Rum Rebellion

Originally named after an 1808 revolt in which the Australian government unsuccessfully attempted to outlaw rum as a means of commerce and trade, Rum Rebellion combines traditional Irish tunes and sea shanties with intoxicated punk rock fury to create a sound that the band sometimes refers to as "Oirish" (Oi Irish, get it?!). While supporting their current album Cruisin' For a Boozin', the quintet — which includes Dave on vocals and guitar, Sage on bass and backup vocals, Ben on bouzouki, banjo and backup vocals, Tyler on tin whistle and Jack on drums — has been building steady momentum over an exciting series of shows earlier this year, and are continuing the trend this summer with an extensive schedule set up on the West Coast and Southwest. Synthesis had the opportunity to speak with Pyrate Punx captain and all around badass dude, Dave, in anticipation of the band's upcoming tour.

Initially, were you guys drawn to Pyrate Punx because of the seafaring reference, or just because they have a kick-ass reputation?
Both, absolutely. We also really like the whole connectivity between all the crews; it's really cool too. There was a Portland crew that never did anything because their captain didn't live here. So we were always kinda like, "Pyrate Punx, what?" But you know, we're like, "Well, we'll give 'em a shot. We'll try one of the other chapters in another town and see what happens." And we discovered that really it was just Portland that was failing miserably. So we decided to resurrect that, or fix that problem on our own.

Now as far as nautical-ness goes, which aspects are you guys most drawn to? Are you guys all big fans of the sea?
Oh, were all fans of the sea. We all love to go to the beach. We go on pirate parties, where we go on rogue camping adventures to the Oregon Coast. Also we do a lot of whitewater rafting, and stuff with boats. We go on a big rafting trip every year.

Have you guys ever performed on a ship, or at sea?
Oh, I wish. There's actually talk of us doing something like that on a boat in Eugene, OR, on the Willamette River — doing some video filming. You know, doing a show on a boat and filming it as a video. That's kind of in the works, but it's a way off still.

Earlier this January was the 200th Anniversay of Australia's Rum Rebellion. Did you guys do anything special to celebrate, or an anniversary gig or anything?
We haven't, but we're playing some pirate festivals this summer. So, you know, we're gonna bring it in with that angle.

Now as far as the Rum Rebellion and your reference to rum, rum's not exactly the most Irish liquor. Do you ever get any flack from the hardcore whiskey drinkers?
Oh, no, 'cause we definitely drink our share of whiskey too [laughs]. Rum just seemed more pirate-y. We kind of split the middle between the Irish angle and the pirate angle. At first we were really trying to play up the pirate-y thing because there's a lot of Irish bands — a lot more than there are with a nautical theme — especially in the punk rock scene. So we just kind of wanted to carve our own niche by taking the pirate angle. We've all read a great deal about pirate history and pirate lore, and seeing as how pirates were very roguish and kind of the punks of their day. But also, they were the first democracy that really happened — pirate ships operated in a democratic system. Captains were elected on most crews, and they had to confirm that the captain was their leader. And on ships they would vote on what to do in certain situations. We like that idea of choice, that you get choices - that your life isn't just dictated to you.

Now here's a tricky one. If a band of angry pirates came across a seemingly deserted island only to find a village of drunken punk rock fans, who would win the ensuing brawl?
Wow, that's a hard question. I mean, for example, we just played a house show last night, and there was blood. I mean, seriously, from more than one person; it was wild. So, seeing what punk rockers can do when they're just having fun, if they were actually angry, I mean... Punk rockers are pretty good at improvising. Broken bottles, you know, that'll work. Of course, I have a feeling that probably what would happen is the punk rockers would be all, "Dude, you guys should come drink with us and party hard!!!"

Bookmark:

Comments down for maintenance.