1. so when and why did the Traditionals form ? Can you give us a brief history of the band? Where’d the name of the band come from and who came up with it?

The Traditionals were formed in the late summer of 1997. The band came together around the same time as my former band the Sussed split up. The original line up was Dave Harris, Joe Harris, Donovan Greenaway and Matt Mossoco. We played for two years with this lineup and recorded an unreleased 6 song Demo. Matt moved and was replaced with Rick Janus and the full length L.P. “No Choice” was released in 1999. We were briefly on GMM records and had been strung along in the promise of a new album on the label. The label folded and reorganized around this time, and the project never happened. In 2000 and 2001 we played Beer Olympics in Atlanta, Ga with Bands like The Templars, Oxymoron, Patriot and other great bands. In 2001 Donovan Left on vocals and Rob Faulkner came aboard as singer. We got a spot on Holidays in The Sun in 2002 in New Jersey and really enjoyed meeting a lot of the UK bands we grew up listening to. In 2003 we recorded the “Steel town” E.P. with the new line up. Impact records got a hold of the 6 songs and signed us to a two-album deal in 2003. We released “Dead Society” L.P. in 2004 that included songs from the steel town E.P. Dead society was well received and the band played for two years with the lineup on that record. In 2005 AJ replaced Rick on rhythm Guitar and in 2006 Matt replaced Craig on bass after 9 years. The band recorded our upcoming L.P. “Generation of today” in February 2007 and will be released on Impact records from Germany this fall. We all are happy with where the band is these days. Our lives become more complicated as we get older. Paying our bills and feeding our families takes precedence over our wants to tour more and move the band forward. We don’t plan on going away any time soon though, we keep writing songs and when we can, we will get out on the road. We are working out details for a tour in spring 2008 in Europe.

2. I know Dave was in the Sussed before joining have any of the other band members played in bands prior to joining the Traditionals ? are any of you involved in other bands/projects ?

AJ plays in a hardcore band called Deliberate Intent and he has played in several other projects growing up. Joe played drums during a brief reunion of the Sussed. Rob has also had some bands he was involved with as a kid and has a side project band called Booze and Broads.

3. what bands would you say most influence the bands music and yourselves ?

(Dave) I just really sit down and play riffs until I get something I like. I can’t say I try to write something in the model of another band but, since 1989 when I heard Infa-riot in a friend’s car on the way back from an Agnostic front show, I was hooked on British oi! and punk and would seek out the classic stuff like : The Blood, Business, Accident, Adicts, Cocksparrer, Sham 69, Betrayed, 4-skins, Case, Sex Pistols, The Crack, Stiff little fingers, Vibrators, UK Subs, Combat 84, Oppressed, Vicious Roomers the Partisans, Toy dolls, The Clash, Slaughter and the dog. I also liked a lot of early 80’s California stuff. We would listen to a lot of stuff from the 90’s like oxymoron, Templars, all of the headache records stuff that was coming out of jersey back then like wretched ones, Niblick Hembane, patriot, Evil conduct, Hardskin. I have always been a big fan of studio one, heartbeat, coxton dodd, and most old skinhead reggae ska, rocksteady and bluebeat stuff. Don’t think you’ll hear that in our sound but a fan never the less.

4. who comes up with the lyrics ? do they find it hard to come up with new material and how do you decide which songs to keep /put in your set and which to leave out ?

(Dave) I have written a good bit of lyrics, Rob has also written a lot of lyrics like the songs: Dead society” and “Protection “ Even when I write a song lyric, the band will usually help with the final details. I also have historically written the majority of the music riffs, but all songs are tweaked at practice and anything in the band is subject to a vote. If a majority of the band doesn’t like a song we won’t play it. Nowadays with the new line up AJ and Matt have written music and add a lot to the sound of the new L.P. I never really have a problem writing music or lyrics. Maybe I could do it for a living if we made more that $50 bucks a gig hahaha. People don’t wanna hear the truth these days. Working class guys playing songs about the way they live doesn’t have a place on MTV or in the heavily controlled mainstream media. We will still write what we want and not worry about the fame shit.

We have written and recorded over 50 songs and cannot fit them all in (nor would we want to) we play the singalong old songs that get the crowd going and we also play new stuff to keep them interested. We also play a cover or two at our gigs from old oi! bands that we like to pay tribute to.

5. have you got a favourite traditionals song or one that you're particularly proud of ? if so which one and why ?

