ROGUE TROOPER are a hardcore influenced Oi! band from Western MA in the states, with a 7" out and an LP soon to follow. Questions answered by singer Cole.
- How and when did Rogue Trooper form, and how did you end up choosing the name?
RT started with Shane moving out to Western MA from Boston. Him and I played a few times and ended up settling on an oi/skinhead hc style project as it was a sound we were both interested in. Ethan got added for the demo and Andrew just after that when we started playing gigs. Rogue Trooper is a Subculture song. It’s my opinion that you’re never going to have a good band name so if you can settle on something that no one hates you did pretty good.
2. You guy's come from western Massachusetts, what's the scene like there for gigs, bands etc? Do you get out of the area to play very often?
Only Ethan and Andrew are from out here, Shane and I are both from Eastern MA. The music community is very strong for a rural area, but since it’s a college town it definitely ebbs and flows as many people move in and out. There are a lot of interconnected scenes, and I think in general it seems to generate mixed bills which is cool.
3. What are some of yer favourite bands from the area? Is the scene tied into Boston, or quite separate?
There are a lot of good bands, some of our favorites are Tortured Skull, Corrode, Dirt Devil, Lendl, and Gay Mayor. There is some cross over as it’s a small state, but Boston has cracked down heavily on DIY venues so we see a fair few Boston residents at western shows. Of the bar and club type shows we mostly have to go to Boston or New York to see bigger bands.
4. To my ears anyway, you guys seem to verge on hardcore style wise in addition to more straight ahead Oi! anthems like "Boots On The Ground" and "Army Of One". Which of the two genres would you say is more of an influence on the band, and what bands would you say are a collective influence on you boys?
Definitely hardcore. We have all been in hardcore bands since high school and that sound is the one we are familiar with. While we all like a lot of 80s Oi I wouldn’t say we have any specific loyalty to the genre. I think we all have felt a pull toward writing more rnr style songs. I can only speak for me, but I always loved Oi lyrics about boots and what’s in the heart of a skinhead and shit. All the songs about putting on the stuff are my favourite. I guess the skinflicks have always been my go to on that tip.
5. Is there any lyrical themes to yer lyrics, be in personal, political, whatever? Are you a fan of bands with a political agenda, or not so much?
This most recent record ended up being much more political than I originally intended, I ran out of songs about lacing up after the 7”. The title of the album “class decline” I think is a good description of the industrial malaise that characterizes a lot of the mill towns out here. I do think the skinhead tradition of being proud of working culture, and addressing issues affecting working people is an important one inside the punk and rock umbrella. I hope some of my lyrics pull from that. Ethan and I are both carpenters so I had to throw in at least a couple songs about being on the job site. As far as music politics in general, I definitely want to let people know where we stand. If you’re playing skinhead music in 2018 you can’t be a fencewalker about white nationalism. We’ve had some people like that at our away games. Nazis can eat a gun, don’t come to our gigs.
6. You've got an LP coming out soon on Rebellion Records, based out of the Netherlands. How did you come to get hooked up with them on the album, and is there a North American distributor aswell or is it solely a European release?
I like that American Oi blog that Mano does. I sent him the demo to review a couple of years back and we got to talking about Rebellion potentially putting out an LP. Big thanks to Mano and Wouter over there.
7. What does the future look like for Rogue Trooper, as far as plans for releases, tours etc?
I would love to get to Europe at some point, but I am content playing locally with whatever touring bands we can help out. We live in a great spot for doing weekend tours since Boston, NYC, Philly, and DC are less than a days drive away.
8.What would yer dream line up for a gig look like, with all active bands?
Steel Pulse, Judas Priest, Rush, and Rogue Trooper at the VFW hall in Hadley MA.
9. Final comments?
Thanks for the interest and to anyone who has given us a listen. You can hit us up for questions or merch at Roguetrooperband@gmail.com
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