The following is an interview I did with The Ska Blazers on April 11th, 1997 after the show with Social Savvy, The Boils, and The Ska Blazers at Penn State Highacres (Hazleton Campus), at the Commons.
Up-Upbeat! Skazine
BP-Brian Potash / M-Mark / BS-Bryan Selders / E-Eric
Up-Okay, how about first you tell me your names and who is currently in the band and what each person does.
E -I’m Eric, I play bass and order people around.
M-I’m Mark, I play sax and make sure everything is in tune.
BS-I’m Bryan...Selders..um, I play guitar....
E-His initials are BS.
BS-My initials are BS...and uh..well..
E-SB backwards.
BS-SB backwards. I’ve had two girlfriends with the initials SB. Thank you.
BP-There’s Chris Kleckner who plays trombone, trumpet, and flute. Scott Gunshore who plays drums. Jamie plays trumpet. And me, Brian, I’m the lead guy, frontman, singer, slidewhistler of the band.
E-The rebel rouser....he gets the crowd goin’.
BP-They all met me at the candy store.
Up-Have you guys recorded recently or do you have plans?
BP-Within 24 hours we will head back in the studio, we’re going in tomorrow afternoon.
Up-Are you going to record new songs?
BP-Yes, sir..
E-Doin’ a split with The Boils, to be out on Supermodel Records.
BP-Yup, and....
E-A song for a compilation for the Checkered Demon Scooter Club 5th Anniversary.
BP-And a couple other songs.
E-We’re gettin’ there.
BP-And a couple other comps I didn’t clue you guys in on yet.
E-Yeah, we didn’t even find out yet.
BP-Yeah, and basically if this works well and we like the studio, we’re goin’ go back in and knock out a full length.
Up-When do you think a full length would be out?
BP-Have no idea. (laughs) I’ve learned from last time saying “6 months man, 6 months” and then all kinds of disasters happened. So, I’m saying we’re going in tomorrow to do 4 songs. (laughs)
E-At least.
Up-Which bands influence your sound?
BP-Uh....about anything we’ve ever listened to, I would say, yeah, that’s the best way to do it. ‘Cause we don’t really sit down and like-none of us listen to one type of music or one band or anything....
Up-How would you describe your sound?
BP-Uh....
E-LOUD FAST CRAP (laughs)
BP-That’s how we’ve been described before...
BP-How would you describe our sound?
Up-Uh....
E-Ah...turn the interview on you...
Up-Uh....it’s ska...almost a ska-core at times.
BP-Do you say that based on sound or presentation?
Up-Both....
E-I would say we have good ska bass and we swing anywhere over toward the jazz and a little over towards the hardcore...it’s a full spectrum.
BS-We only use distortion on like 2 songs.
BP-They have a rhythm section that plays chaotically fast usually and can vary at times with uh......(I accidentally recorded over about 3 seconds right here)........and then me, doin’, I don’t know, what I do.
E-But Mark’s too new so he’s afraid to dance around, he kind of just stands there.
M-Nah, I dance around (laughs)
?- His legs are too fragile yet, all his muscles...(lots of laughs, I can’t understand what else was said)
M- Hey, I’ve been dancin’ lately.
Up-You’ve been playing Philly alot since you go to school out there...How is the Philly scene?
BP-Ah....the Philly scene.
BS-It’s blooming.
Up-I don’t get out there much, so I don’t even know.
E-Well, Ruder Than You and Public Service are the bands that people think tend to draw because they used to maybe two years ago and such but now there are a bunch of smaller bands coming up like The Upstanders and us. Uh, Sean Agnew actually puts on alot of shows.
Up-Yeah, R5 Productions.
BP-But uh, it’s not about the productions, it’s about the bands and trying to get more and more shows up....I mean the Philly scene right now........it’s in its beginning phases. ‘Cause there’s really nowhere to do shows. The one place that did all ages shows, The Unitarian Church..
Up-Shutdown?
BP-Well, in danger of being shutdown.
E-Because of a hardcore show.
BP-They now want insurance tax and all that kind of stuff that noone can afford to put on shows because of violence.