My favorite song changes from time to time. “We had a deal” was it for a long time, but I like the new L.P “Generation of Today” tracks a lot and “Not gonna change” is my current favorite.

Not gonna change is about the world around you expecting you to conform with societies norm when you turn 30 or so, and our feeling of Fuck that. We still feel the way we did when we were 16 shaving our heads; we just have more life experience now to back up our disgust with our system. The songs about lacing up a pair of doc’s trying to look smart, having a beer with your friends without feeling guilty.

6. You played in Europe last year alongside evil conduct , 4promille and hardskin how'd that go ? and how did it come about ? How would you say playing in Europe compares to the states ?

Our tour in Europe last year was fucking awesome. We were able to party in Amsterdam for a couple days before the tour and then it was all beer drinking and mayhem the rest of the way. We were on Mosh’s Knockout tour and we were treated very well and made a lot of great friends in the process. As far as how you are treated in US as compared to Europe? You are treated like a piece of shit on the road in the states and are lucky to get a corner of a room to ball your flight jacket up for a pillow. No guarantees, poor turnouts, poor promotion, long, long drives etc. In Germany they treated us like human beings, three meals a day, beds on the bus to sleep, all the beer we could drink, organized venues and sound systems that made us feel like rock stars on stage comparatively. I would love to go back and we are in the process of a second tour this fall.

7. Have you got any plans to come back to Europe ? How about the UK?

Yes, we do have plans to come back this year at some point. I was trying to see about a spot on the Rebellion festival but we haven’t got a response yet. I would love to go to England. We know the language!! My German is non-existent. We’ll see. Maybe it will take us another 10 years to get there.

8. Back home in the states do you get to play shows regularly? Have you got a favorite venue/bar in your hometown?

Over the years we have played a lot locally. We try to keep it to one or two gigs a month at this point. We like to practice weekly and write songs more than play bar gig sometimes. The venue situation in Pittsburgh Sucks, dickhead promoter treat you like dirt and will make you sell tickets just to play the gig. You have to make the music, sell your tickets like a fucking girl scout cookie box, peddling your friends. We just decided after a while not to deal with them. We play at the Smiling Moose in the Southside and try to play all ages shows.

The Punk Scene in Pittsburgh is so segregated these days. Years ago all of the bands would play gigs in the name of punk rock but now the political punk scene doesn’t want nothing to do with us and we of them. They are mostly a bunch of pussies that talk a good game but will never back their words. There are a few bands we like playing with here though.

9. From the shows you've played has there been a favorite? And which bands that you've played with have impressed/disappointed you?

I would have to say that The HITS in New Jersey in 2002 was my favorite. Although the show in Leipzig Germany was awesome, there were nearly 1000 people there and most were sussed skinheads. You don’t get to see that too often in the states.

As far as a worst show……… We played while on tour in 1999 in a place called “Gaylordsville Connecticut” the name says it all. No one showed, it was us, a band from Texas, a band from Sweden and this hippie promoter who was the spitting image of Neil from the young ones. Long story short, this prick Neil set up this gig in a country town with no scene. Said, “he was trying to create one” his acid trip ended with us threatening to destroy the bar and demanding money out of him. The other bands left quickly when the commotion started. We made him call a friend to come and pay us cause he was out of cash. After all we drove 14 hours and were given a guarantee. We left with our money and some weird dude telling us he loves us and wants us to move to Costa Rica to play the concert circuit there. We had to drive away with this Costa Rican lunatic hanging from our van window………..Don’t ever play there!!!!!!!!!

10. You’re about to release your fourth full-length can you tell us about that? What can we expect and how does it compare to your previous releases?

This new L.P. “Generation of Today” is by far the best stuff we’ve put out in my opinion. We really liked “Dead society” and were a bit disappointed in the production quality of “The Way it is, was and will be” The new one is really good and it was stuck in car stereo’s of some friends I burned copies for. We re recorded a few off of the last L.P. because we felt the songs deserved better justice to be recorded at our usual studio.

11. You’re on the German label impact records how'd you hook up with them? Does it ever pose problems having an overseas label?

Andy (owner) of the label got a hold of a six song E.P. We recorded and offered us a deal in 2003. We have had a great relationship with Impact in the four years since. We have never had a problem with the over seas thing. We trust each other and are friends. I wish we were a bit more known, but I think that that’s from our inability to tour regularly. Gotta go to work to pay the bills , know what I mean.

12. What’s your thought on the current US scene? How do you think it compares to when you first got involved? And how would you like to see it go in the future?

