it up!

Who are your biggest musical inspirations?

Johnny Cash is the very reason I wear all black. Waylon and Willie are the very reason for the OUTLAW spirit. ZZ Top, Molly Hatchett, 38 Special and Lynyrd Skynyrd are the reason we sound like the DIRTY SOUTH. Mötley Crüe and Van Halen are the reason we party too hard. Pantera, Corrosion of Conformity and Clutch are the reason we GROOVE. Put that in your CHILI…

Why are you called Texas Hippie Coalition? Was it intentional that you'd be called THC for short?

Now you’re using your KAknoggin. I'm from Texas and am very proud of that. My parents were hippies, like I said, and raised me in tribal fashion. Coalition comes from the fact that we're not just four dudes fighting for the cause. We have chapters of fans all around the world, and the COALITION grows in number each and every day.

How does being Texan influence your music?

Come on now... it's in the name, it’s in the sound, it's in the lyrics, it's in us. Waylon, Willie, ZZ Top, and Pantera: you hear it? You heard me!

When did you first realize that weed and music go together? What was that experience like?

My dad was running from Texas lawmen when he took us up to Seattle, Washington to hide out. He would wake up in the morning, smoke weed, drink coffee and listen to music before he went to work. I would wake with him because I loved the smell of the weed and the coffee, and I loved the sound of that music coming through those speakers. I loved my dad as well. Though he never passed me that joint until I turned 19.

Weed is a mind opener. If you've never smoked, then you have never explored the outer limits of your mind. If you have smoked weed before, then you know, and if you’re smoking right now, then you’re smiling or laughing…

What are you doing to celebrate 4/20?

Smoking the state of Colorado.

Burning down the Dakota Hills.

Time to Ride.

(Texas Hippie Coalition is performing shows in North Dakota, South Dakota and Colorado during the week of 4/20, including their album release party in Denver on 4/23. Visit http://thcofficial.com/ for more info.)

What's the craziest weed-related thing that’s happened to the band so far?

Nothing really crazy, though our definitions of crazy may vary. One time I had purchased 600 pounds of weed. The mule accidentally dropped off 1200 pounds of weed. So I asked my bass player, “Hey, can I store my deep freezer at your house for a couple of months?” Of course he said sure. When I went to pick it up, I unlocked it to be sure all contents were inside. That's when Jawn saw it and he was like, “HOLY sheep shit, Batman.” He just looked at me, smiled, and helped me load it in the truck. Then he reached back in the freezer, grabbed two pounds, and said, “You’re welcome.” He's a great guy, took it well. He kept those two pounds too, deservingly so.

Let’s talk about your upcoming release. Why is it called Dark Side of Black? What does it mean?

No matter how dark things are, there is always something darker. Let's say a good soul sees a villain kill his mother and father. He suffers his name being slandered from lies and false tales. Then in the end, instead of becoming a hero and saving everyone, his soul darkens and he does not seek justice, though he does seek justified revenge. Thus, the good soul shows a DARK SIDE OF BLACK never before seen.

The villain that killed his family pales in comparison to his darkness. Haters gonna hate, feed them bullets…

If you were a hashtag, what would you be?

#YourDADDY!

Do you have an awesome MySpace-related story as a musician?

I've always liked MySpace, it's Facebook I fucking hate. One time I landed in Seattle, and on Myspace I wrote, “Hey I'm in Seattle and I need some THC.” Two hours later, I had about two ounces.

Yay Myspace, yay THC.

What's your favorite way of imbibing THC?

Let me sing it for you...
Well when I wrote this song I was hittin the BONG
If you was HIGH like me you'd be singing along...
Sing it with me!
When I wrote this song I was hittin the bong...
Love you motherfuckers.