BS-Some kid got beat up with a baseball bat...thanks to Eric. (lots of laughs!)
E-(tough guy talk!) (tons of laughs!).....BAM! Right in the face!
Up-Have you played much outside of Pennsylvania?
BS-Uh yeah, we’ve played like Virginia, New Jersey alot, Delaware, Maryland, New York...we’ve played around.
E- We go on many weekend tours.
Up-Do you think you’ll ever get a small tour together of the East?
BP-I think it’ll have to take some time. I mean right now touring would be a life changing kinda thing where you have to dedicate all your time to being out on the road and playing every night and canceling school and relations and jobs and everything else and just kinda be out on the road.
E-We have to get a few more releases out first. We’ll be better known and it’ll be easier to get a tour.
Up-What’s your favorite place to play, if you have one?
E-Lately the small shows have been the best. Like tonight.
BP-Yeah, tonight was great.
E-We played a great show at this little high school called Moravian Academy with Spring Heeled Jack and Eastern Standard Time.
M-That was awesome!
Up-Was that only open to Moravian Students?
E-Yeah, we could sneak people in, like if you were with us...
M-You missed out, buddy! It was awesome!
Up-Who else played? Did The Slackers play?
BP-No, it was Eastern Standard Time and Spring Heeled Jack.
Up-Good bands.
BS-You look like the trombone guy from EST.
E-He used to be in The Classified. Yeah, so you’ve been band touring...
Up-Oh, yeah.....
E-Did you change the pictures on your web page yet?
Up-No....(laughs)
BP-You only have us (from the band)....woohoo....we’re the important guys!
Up-You know you’re the only band on the page that has any pictures.
BP-Thank you, thank you..
E-My 12 year old nephew saw it the other day, pointed it out to my uncle, he said look it’s a GOOFY picture of Eric. (laughs)
Up-Do you think you’ll play Hazleton again soon?
BP-Uh, yeah, we’d love to..I mean the only reason we haven’t done so recently is because there’s not many places that do shows. I mean, like I said, we are originally from the area, and I’m originally from the area and I have done shows in the past here and there’s just not many places that are willing to do it and those that are are really shady, like they want to do them on Tuesday nights in bars and that kind of stuff, but tonight obviously shows there is a place.
Up-Yeah, there’s been lots of shows here lately.
BP-Really?
Up-And this fall I’m going to start putting on shows here so you’re welcome to come.
BP-Great.
(Right here 3 or more people are talking, I can’t understand much of anything....my recorder sucks!)
BP-Yeah, we’d love to play here again..I mean, we got a really good response.
E- The Pittston Mall....that’s our dream! (laughs)
BS-That and a Bar Mitzvah.
BP-Yeah, we’d love to do a bar mitzvah, believe it or not. I mean, we’re self described bar mitzvah music
E- Oh, my uncle thinks we sound like a cross between Frank Zappa and Stanky and the Coalminers.
BS-That’s the best description we could come up with.
M-There ya go.
E-Stanky and the Coalminers are a polka band from the Wilkes-Barre area, in case you’re not familiar.
Up-Out of the bands you’ve played with, who have been your favorites to play with?
BP-Uh..I think Spring Heeled Jack is one of my favorites..everytime we play with them they just amaze me more and more...really good guys and really good music.
Up-Mantis Green Days...Spring Heeled Jack!
BP-There ya go!
BP-Who else...The Boils are always fun to play with..
E-I really loved playin’ with The Classified when they were together.
BP-They were a good band, yeah.. from the DC area.. they were alot of fun.
Up-Were they ska?
BP-Yeah.
E-You should know, you played trombone for them!
BP-Yeah!
Up-Oh, I’m sorry, I was just testin’ ya. (laughs)
BP-But uh, who else.... Less Than Jake is always fun. I mean we’ve never really had bad experiences with any of the bands we’ve played with, like alot of the big name Moon bands are always really cool to us.
Up-Do you think you’ll ever be on Moon?
BP-Uh...
E-Well, they distribute our 7” for us now. It’s pretty nice. Went to New York, saw it in the store, felt all important.
