-Jay: Yeah, I think it came out killer, but looking back at it I wish we would of taken our time on the whole thing. We probably recorded everything in 3 hours or so. I wish we would of sat back and listened to everything and done it just right. Then again doing it like that sort of takes away the spontaneity. It takes away the live-ness feel, if there is such a thing. It was sort of nervousness and a money thing. Ya know if we didn't get it right on the 2nd or 3rd take we would have to settle for the tightest track. It's just funny because we have all been in the studio before and on top of it we weren't paying for the recording time. I guess it was our frugality punk ethics, haha. Not to mention Mike, our drummer, fuckin blacked out, his eyes rolled up into head, and he went into a seizure. Yup, it fuckin freaked us out!!!!!!! I wanted to call an ambulance. We made him finish the session, hahahaha. We chained him to the drums, mush, mush, onward. He's cool, he got checked out by the doctor. It was a combo of heat, lack of sleep, and alcohol dehydration.

-WCWZ: What are your previous releases?

-Jay: Uh lets see, our first was a split 7” with Dead Drunk. Our second was another Will E Survive 7” called Contaminated Minds. After that we did another 7”. This time on Beer City called All That Was Left After. We also did a Suburban Voice comp. and another comp on Beer City called Black Eyes and Broken Bottles.

-WCWZ: Does the new record sound any different than your previous releases?

-Jay: Yeah, a little but not much. The new stuff is a little heavier, but still there’s the old school element thrown into the mix. That’s what we grew up with so naturally things come out that way. I think we found our niche(recipe) as a band and musicians. We’re drawn to writing tunes that are progressive and brutal. Our take on it is punk rock is cliché as much as everything else and the ole sing along, 3 chord chants don't do it for us anymore. Maybe it did when I was younger, but my taste has definitely changed.

-WCWZ: How do you like working with Beer City? Do they treat you fairly?

-Jay: Beer city is great. I(we) haven’t had past experiences with labels before. Yeah a couple of “I'll put out your record but you pay half of the cost and you get half deals”. There's nothing wrong with that I might add. But Mike has taken care of everything plus there is backing for touring also. We’re not the type of band to distro everything ourselves. That is a job inside itself. We all work so time is crushed, not to mention doing ads and shit too. I have to give it to Mike; he's been on top of things.

-WCWZ: How long have Rat Bastards been around and has the line up changed through this time?

-Jay: We’ve been around for about 7 or 8 years. Yeah, we had a drummer change and we also had a second guitarist. Mike is our new skin master.

-WCWZ: Compare the present South Side punk scene with the South Side punk scene that was around when Rat Bastards first started up?

-Jay: I see you've been to the BC web site. We’re actually from da north side. When we first started there really wasn't anywhere to play besides parties and the ole DIY show. I think the Fireside was around though, I'm not sure though. Now there are places popping up all over. You got the Odum, Hotel Kafka, and Fireside, and of course the ole DIY show.

-WCWZ: Are there any up and coming bands that you see coming out of the South Side?

-Jay: I really don't get out much anymore(uh oh old age creepin), but yeah there's Dischrist, Pronounced Dead, UFGC, and Gutterhead.

-WCWZ: This is the on going interview question for this issue: It seems that some people have been criticizing the Fireside lately because it has to many shows and takes the fun out of punk rock. What is your take on this?

-Jay: Well yeah I could see that but there's bands out there and they could do shows when ever. I see what you’re saying because it would seem that it’s dispersing the crowd. Ya know “well I wanna see that show but I won't have the cash to see that show on Fri.” It's just funny because awhile-back people were criticizing the Fireside because they booked only pop punk bands for sometime. Anyways we were with a bunch of people in Canada, the band was doing the Spiderland Punkfest. To make a long story short somebody was dissin the fireside. It wasn't us though. We weren’t happy about the pop scene, but that’s a different story. Anyways the shit talking got back to them even before we got back the next day. They said why do you want to play here if this play sux, hahahha. I was just freaked, what is there a Fireside CIA or something. Anyways, they're cool it was just one of those things.

-WCWZ: Has Rat Bastards toured yet and can we expected a tour in the future to support the new record?

-Jay: Yeah, we really haven’t done a full fledge tour yet. It's tough with work and all. We've played out a lot though; NY, Pitts., KC., Ontario, Wis., and everywhere in between basically, anywhere in two or three days time. Yeah, we definitely want to do a tour, probably another east coast deal.

-WCWZ: What do Rat Bastards hope to accomplish next year?

-Jay: We want to play fuckin Japan!!!!!!!!!!!! Fuckin “A” right. And just to spread the poison as far as we can.

-Contact: Rat Bastards 4321 N. Drake Chicago, IL 60618 tranchy@megsinet.net-