After some delay the split EP between The Warlords and True Grit should be out this week on Stratum Records. As you could have read in the review already I really like this band's sound, so with this new release it was about time I'd have a little chat with these guys. Drummer Jesus and vocalist Dean talk about the band's past, the new split EP, football and Los Angeles.

 

Hi, first of all thanks for your time to do this interview! How is everything going?

 

Jesus: Thank you for the opportunity. Everything is going good thanks for asking. 

 

Dean: Everything is going well, we have some momentum with the band going and we see that our future is looking bright!

 

You guys started out in 2003 after skinhead reggae band The Vessels disbanded. While other ex-Vessels members went on to form yet another skinhead reggae group (which some of you know as The Aggrolites) you guys went on to form an Oi! band. First of all, what was the main reason to start an Oi! band instead of (another) reggae band?

 

Jesus: I'll let Dean answer that one since he started the band. 

 

Dean: Well, it kind of started as a joke. Whenever we had a break in practice or after practice we’d get together and mess around with some Oi covers like the Oppressed or the Business. I started writing some material just off the cuff and it sounded pretty good. I still love to play reggae and we actually incorporate reggae into our live set. We do a rendition of the Upsetters “give me power,” Jackie Mittoo’s “freak out,” as well as some original material. Be on the look out for some reggae tracks that we recorded with Roger Rivas, coming out soon.  

 

Who in the band has been around since day one and what is your current line-up?

 

Jesus: Dean our singer is the only original member and pretty much the founder of the band. Myself(Jesus/drummer) joined in 2005. Miguel (guitar) joined sometime in 2008. Ricky(bass) joined in 2009 if I remember correctly. 

 

Dean: Yeah, I am the only original member. After the Vessels broke up I started writing new material and recording it in my bedroom with the bass player from the Vessels (Josh Whittemore). I think you can still hear some of those tracks on our myspace page (you may also be able to hear the last Vessels song ever recorded/performed, “don’t let me down” on there) Josh eventually went on to focus on DJing Northern Soul and Reggae Gems. I was left without a solid line up for about a year and had many lineup changes. When Mosquito joined the band in 2005, that’s when things really started to take off.  To date this is our strongest line up. 

 

This week you guys got your first release coming out on vinyl that isn’t a demo or a compilation. A split with Canadian band True Grit on Stratum Records. You guys excited for this release?

 

Jesus: Yes we are really excited. I am a collector of vinyl, so to hear music that I helped create on vinyl just gives me an unexplainable feeling inside. 

 

Dean: I am very excited about this! It’s an honor to even be asked to release anything.

 

Can you tell a little how this release came together? Did you as a band had any influence in who the split would be with?

 

Jesus: actually we didn't have any influence. The split was originally supposed to be with another band from England. However, Stratum told us they wouldn't have their music recorded in time for the split so they decided to go with True Grit instead. Personally I'm glad cause True Grit is one hell of a band. 

 

Dean: It’s amazing that we live in this technological age. We received an email inquiring about doing a split and I was very surprised.  I thought to myself ‘how did anyone hear about us on the other side of the globe?’ I don’t think we had any say who the split was with but I am glad Stratum paired us up with True Grit because they are a great band!

 

All band members have a Hispanic background and you profile yourself as a anti-racist band. Is racism still something you come across in daily life, or is it a statement towards the scene in general?

 

Jesus: Yes we are all born in the US but have Mexican roots. We are anti racist but don't like to label ourselves as a SHARP band. Once you put any kind of label that involves any politics on yourself things start getting complicated. We have a song called 'Our Scene' which talks about keeping our scene free of racism. Racism is still a problem in the US. Not so much at our shows because it's not tolerated. It is however a statement to the scene in general. It's nonsense and shouldn't be tolerated. 

 

Dean:  I don’t know if we profile ourselves as an anti racist band per se. We are a traditional skinhead band. You know, real skinheads, and racism is just not part of the package.  If that isn’t clear, than we alleviate any confusion when we play our reggae songs in our set. As Mosquito (Jesus) mentioned, “Our Scene” depicts that L.A. Skinheads do not tolerate racism. The lyrics are based on, not just our feelings on the subject, but based on actual incidents that we have witnessed or heard about.

 

If it wasn’t clear already, it became clear after seeing the cover of this split EP… you guys are into football! What got you into this sport in the first place?

 

Jesus: I actually used to play soccer when I was 5 yrs old. I never played again until I met Dean and Jonathan(former guitar player) as well as some other friends. We started playing on Saturday mornings just for fun. Watching football on tv came from my family. Most of my uncles would watch it on tv and I just sat around watching it with them and so began my love for the game and my team. 

 

Dean:  I got into to soccer when I went to college. I met some punks and skins that played in an alley behind a grocery store on Wednesday nights; they played in DM boots and used dumpsters for goals. Getting kicked in the shins with a steel toe wasn’t fun.  Then I started playing with my brother and some friends on Saturdays in a park with proper gear.