BP-I think the whole thing..(more than 1 person talking, can’t understand a few words)..where people can be overwhelmed by name and I mean Moon’s a record company that I mean, in any way, the band is making Moon money. You know, yeah, Moon can help the band by having their name on it, but I mean it’s still a business, but, so, I mean if they offer us a good deal, then yeah, I’m sure we would do it. But, right now, we’re not really there yet...
E-But it’s the best distribution for ska, so of course we wouldn’t turn it down!
BP-Yeah, right, exactly...we would obviously utilize it for that...you know, we’re on good terms with them.
Up-What do you think about the whole ska getting popular and Mtv thing?
E-I saw a Less Than Jake video the other day and I was pretty impressed with the spanking part. (laughs)
BS-I don’t have Mtv.
BP-Yeah, we don’t have cable, so...
Up-Would you guys want to be on Mtv?
BP-Well, yeah!
BS-My mom would watch that.
M-We’re rock stars! (laughs)
BP-Actually, our shirt is in the Mephiskapheles video, so we’ve already been on Mtv. But uh, honestly as far as ska turning big I don’t see the downside other than maybe an immediate downside of the people who aren’t totally down with the scene comin’ and checkin’ it out, but that’s still a positive thing. I mean everyone gets turned on to a sound at one time or another and it doesn’t matter if you’re 9, or if you’ve been back in the day, or whatever. There has obviously been a time when someone didn’t know about something.
?-My mom just got my hooked on raw eggs. And I’ve been diagnosed. (laughs)
BP-And back on this continent...
Up-So how does it feel to be back in Hazleton, Brian?
BP-Frightening.
E-His parents came to the show...
BP-Yeah, my folks came to their first show ever.
Up-I called your dad, ya know.
BP-Yeah, he called me and said, “So I hear you’re playing Hazleton?” I wasn’t going to tell them. I was debating if I should tell them or not.. and well, they found out, thanks to Vince!
(I cut out a bunch of stuff right here that would make this interview even longer, it was some really funny stuff, but that’s part of the reason why I cut it out, I couldn’t understand a bunch of it because we were laughing so much!)
BP-Yeah, Kyle has recently left the band. He’s been with us since the beginning, and he’ll be with us ‘till the end, but no longer on keyboard.
(even more cut out)
BP-Well, I think the guy running the place wants to get out of here, so....
Up-Okay, how about an address where people can reach you and get a 7”.
BP-Yeah, send correspondence, you know letters and anything to Ska Blazers c/o Brian 6648 N. Eighth Street Apt 3 Philadelphia, PA 19126
E-If you send anything to the old address it’s Newcoxeville, not Newloxeville.
Up-All right, thanks alot guys.
That was my first real interview that I did in person, I sent out the Skankin’ Pickle one before this, but that doesn’t really count.
I thought it came out pretty good, and I hope other people agree..
I saw Brian and Bryan at the Skavoovie show (June 1st, 1997) at the Sapphire nightclub, so I got some updated information on the Ska Blazers. Their drummer got a job that he couldn’t pass up in Arizona, so The Ska Blazers are playing no more shows until further notice-they are looking for a new drummer. They have been in the studio like crazy lately and they should be done with a full length by the time you read this, and they think that a CD could possibly be released this summer! I saw Brian and Mark at the Mobtown show (July 27th, 1997) in Philly, so I have even more up to date information about the band. They got a new drummer, he’s from Lansdale, and he’s supposedly really good. Jamie (trumpet) is out of the band, but they picked up a new really good trumpeter (but he’s already gone, too, so right now they don’t have a trumpeter) If you’ve heard rumors of Eric leaving the band, they are just that-rumors. That is totally false; Eric is still with the band. The CD is done! To order it, send $10 to:
The Ska Blazers
P.O. Box 31933
Philadelphia, PA 19104
The CD release party was on August 31st, 1997 at the big Back to School Philly Ska Fest that was recorded as a live Philly ska CD. The show was held at the Sapphire Night Club, in Norristown, PA. It featured 13 Philly area bands, and was put on by Skully Enterprises.
The Ska Blazers broke up on July 8th, 1998.
