Since 2004, Pukalani-based hardcore punk band Order of the White Rose has been bringing its political message to stages on Maui and beyond. The band is playing a Pacific Cancer Foundation Benefit this Friday, and their latest 7-inch single "Ghosts of the Sidewalk" is available at Requests in Wailuku (all proceeds from sales of this record benefit food banks on Maui and Oahu). We recently caught up with Nate Robertson and Steve Hart (bass and guitar, respectively):
Do you think your unique position (political punk band on Maui) limits you (shortage of venues, geography), or makes for potential to do something that hasn't been done before?
NR I think that both of those positions would be true. On one hand we are sort of cut off from the continental US –it's not like we can jump in a van and go on tour. We don't have the opportunity to play big venues on the weekend in front of crowds that are into type of music we play. On the other hand, Hawaii is possibly the best place to be as far as playing political music goes. There is a growing amount of people concerned with the issues that we find important and address in our music. For instance, we all have seen the super rich coming in and driving real estate prices through the roof and that how this affects all of us. We support the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement and self-determination for the Hawaiian Nation. We are also concerned that for hundreds of years, one company has controlled a majority of stream water and we support the movement to release water back into the streams. The Superferry and the potential for invasive species like the bee mite to decimate our local agriculture are another concern that we share with a majority of Maui residents.
SH I think there is a shortage of venues to play on Maui for any band that plays mainly original music. Even though we address a variety of political issues through our music, I don't think that hurts our chances of playing on Maui. In fact, there is a huge potential to do things that haven't been done before. I am currently working on developing a plan to start an all-ages space similar to the Gilman Street Project. There are details of this plan on our MySpace page. All-ages shows on Maui are the best –they are the best attended and the most enthusiastic, it's too bad that some of the clubs won't have matinee shows for all-ages kids to come in and play. Sunday afternoons would be a perfect time for a club to open up their doors, have a small cover charge and not sell alcohol for a few hours. It's not like they would be hurting their business, it would actually bring in more business and give the under 21 kids a chance to perform and attend shows. This would help our local music scene and encourage more kids to play music.
So how does a band in such a remote spot make its mark on the national scene?
NR We toured the west coast in 2006 and are planning another tour right now. Networking tools like MySpace are extremely helpful in reaching audiences away from Hawaii. Having our music up on iTunes and a variety of other download sites helps too.
SH If we are to make any "mark" at all, we have to make great-sounding records with excellent songs. We are currently writing and re-writing our songs to make our next record sound great. It is important that we use the Internet effectively; we are featured on a variety of Internet radio programs and college radio stations. If any band wants to be played on the radio, they have to send the radio stations a CD and a press kit. If it sounds simple it is because it is. I look for radio programs that feature punk bands and put a CD in an envelope and send it to them. Then, I get emails from people all the time saying they heard us on their local college station or on Pandora. It takes an effort for any band to get their music heard. You don't need a street team, you just need to get off your butt and do it.
What subject provides the most fodder for your lyrics?
NR A lot of our music lately has focused on indigenous people and groups around the world. We are influenced by the literature of the Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, and the Mayans in the Chiapas region of Mexico.
SH Our first record, "War Machine," addressed the Iraq war through a variety of perspectives. I don't think we wanted to do that again. Currently, we're focusing on what is happening right now through imperialism and colonialism in Hawaii and elsewhere in the world. Almost every day, I receive an email asking about our band. Every email starts out with, "There's punk rock in Hawaii?" Because of this, I feel that it's very important that we address what is happening to the people of Hawaii. Some of the most left-leaning punk rockers out there in the world have no idea that Hawaii was illegally overthrown or annexed. It's not written about in world history books. So, it's our duty to write about these issues. We also recently released a 7-inch single called "Ghosts of the Sidewalk." All the proceeds of the 7-inch benefits the food banks of Maui and Oahu. It's available as a download on iTunes and can be found at Requests in Wailuku.
Are you getting a lot of inspiration from current events?
NR Yes. This president (Bush) has done more harm than any other in my life time, including president Reagan. He seems hell-bent on spreading the U.S Empire through any means necessary while cutting the social programs here in America. Look at the how the Patriot Act was forced upon America and tell me our freedom isn't being taken away piece by piece. We are quickly moving towards a fascist dictatorship.
SH I'm not so much inspired by it, I refuse to become a person who is solely reactive to the national political discourse. It is up to us to be proactive and dictate to them what We the People want, not react to what they do or say. They work for us, not the other way around!
Here's what I don't understand, If we (the collective "we" of America) are the Government, and the Republican Party says that they hate the government, does that mean they hate the collective "we?" It certainly seems so. Thomas Frank's book, "The Wrecking Crew" documents the dismantling of FDR's New Deal by the Republican Party in minute detail and I recommend it to everyone. The Republican Party has waged a war on America for the past 30 years.
All that being said, I'm not just going to write songs reacting to their insipid political platforms –that would make for some bad music and I'm not interested in doing that.
What are your influences?
NR I got into punk music from watching skateboard videos when I was a kid. Bands like Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Black Flag, Bad Religion, Propaghandi, The Gorilla Biscuits, and many more.
SH I think we're influenced by any band that is committed to their music and message. It's important for any punk rock band to listen to bands outside of their genre. It's too easy to try and sound like someone else. What music did the Sex Pistols listen to? Or the Ramones? It wasn't like they listened to punk rock. I like to go to the wells they drew from; The MC5, The Stooges, The Ronettes, along with a variety of musical styles that developed since the advent of punk. Every musical genre is fair game.
http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2008-10-09-185905.112113_The_music_issue.html
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