Honestly the scene in the US is good when there is a festival or something, but I don’t see the turnouts at the local shows. Does not compare to when I was younger though. I don’t see the new breed causin trouble in the bars like we did, crashing fraternity keg parties and beating the shit out of people for the fun of it. I miss the look on the faces of the partygoers when 20 skins would knock on the door and ask to enter. Those days seem to be over around here. I think that the skinhead and punk culture will stick around for a long long time. Like bikers, Rockabillies, Mods, Hippies, and rudeboys, they have chipped out a groove in the world and working class people who take pride in themselves have a place to call home.

13. And what’s your local scene like? Are there many shows, bands etc? And do folks turn out for shows?

Pittsburgh scene seems to be in a lull. Not too many great shows to talk about lately. Folks turn out for some shows and not for others. If Dropkick murphies play then you’ll have 2000 little bastards in ivy hats boots, perrys and the whole nine. No one has ever seen them before. We still try and organize local gigs to get more of a following locally. It will come around again.

14. Which bands currently around in the states do you like? Are there any up n coming bands you'd advise us to look out for ?

I like Templars, Ivy League, Vanguard, Straight Laced, Aggrolites. There are a lot of bands that don’t come to mind that I like.

15. How’d you get into punk/oi! etc ? And what does being a skinhead mean to you?

When I was about 15 I felt out of place n high school cause my family didn’t have money and the new air Jordan’s were out of moms price range if you know what I mean. Some of the friends I skated with shaved their heads and began to hang around a local skinhead crew called “grudge skins”. I really identified with these guys cause they would brag about a 2 dollar Fred Perry they got at a thrift shop. I shaved my head one night after drinking Mickey’s big mouth and shouting 4skins songs until 4 am or so. I have never grown it since and it’s been over 16 years. 99% of the guys in the crew in 1990 have faded from the scene.

I am still proud to associate myself with skins. Most of the real skins I have met over the years were good peple. I mean what else can you be involved with where if I were to say, come over to England, have a pint with you, and five guys start fucking with us. I mean, I don’t even have to know you personally to know that if you’re a skin then you’ll have my back.

16. What do you think about the fact that so many people are on the net? And what’s your opinion on myspace ? Do you think its a good thing or do you see a downside to it all?

I try not to fight technology. I mean I still got my vinyl for nostalgic reasons but I think that the access to people and music on the net is great. I used to have to jump through hoops and go on road trips for music. Now all you need to do is type your thought into google and go. Myspace is really cool I think, and I wish I had more time to go on there. I had to get my Internet shut off cause I couldn’t afford it. I do like browsing through bands pages and listening to the music.

I think the downside is that bands that would squeak by with record and Cd sales while on the road and now get next to nothing with the download revolution. Therefore many of the band you may have seen come to be, will split up after financial problems. When you practice for hours on end weekly to lose money at your gigs it gets frustrating. We look at it as an interest and that way when we lose it’s like paying your bowling league dues or something.

17. How do you feel about so many of the older bands getting back together? Do you think its good or bad for the scene / music in general?

I think it’s a good thing I got to see Cocksparrer in NYC in 2001, The Adicts in 94 and in 2002, Stiff little fingers, The Business, UK Subs. As long as they still put out good sounds. I hate it when a band reforms in a drunken stupor and plays the songs out of tune and key. They should get back to warming the corner barstool at the local pub. There are Jamaican acts like the Skatalites, toots and the Maytalls, the Melodions, Laurell aitken that been playing for 40 year’s together. That’s what keeps me going.

18. What would you say are the best and worst things about the scene today?

Best thing would have to be the internet and the worst would have to be too many labels and subdivisions in punk. You’ll here bands describe themselves as “we’re kinda like streetpunk,crustcore, goth with a twist of emo and oi!” This shit is getting ridiculous.

19. What’s currently on your CD/record player? And best record or CD you've bought?

I was just listening to “The Member’s” Sounds of the suburbs” and my favorite records are probably, “Cocksparrer’s Shock troops” or The Partisans “The Time was right”

20. what have the traditionals got planned for the future ?

More music, more good times with our friends drinking beer, and who knows maybe we’ll write that hit tune that gets us millions and we’ll be eating little olives on a yacht, but not likely.

21. Any messages??

Buy the new CD when it comes out, don’t download it. We will use the money to get to your town. Thanks for the interview Sean. The questions were great and it really gave me a chance to reflect the history of the band and my life. If anyone wants to contact us e-mail thetraditionals@hotmail.com

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