1. Hi so at first, can you introduce your band, members (age, hobbies, work, …) and tell us how you met each other?
Well there's Frank on upright bass (Oxblood, TR6) Clay holds down the drums (Lower Class Brats, Beltones) And me, Joseph, on guitar and vocals (Vanguard, First Strike, Oxblood). Frank and I met at shows in Jersey and we met Clay through mutual friends.
2. When and why came decision to start new band and why name Ironhead Division?
We started the band 2 1/2 years ago. I had moved to Austin Texas a few years before that and had been wanting to start a new project. Frank moved down later on and he also wanted to start playing music locally. Clay said he wanted to "Oi!" So I said "let's Oi!" We were originally looking for a second guitar player or even a lead vocalist but no one else in this town would fit the bill. So we continued on as a three piece.
3. Your members have experiences with playing in bands such as Oxblood, Vanguard, Lower Class Brats…can you compare playing in these bands with Ironhead Division?
I can only speak personally on this, but playing in Ironhead Division feels like home, so to speak. It reminds me of the Vanguard days. That feeling when you gather like-minded comrades and create a violent work of art completely from scratch. No one knows how it will develop and where it will take you, but that's the thrill of it; watching it all explode to life.
4. You choose also double bass instead of classic bass guitar? Why?
Cause that's what Frank plays! We weren't sure
if it would work at first so it was kind of an experiment but holy fuck does it
work! Now, I wouldn't have it any other way. It gives us an edge that sets us
apart from the rest. We love riding and wrenching on motorcycles every weekend
and I feel like the upright bass adds a bit of a dirty greaser sound to our
music.
5. Your sound is mixture of punk, oi! and metal…what are your musical influences? Do you prefer older or new breed bands? And Europe or US bands?
Our influences are pretty across the board. The foundation of Ironhead Divisions music is Oi! Hard evil brick-wall Oi! But our other influences can be heard clearly in our music. Motorhead, doom and stoner rock, metal, psychobilly...
6. You have two EP´s out on American Defense Records and Last Punkrockers Records. How do you came in contact with those labels and how are you satisfied with them?
Our first release on Last Punkrockers records was set up by Clay. He heard of the German label and hit up Martin to see if he wanted to do a release. We're very happy with that EP and Martin was a pleasure to work with. Our second release was the "Ride Like Hell" single on American Defense Records. My old band Vanguard had worked with Travis in the past. When I heard he was thinking about starting the label back up, I contacted him the see if he'd want to do a release of my current band. He said yes and as the label came back to life, our release was one of the first he put out. It was great working with Travis again 10 years later.
7. According to youtube you have much more songs then five which are released (including Venom´s cover). Are you planning some full length or next EP? And if yes, who will release it?
We are working on a full length! We're almost done recording 13 tracks but we still haven't picked a label to release it through. We're currently in that process now.
8. Can you describe your sound and introduce some songs and their topics to our readers…?
People have a hard time describing our sound. We've heard it called many things. I like to call it "Motor-Oi!", but that's just me. The music we create is the sound of our lives. It's the sound of blue-collar work, frustration, hangovers, motorcycles, hate, violence, ...It's mean, heavy, evil, nasty raw power that doesn't give a fuck about anybody else. "Join the march or get the fuck out of the way!!"
9. According to your releases it seems that you prefer vinyl instead of other media…am I right? Are you a vinyl collector?
Yeah all three of us are vinyl collectors. There's just a feeling you get playing a record that you can never replicate by playing a cd.
10. Austin has great scene with many good bands, can you recommend us any from your area? And can you tell us anything about your city in general (pubs, venues, crews, interesting things…)?
The music scene in Austin is killer! So many shows. Bull Mccabes is the home base bar/club for the punk and skin scene. There's a tone of bands here to gig with. To name a few; Klax, Sniper 66, Punks on Parade, Ultras, Concrete, Brutality Inc., Sabbath Crow,...the list goes on and on.
11. What about playing live, do you like it? And it is problem to find a place for playing in your city?
We love playing live. I feel like the only way to really experience Ironhead Division to the fullest is to see us live. We don't have any trouble finding shows here. In fact, we constantly have to turn them down cause we don't want to play too often.
12. Where we can order your stuff (and do you plan some t-shirts, etc…)?
Our records are available from the labels listed above (Last Punkrockers Records and American Defense Records). We have t shirts stickers and buttons but they're currently only available at our gigs. We're just a bunch of thugs so unlike some bands, we aren't very good at creating a strong "online" presence. We need to hire a nerd for that shit.
13. Do you know anything about Czech Republic?
Not a thing! I'd be lying if I said otherwise.
14. Plans for the future…
More of the same. Just want to rock and roll till we die.
15. Last words…
Thank you for the interview! Keep the faith fellow droogs. Do things your way and damn what anybody says.