1. So at first can you introduce your band,
members (age, work, hobbies) and tell us how you knoweach other?
We are Thunder and
Glory from Philadelphia and we have Greg on vocals, Eric on guitar, Chris on
guitar, Mike on bass and Warren on drums. We have all known each other for
years from either playing in bands together or just working on different
projects with each other. Since we’ve all been friends for so long we’re pretty
much on the exact same page when it comes to writing and playing music. We have
a great line up going and things have always seemed to mesh extremely well.
As far as work
goes: Greg is an inner city teacher, Eric is a marketing coordinator, Chris is
a brewer, Warren does scientific research and Mike owns and operates a
recording studio (Noisy Little Critter).
2. When
and why came the decission to start Thunder and Glory and why you chose that
name?
Thunder and Glory came out of the ashes of our old band, The
Boils. We tried getting other projects together in the few years in between but
nothing really stuck until we started writing for Thunder and Glory. It has
been a long and slow process trying to get things moving but it looks like
we’re finally starting to hit a stride!
The majority of our songs have themes of warfare so Thunder and
Glory seemed like a fitting name.
3. I know
your singer Greg used to sing in The Boils...have some other members
experiences in playing in some bands before?
We actually all played in The Boils at one point or another.
Chris, Mike and Warren were the last three drummers; Eric played guitar and
bass; and like you said, Greg was our singer. We have all played in other bands
throughout the years but I think The Boils may be the most important one for some
of us. Without the connection that we all made with each other over the years,
I don’t think we could have made Thunder and Glory work so well.
As far as other current projects, Mike plays organ for our
friends in Duffy’s Cut.
4. Your
debut was released through Stratum Records...how do you came in contact with
Frank and how are you satisfied with cooperation?
Frank was the one who got in touch with us about working
together. I believe that was in February or March of 2013. We couldn’t have
asked for a better person to put out our first release since Frank has been
amazing with everything. The project has been in the making for over a year and
Frank never doubted us for a second. He is by far one of the most patient
people we have ever worked with. Stratum has already done some great things and
will keep putting out great releases. We can’t wait to see the label continue
to grow!
5. You
have also two songs demo, are you plan to release it also, because I think it
worth it?
As of right now there are no plans to release those two songs
on anything. Those songs were actually written in early 2012 so our sound has
evolved a lot since then. We were originally going to put them on a split with
someone so there is still the possibility of that happening in the future but
right now we want to focus on some other releases we are planning.
6. Why did you
choose Japanese graphics on it, do you like Japanese Oi! bands?
We love Japanese Oi! That was definitely one influence for
the cover art but we also wanted something different than your typical Oi!
artwork. You can see the same influence from our demo cover in one of our other
designs which is a hawk carrying a samurai sword. A lot of this stemmed from a
Japan tour back in 2003 that some of us were on. We got to see bands like The
Hawks, Empi and Youth Anthems and that was really influential for us.
It’s funny you should ask this question since we actually do
a Bull The Buffalos cover which will be on our second EP coming out later this
year.
7. Which bands
influence you? Do you prefer older or new breed bands or US x Europe bands?
Our
influences are pretty much all over the place but there is a good mix of Oi!
and metal on our record players. I think it really changes from band member to
band member. For example, Greg is really into the Fresno Oi! sound (Soldier 76,
Patton’s Legion) but is also really into metal bands.
We
will always have a soft spot for the old Oi! bands but there are so many great
new bands popping up in both the US and Europe. It’s nice to have so many amazing
bands around us now like our friends in Victory and Die Trying. Hammer and the
Nails is another one that is constantly on repeat for us.
Bands
that sing in other languages besides English have always been interesting to us
so we love the foreign bands too. The French bands seem to be doing some great
stuff (and have been for years). Would love to get some of them to Philly!
8. Can you introduce
little bit songs from your EP - lyrics and topics?
Greg writes the lyrics. He’s really into movies like 300 and Gladiator
and I think you can see that in the lyrics. This is a lyrical side of him he
didn’t get to explore so much before Thunder and Glory. But now, he gets to
write songs that are steeped in combative themes, and it’s a lot of fun for him to get into that. Titles are “To Kill and To
Conquer,” “Attack and Kill,” you get the gist of it.
9. You come from the
city of Philadelphia...can you tell us something about it from tourist and
skinhead point of view (bands, clubs, pubs...)?
Philadelphia
is an amazing city as far as tourism goes. You could spend days here and never
run out of things to see or do. There are tons of places for punks and skins to
hang out whether it’s a pub, show or record store. Oi! shows have been quiet
the last month or two but things should be picking up again this summer.
This
is also one of the best beer cities around. Some people may not know or believe
that but come have a drink with us and we’ll prove you wrong.
We definitely prefer vinyl over CDs. We actually decided to
only do vinyl releases for our music. CDs are great but there is so much more
you can do with vinyl. And if you add in the option for digital download then
you get the best of both worlds.
11. How it is with
the gigs in your area...it is problem for skinhead band to find place for
playing?
There
is no overflow of Oi! gigs in Philly but there are a few promoters that have
been bringing some bigger bands through recently. Hopefully the momentum keeps
going and encourages some kids to start up something new. Even though the Oi!
shows can be scarce at times though, it doesn’t mean that Philly is complete
wasteland for punk rock. There are a lot of punk bands still keeping the flame
alive, especially in South Philly.
Finding
a place to play is usually never an issue since there are so many venues and
houses putting shows on in this city.
12. Are you
supporting Flyers or are you fan of some other sport (baseball, soccer,
american football...)?
We support pretty much all Philly sports (Flyers, Union,
Eagles, Phillies). Chris and Eric are also soccer fans and have season tickets
to the Philadelphia Union and also support 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
13. Do you know
anything about Czech republic?
Unfortunately we aren’t too familiar with the Czech scene but
do know that Vinyl4Bootboys and 4Subculture do some great stuff. And of course
we love Backstreet Battalion! And we also love beer so we have to add Pilsner
to that list.
14. When can we
order your merch??
For now you can order our debut EP through Stratum Records.
There is also limited Thunder and Glory t-shirt on there for sale. Once we
receive our copies of the record and print up some more shirts we will set up a
webstore of our own. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for that link once it is
live.
15. Plans for the
future...
We have a second EP that will be out in the next few months
and we are hoping to have a split EP out towards the end of the year. We are
trying to keep a steady stream of new releases so instead of working on a full
length, our focus is on releasing a new 7” a few times a year.
16. Words on the end
Thanks for the interview Peddy! We’re extremely grateful for
everyone who has supported us so far. Keep up the good work with Backstreet
Battalion and keep an eye out for more releases from us coming later this year.
Cheers!