Names, instruments, random factoids:
Nate- My name is Nate. I play drums, skate, and work.
Steve- I’m Steve, I go to college, work and play guitar
How can people get in touch with you (to buy your shit, send love/hate mail)?
Steve- They can email me at Steve@whiterosepunk.com or visit us on MySpace at MySpace.com/whiterosepunk If you are interested in snail mail, and I am, please write to P.O. Box 880908, Pukalani, Hi, 96788
Where the hell are you from?
Nate- I'm from the island of Maui.
Steve- I’m from Michigan, originally, but I live on Maui.
Do you like it, hate it, or not give a rat's ass about it? How do you feel about it?
Nate- I like Hawaii a lot even though it has its problems (Not much of a punk scene) We don’t get a lot of concerts from bigger bands and it’s a lot harder to get your band heard over here than if you were in the big America.
Steve- I agree, it is difficult to promote a band if you’re on Maui. There isn’t an underground press that we are part of. I probably should start something but then again, about five people will read it and they all own our CD already. It’s not like we can get in a van and go to LA or something, we have to plan things way out in advance to play Oahu, let alone California. Nevertheless, except for the logistics of playing in a band, I love Hawaii.
What's the funnest hangout spot in Maui?
Nate -Skating ditches.
Steve- I hang out on campus and talk to my professors at school. I’m a dork, I guess.
Is there anything in your hometown that's a "must do"?
Nate- Jump off some waterfalls!
Steve- I’d recommend some of the beaches. I think for anyone to come here, I think they need to read Haunani-Kay Trask’s “Lovely Hula Hands: Corporate Tourism and the Prostitution of Hawaiian Culture.” That way, if they come here, perhaps they will avoid some of the typical tourist
fallacies, like thinking that everyone is here to serve them.
What do I need to make sure to avoid when I come through your town (besides cops)?
Nate-Just Cops!!!
Steve- I’d try and avoid the tourists driving the red convertible cars. They usually don’t know where they are going and are pretty much a menace.
Why are you a band?
Nate- We are a band because it gives a platform to view our ideas in a world that is run by an extremely slanted media. Not to mention its fun!
Steve- I love to play music. I love creating a song and rehearsing it for the first time, the 50th time and the 100th time. I also see the band as an extension of my politically ideals and try to bring something good to the community.
Does your band have any archenemies in the punk scene? If so, who?
Nate -We're nice to everyone.
Steve- I probably have a lot of people who hate me. When you take a stance against things that are popular, you tend to rub people the wrong way. However, I’m okay with that and expect it to some degree.
What role do you feel like your band plays in the scene?
Nate -We play in front of 5-500 hundred people depending on what the show is, and we normally get a pretty good response when we play.
Steve- That’s a good question. I think every band should be asked that. I hope that we fill a void and we aren’t just another shitty band. I think we put a lot of effort into what we create and we put a lot of time into promoting the Hawaii punk scene.
Besides playing punk rock, what do you do?
Steve- I go to school, I try to raise my kids with my wife, and keep active in the community.
Any good tour stories? Any bad ones?
Nate -We've only had one mainland tour so far and was great.
Driving out to the middle of nowhere to play Ridgecrest, Ca. with Elvis Goes Hoggin’ was pretty crazy, but when we finally got there the show was great!
Steve- Yeah, EGH was really fun and the crowd was so cool. They kept asking us, “Why are you guys here, in Ridgecrest?” We played Ridgecrest because Elvis is my friend and I thought Ridgecrest is probably way off the beaten path and isn’t filled with hipsters who are ambivalent. And, I was right. It was an awesome show.
What's the weakest show you've ever played? Why was it so crappy?
Nate- Too many to list! It was crappy because we tried to play new songs that weren’t rehearsed properly or we didn’t practice for a long time or both.
Steve- We’re still learning how to play in a setting where the conditions aren’t perfect. When the monitors are small or non-existent and we can’t hear each other, we tend to have a difficult time. I’d like to see us build our PA bigger with some powerful amps and monitors to handle the volume the band puts out. Nate hits really hard on his drums and Noah’s bass amp is really loud. Because of that, my guitar amp gets cranked and then it’s like a wall of noise. Of course, that’s the way it’s supposed to be, but we also would like to hear our vocals over the din. When we can’t we tend to suck.
Do you ever refuse shows? If so, why?
