The Borderguards are a Canadian Oi!/Rock N Roll band, this is one of the first interviews ever made with them.Interview made over E-mail with Victor Pratt (Lead Guitar) by Stellan.
Where do you come from?
The city of Calgary in western Canada.
When did you guys start playing punk/oi music?
The band was put together in the summer of 1999 with Brian singing for us. Joe, John and myself played together in an Oi! band called the Spartans before this line up though.
Whats the current lineup?
Brian Stogran-Vocals/guitar
Victor Pratt-Lead guitar
John Kohler-Bassist
Joe Oulovsky-Hard hitting drummer
We also play with a bagpiper from time to time. Our piper piped in the Canadian Military and we are writing an original song with him right now.
How would you describe your music?
I would call it 4 chords and the truth. Some people have called us "oi-a-billy" because we definately have a rockabilly influence. I would say that we take the best of both genres and make some great fast and hard street punk with it. Canadian patriotic rock.
Any live gigs? Are you going to Europe in a future?
We have played quite a few shows at bars and clubs and a few house parties and are now starting to be asked to headline by promoters in the city here. As for Europe, we would love to make it over there to play but we have no plans as of yet. We are currently writing for our next release and should be recording in February of 2001. I would love to go to Europe and drink beer and meet some nice women though.......Maybe someday someone will help s get over there.
Have you signed any record company or do you do it DIY?
We are currently doing it DIY which can be expensive but has its advantages.We would be interested in hearing what a record company could offer us though but as it stands we are an independant band.
Do you have any CD´s / Demos / Lp´s out?
We have an 8 song s/t CD out and would like for distributors to get in touch with us for the European scene and where ever else.It can be ordered through us at the address provided if ya write I will send ya some stickers .CD's cost $10 postpaid .just register the envelope if you are sending cash:
The Borderguards
Ogden Postal Outlet
pob 49055
7740-18th St. S.E.
Calgary,Alberta
T2C 1Y5 Canada
What is the current scene in Canada for the moment?
As far as skinheads,it is ok,there are alot of freshcuts that I have seen here and few nazis if any at all where I live. We used to have a big crew but now there are only a few of us older ones left hanging out and a few decent freshcuts from in and around the city. Hopefully soon it will be like it was a few years ago when we had a big crew going on.
Any favourite bands that you take influences from??
All of us enjoy listening to Oi! and old school punk music as well as rockabilly and ska. I know that we are not very ska influenced as a band but I love all the old ska and some new ska too. Maybe we will write something to pay homage to ska but as a guitarist i feel that ska is much more fun to drink and fuck to than play. We do try to blend genres of music like the Clash and Redskins did as it makes for really good listening but we are still just the standard 4 piece rock band. Some bands that I would like to list are the 4-skins,The Oppressed,DKM, old Sham 69 (Pursey is a fucking tit too though), Agnostic Front, FEAR, The Blasters, Hi Fi and the Roadburners, The Redskins, THE CLASH!!!!!!!!, SOCIAL DISTORTION (although Mike Ness is also a fucking rock star is very conceited too), Bovver Wonderland, Sledgehammer, Johnny Cash .....ah..the list goes on and on.....
Now im going to write something and i want you to write what you think of the subject.
What do you think of:
Punks - Some are OK if they dont fuck with the skins. I have some punk friends.
Hardcore - I listen to older hardcore . Dont really listen to the new stuff from today unless it is an old band that is still around like A.F. or Sick of it all.
Oi! - Love Oi! music..Oi!Oi!Oi! fucking skinheads get your haircut!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SXE / Vegans - Can go and fuck off don´t care about them!
Börje Salming - Was a good player for the Toronto Maple Leafs!!
Canadian Hockey - We are losing alot of our players and teams to the yanks down south but I will watch Canadian hockey until the day i die.
Swedish Hockey - not very familiar with, sorry!
Commies - The ideology is well intended but many commies I have talked to are elitist and secretive. I am not a political skinhead whatsoever but have read much about communism and while I can see what is trying to be achieved I do not think that it can be achieved so easily unless people were robots.
USA - The yanks are taking our hockey teams away and bug me saying "aboot" and EH? all the time in chat rooms on the net, weak beer, strong smelly cigarettes, "friendly" women.....uh...and that stupid fucking movie "Southpark", some great bands come from the USA though......... !!
White Laces \ Braces - I know that in some places these are supposed to mean something, like skinheads is a fucking gang. Thats retarded. I find that mainly boneheads buy into that lace politic shit but for me they can take the white laces and go wipe their fucking asses with them. I just keep mine black,.....i know trads that wear white laces though.....lace politics are the stupidest thing that happened to the scene, I think people should wear whatever color of laces they like but thats not possible anymore....why do nazis wear red laces when thats the color of the left? FUCK LACE POLITICS!
Thanks for your time Borderguards!
You can find mp3´s of this great band at: www.mp3.com/borderguards
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