Me: Hi Rattsy! Thanks for your time. At first tell me something about you and your band, if you want!
Rattsy: I've been part of a few bands. Mostly small short lived projects with people I've traveled with. The most serious project I was part of was called Bozo Brigade. We did a West Coast tour, recorded a short ep, and played Tochtli Fest this year. Currently I'm looking for people in Richmond to start a new band with, and my fiance and I are working on a duet project with banjo and musical saw.
Me: I know you started a community of folk punk, tell me more please!
Rattsy: I started the online community DIY Folk Punk a little less than a year ago. It was sparked by a bad experience I had with a similar group. My solution was to create a new online community, which is how DIY Folk Punk was born. I wanted to create a group where people could share similar interests while feeling safe and respected no matter who they are. Inclusion is a very key part to the diy community in my opinion. Now the community has almost 4,000 members and is very active in sharing music, art, and writing, setting up shows, and giving people advice on projects they're working on. My hope is to keep growing the community and offering more helpful resources such as a diy venue list to help musicians set up shows all over
the US and in other countries.
Me: What are the opinions of your band?
Rattsy: I think we all have different political opinions, most of which follow anarchist ideas. Our music reflects this and personal experiences from our lives.
Me: What about the scene in places where you live?
Rattsy: As for the scene in my town and city, there's a lot to be done to expand it. Virginia has the potential to have an amazing scene, but seems to struggle attracting bands. Richmond, the city I live in, also has this problem. I think one of the problems is the lack of venues putting on shows regularly. That's why my fiance, JimboSlice, and I are in the process of saving to buy our own house. We plan on using it to put on shows weekly with local and traveling bands of a variety of genres. We also want to help our local community in a variety of ways such as food distribution, music workshops, and block parties. We want a space that helps bring more folk punk and diy culture to our city along with many other things.
Me: Finally I must ask you what is for you the meaning of Folk Punk.
Rattsy: To me folk punk is about going back to the roots of music. I love that it's often comprised of old time instruments and very personal lyrics. Personally I love being able to play a weird but traditionally folky instrument like musical saw. Many of my relatives come from the application mountains, which is where the instrument may have originated. I think this connection makes me love playing it even more.
Me: Really thanks for being part of this.
Rattsy: See you soon!
Support the fucking diy!