Steve- Hell yeah. If it is a show that would compromise my integrity, I’m not playing. I don’t like to play battle of the bands either. I save my competitive spirit for athletic events, I’m not interested in pitting my band against another.
If you could get a show with any 3 active bands, who would you play with?
Nate- Green Day, The Aggrolites, and Rage Against the Machine.
Steve- I’d pick The Melvins, Bad Religion or the Wildhearts. All three of them have devoted fans and if we could win them over, I’d be stoked.
How did you get into punk rock?
Nate- Watching an old surf video that had Minor Threat playing the song Minor Threat. Then I bought a bunch of punk compilations.
Steve- My neighbor across the street had the Clash’s first album on English import and I heard that and liked it. I also grew up hearing Ted Nugent, the Stooges and Mc5 in Michigan, so that kind of style is kind of in my blood. I was really blown away when I heard the song, “Fuck Authority” by Raw Power on the MRR compilation, “Welcome to 1984.” My life changed at that moment.
Do you like to live alone, with one person, or with lots of people? Why?
Nate-I live with my lovely wife!
Steve- I live with my wife and kids on a property that has a lot of people living on it. It’s kind of like a commune, except we don’t really share anything. We grow a lot of our vegetables and stuff like that.
How often do you see your band members when you're not playing shows?
Nate- A couple times a week.
Steve- yeah, we rehearse at least once a week and I see Noah, my singer/bassist just about every day.
What's are your favorite games?
(Drinking game, video game, road trip game, mind game, whatever)
Nate- Skateboarding!
Steve- There’s a great road trip game that I learned on tour with Dieselhed. You basically take a truck company like Schneider and then every time a Schneider truck comes in the opposite direction, you get a point. If you pass a Schneider truck, you get two points. The game gets a lot more complicated as you go along. If your truck is followed by an ambulance, even 15 minutes since you saw your last truck, you lose all your points.
Do you think that everything is gonna be okay or not? How come?
Who knows what’s gonna happen!
Nate- Just have a positive attitude and make the most of whatever gets thrown at you!
Steve- I wish I had Nate’s optimism, but I’m pretty cynical about these types of things.
Who do you want to say "fuck you" to right now?
Nate- Cant be wasting my time with that!
Steve- I’d rather have them not know, so that they don’t see me coming when I exact my revenge.
Are you more into building things, or destroying things? What things?
Nate -I like to build fires! That’s two for the price of one!
Steve- I sometimes will record an entire song, layering track upon track and then delete it because I hate it. I like the process, but I don’t always keep the results.
Are there any other bands that you love to play with?
Nate-The 86 List, Black Square, Khrinj, Gomega, and the Hellcaminos.
Steve- I liked the Ugly Sticks a lot and most of the bands we played with on tour. There was one band in Orange County that played videogame metal that I didn’t like, but other than that, we were really lucky to get some great bands to play with.
Speaking of love, what things do you love, that inspire you to keep going?
Nate -My wife:)
Steve- My kids and my wife. I also read a lot and that usually gets me pretty inspired to write a song, or do something positive.
And what are the things that make you feel frustrated?
Nate –poverty, hunger, and war.
Steve- It’s not only that, but the reasons behind Poverty, hunger and war. Why do we do these things to each other? What is it about us as people make us become such assholes? I think that I get frustrated easily and often.
Is there anything you'd like to tell people who are just getting into punk?
Nate -She'll treat ya fine!
Steve- I’d say, don’t follow anyone, especially me. Find out what makes you interested in punk rock. For me, I didn’t have a choice; punk rock was the only place I could go. I wasn’t a nerd, a jock, a preppie, a redneck, a stoner, or a gear head; the punks I grew up with knew I wasn’t a cool dude and that I was weird. They just didn’t seem to care about that.
Any (not so famous) last words?
Nate- Have u ever heard the one about...