 

Do you support LA Galaxy or any other smaller teams in the city? How is the atmosphere in the stadium?

 

Jesus: Dean is actually a big supporter of LA Galaxy. I personally am not. I've been to the stadium and the atmosphere is great. Pretty friendly and mostly family oriented. 

 

Dean: Hahaha! I am the only Galaxy fan in the lot and I am proud to support local football. I think Ricky likes some AYSO team called the Purple Tigers (haha j/k). The atmosphere is great in the Stadium.  I usually get to the game a few hours before game time and pre-party with Angel City Brigade and visit friends in L.A. Riot Squad.  Both are supporters groups that sing their hearts out for our club during the game.

 

Does your team have a firm? What are firms in the USA like? Can you give an example of an action that was played on a rival firm?

 

Jesus: LA Galaxy actually do have a couple of "supporters" groups. Angel City Brigade(ACB) and LA Riot Squad(LARS). I know some of them and have played a little footie with them as well as  performed(Warlords) at some of their events. Firms in the USA are probably not as violent as other countries but they do have their moments. There is always a strong police presence which doesn't allow for things to get out of hand too much. They do however travel to other cities/states to support their teams. 

 

Dean: On the record, no, but we do have heated rivalries between supporter groups.  There have been a few scuffles between other team’s supporter groups (especially on away days). I think the cops have over reacted on more than one occasion and put a few our friends in jail for the night. My best friend got banned from the stadium for lighting a Chivas USA flag on fire.It’s nothing like our L.A. Dodgers fans, though.

 

You follow any foreign / overseas leagues? What are your favorite non-American teams? Know anything about my team, Feyenoord Rotterdam?

 

Jesus: Actually the team I follow(the only team I follow) is in a foreign league. They are Club Deportivo Guadalajara also known as Chivas(goats). They play in the Mexican Premier Division and are from my family’s home town. I myself am not very familiar with your team but I have seen a pretty funny picture circulating on the Internet of a small child at a game wearing a jersey and flipping off the opposing team. 

 

Dean:  I watch, Euro football but I cannot say that I support any team. I just like watching good football.  I recently arbitrarily picked Tijuana Xolos to follow in the Mexican league, simply because they are geographically closest and they have a several Mexican American players on the team. The main teams I like are the USA national and the Mexican national teams.

 

Okay enough about sports for now… What are your plans after this EP? Got anything else in the works at the moment?

 

Jesus: Well we plan on releasing our own four song EP in the near future on a German label. We just got contacted by another label from Spain to release a two song 7" record. That would include 'Stand Strong' and another unreleased track as well. Hopefully after that we could work on putting out our first LP.

 

Dean:  Now that we have a couple of releases under our belt, I would like to focus on playing more out of town shows to build our fan base and support our records. 

 

And what about the LA scene, how is the scene there at the moment. You guys have been around for a while, did it change for the better or for the worse over the years?

 

Jesus: The scene in LA certainly isn't what it used to be back in the 90's. It is however getting better. Oi/Street Punk bands are starting emerge again and helping to put LA back on the map. We've been around on and off since 2003. Ever since we started dedicating ourselves full time to the band and making this scene what it once was(with less violence of course) I could say we helped change it for the better. Not us alone but with the help of some of the promoters out here and some awesome bands who are dedicated, like us, the scene has changed for the better. 

 

Dean:  Mosquito is right, it wasn’t like the 90’s with skinhead bbqs every weekend and alive and thriving crews in almost every city.   I believe, the scene has grown and gotten better since we have started (comparatively). We have gotten to the point where we are relevant and important to the scene. We are kind of the founders of the new era of the skinhead culture in L.A. We, along with other like-minded bands want to promote a unified skinhead/punk scene, without the drama and divisiveness that we had in the past. It’s just not worth ruining a show over some stupid beef that wont even matter after the night is over. The scene is filled with hard working people that just want to come out, unwind, and have a good time. We want to give them an experience that lets them get away from the woes of everyday life without having to worry about adding more BS to their already stressful lives.  It should always be about a good time and that’s what we give them.

 

Any local bands you can recommend?

 

Jesus: A few bands we enjoy sharing the stage with from our neck of the woods would be RILE 9 COLLECTIVE, AGGROCULTURE US, SHARK SKIN, BRICKTOP(Arizona), THE INDUSTRY(Arizona) and THE TARFONS(skinhead reggae from Bakersfield CA). 

 

Dean:  All great bands and good dudes! Check out Rivas Records for a great example of some L.A. reggae.  

 

Okay that’s it, thanks again for your time! If you’d like to add something, please feel free to do so!

 

Jesus: Thanks again for the opportunity. Also a big thank you to everyone out there who has helped us along the way. Keep a look out for our upcoming releases. Remember your scene is what you make it. 

 

Dean:  Cheers and KTF.