Also in Belgium they can do good folkpunkrock. Black Tartan Clan is a good example on that. This interview was done in January 2009.

History about the group?

-Not much history yet. BTC only exists since February 2008 but we did release a demo and now our full cd 'Boots, Kilts ‘n Pipes' is out as well. Concerts are also going well, we did 23 gigs in 2008 and we have already 24 concerts planned for this year and more to be confirmed....

Please tell me a little about every member in the group, age, fam,ily, work, interests and something bad about every one?

-We are aged between 30yrs old to 43yrs old, family men with children, our jobs are as mainstream and boring and just pay the bills, our mutual interest is music, playing to a public...that's the thrill we get onstage and want to give to the public. Every one has a joint interest in music (playing and listening to it), that’s what brought us together in the first place. Something bad about everyone : we party hard, too hard sometimes!

How is it to play this sort of music in Belgium right now?

-There’s a lot of interest from organisers and booking agencies, our playing style is unique in Belgium. It’s also not only restricted to the punk scene, our music also appeals to people who like folk, rock, metal, pagan and more mainstream music.

How did you came up with the idea of playing folkpunk?

-We wanted bagpipes to replace the solo guitar. The sound is very recognizable and gives our music a Celtic character.

How could you find a punk who played bagpipes?

-Mac Hoze plays in a traditional Pipe Band, but he wants to play music with more balls. He also has more room for his own ideas now, whereas he is restricted to playing classic Scottish melodies with his band 'Pipes,Drums n Bikes'.

You have a lot of concrets I see on your My space....is it the best way to see you live, I mean is that your strength as a band? Only in Belgium or?

-We still have a lot to learn live, but it’s always great fun. We already have lots of fans who travel with us when we play in Belgium. There’s also quite some interest from other countries, we already did a mini tour in Scotland beginning 2008. In December we did a Christmas gig in Bretagne (France) and in February we’re going to play at Punk & Disorderly in Berlin.

Which is the biggest band you have played together with?

-The Business/Anti-Nowhere League in France.

What does punk mean to you is it only a word or is it a lifetstyle?

-It’s certainly not a pose to us, it means that you can do anything you like and don’t care what other people think about it. This is also what we did with BTC, we only play songs we like, we don’t say ‘mmmh, does this sound punk enough’. We also have full control about recording and mixing, so what you hear on the CD is what we like.

All for one, what do you mean?

-It’s all about the clan feeling. We’re one big family, not only the bandmembers but also their wives, friends and fans. We accept everyone in our Clan.

Have you done anything more than Boots, Kilts n Pipes? If you have how can I get it?

-We have a demo which we recorded two weeks after we started the band for our mini tour to Scotland. The ‘Boots, Kilts ‘n Pipes’Cd is better recording quality so we keep the demo only for promotion purposes. We are very proud as it is all our own work, recording, mixing and artwork.

Which is your own favouritesong of your own?

-One For All.

It feels like if you mix a lot of styles in your music but that you always have punk as a ground? What other styles do you like?

-We like all music in fact. You can have great ideas listening to other music, even if it’s not our style.

Is there any good bands in your country nowadays? Any old favourites?

-There are no really good original bands in Belgium to our taste. A good old band would be The Kids.

What do you know about Sweden?

-The usual clichés : cold, vikings, nice blonds and ABBA.

Have you heard any good swedish bands?

-ABBA

I know that Belgium(Or was it The Netherlands) had problems with footballhooligans , how is it with that now? Favouriteteam in football??

-We’re not into football and hooliganism, but I think Mac Hoze likes Standard, Liège.

How is it to live there right now, I mean politically?

-It’s very nice to live here compared to some other countries.

Please rank your five favourite records, five favourite concerts and five most important things in life?

-Too many good records to mention, it would take all day for us to agree on five!.

-Dropkick Murphys in Brussels, ?

-Having fun, having lots of friends, playing music, family, the clan.

First, last and most expensive record ever bought?

-???

Most embarrassing record in your collection?

-All that we have and do listen to helps us to keep an open mind towards other styles, and who's going to say what is embarassing or not? As music lovers it varies from Scottish and Irish ballads to heavy metal., we all have different musical tastes and that adds strength to the band.

What do you think about Facebook, My space and all those stuff, is it good for a band of your caliber?

-We think Myspace is really great for bands like us that are starting off, it gives us a platform to see how people react to our style of music. You can let other people from around the world hear your music, you can announce concerts and you can keep everyone up to date with the latest band news. It’s also great for organisers and booking agencies to discover the band, we've already had quite a few concerts thanks to Myspace.

Where do you stand when we talk about mp3 and downloading?

-We don’t really mind but we can see the ethics involved, especially for all the hard work and money that went into the recording. It’s something that will always exist I guess, we were also recording songs from the radio onto tape back in the eighties.

Is it good or bad for a band of your size?

-Yes, I think it’s good for a new band like us to be heard by as many people as possible, even those who can’t afford to buy our records.

Futureplans for the band?

-Work on new songs, refining our live show and having lots of fun.

Futureplans for yourself?

-Evolve as a band

Wisdomword?

-Live for today.

Something more to add?

-Thank you for giving us the chance to be discovered by Swedish people!

u ger oss chanson att bli upptäckta av det svenska folket!