Steve- Aia ke ola i ka waha, aia ka make i ka waha, or “Life is in your speech, death is in your speech.” Know the strength of your words and choose them with care.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Order of the White Rose Interview (Maui Time Weekly, 2008)
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
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
Friday, December 18, 2009
Sherpa
Back in 1998 or so, I was spending time in Michigan and staying at my friend's house. When I was carrying all my luggage into his apartment, he said, "You're like a Sherpa," and I thought, "Wow, that would make a great name for a band." Soon thereafter, I was back in San Francisco, roadying for The Mermen (Who have a great new album coming out) At the same time the band, "Fantomas," was just beginning to form and I was inspired to write some short, weird songs while discussing Fantomas with Mike. I was also listening to the film composer, "Manabe," who wrote these great, short film pieces. Also, the record store, "Amoeba" had just opened in the Haight and had a lot of Kraftwerk and OMD CDs on sale, so I was heavy into that too. Anyway, my friend gave me a little Casio keyboard and a Shure SM58 and told me to go record. The first tape I came up with is the "Lost Tapes, Pt. One." I tried to write a bunch of little compositions keeping all of the aforementioned influences, calling the project, "Sherpa." I came up with about 38 songs, made a cover at Kinkos (Drawn by my friend, Mike Peoples in New Orleans, way back in 88) and dubbed off about 20 copies of the tape. I then sold them on the Secret Chiefs 3 southwest tour -each tape had a different "secret song" on it and I encouraged people who bought the tape to try and exchange songs with each other. I don't believe that ever happend.
The second recording is "Lost Tapes Part Two." This contains far more experimental recordings, some of them dating back to 1991, through 2007. My influences were far more vast than the previous recordings, but still kept a certain "Sherpaness" to them.
The "Nasturtium" recordings are more recent, recorded within 2006-2009. These too have are fairly experimental, mixing surf guitar, ambience and African percussion. Anyway, I've uploaded them to Mediafire, and they are all free to download. Enjoy!
Cover by Michael Peoples
The Lost Tapes Pt. 1
The Lost Tapes Pt. 2
Nasturtium
Pinky
Also, please leave a comment if you like what you heard...
The second recording is "Lost Tapes Part Two." This contains far more experimental recordings, some of them dating back to 1991, through 2007. My influences were far more vast than the previous recordings, but still kept a certain "Sherpaness" to them.
The "Nasturtium" recordings are more recent, recorded within 2006-2009. These too have are fairly experimental, mixing surf guitar, ambience and African percussion. Anyway, I've uploaded them to Mediafire, and they are all free to download. Enjoy!
Cover by Michael Peoples
The Lost Tapes Pt. 1
The Lost Tapes Pt. 2
Nasturtium
Pinky
Also, please leave a comment if you like what you heard...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Help Support the Proposed Superstore ban On Maui
Everyone's signature can help! Off-Island, or Hawaii residents. Help us protect Maui's small businesses by signing this petition
Petition
The Maui County Council is currently considering a bill prohibiting new or expanded Superstores on Maui.
These stores are an economic disaster most places, but in a place like Maui they are especially destructive to the economy, environment, infrastructure, and island way of life that makes Maui the paradise it is. Big-box stores would force more local businesses to close, and prevent others from opening. In these tough economic times we need to protect our people and businesses and find more sustainable ways to look at development, and there is nothing "Sustainable" about a Superstore.
We hope that all Maui residents, small business owners, and those who love Maui will sign our petition and let the Council know that they are in support of a BAN ON SUPERSTORES on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai.
The Council will be discussing and voting on this bill at their March 20th meeting. We do not have much time, so please:
1.........Sign our petition
2..........Write a comment for the Council in the "comment" section
3..........Copy the URL and send to friends and associates on Maui.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for your concern for the issue. With your help we can Protect Maui from Superstores.
Petition
The Maui County Council is currently considering a bill prohibiting new or expanded Superstores on Maui.
These stores are an economic disaster most places, but in a place like Maui they are especially destructive to the economy, environment, infrastructure, and island way of life that makes Maui the paradise it is. Big-box stores would force more local businesses to close, and prevent others from opening. In these tough economic times we need to protect our people and businesses and find more sustainable ways to look at development, and there is nothing "Sustainable" about a Superstore.
We hope that all Maui residents, small business owners, and those who love Maui will sign our petition and let the Council know that they are in support of a BAN ON SUPERSTORES on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai.
The Council will be discussing and voting on this bill at their March 20th meeting. We do not have much time, so please:
1.........Sign our petition
2..........Write a comment for the Council in the "comment" section
3..........Copy the URL and send to friends and associates on Maui.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for your concern for the issue. With your help we can Protect Maui from Superstores.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Raw Power
This is from my old fanzine, "licentia et pax, somewhere around 1986, or possibly 1985. Raw Power was, and is, one of my favorite bands. Maybe, we can get them to Hawaii this year!
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