Erasoka comes from Basque Country not Spain. It´s really important for them that we know that. This took some time but it came out on my site sep-okt 2015

 

Please tell me a little bit history of the group?

-We started playing like a band 7 years ago, in the last part of the 2008th year summer. Lores lead guitar, Lavin bass guitar, Iñaki drums and Ibon guitar and vocals.

In 2009 we recorded our first demo. Four songs in basque (the worst songs in the history of Oi!). One year later, came out our first album recorded in Lazkano studio of Arrasate, entitled Itzalpetik. In spite of we recorded our second album called Plastic Mask Assassin in 2011, it came out one year later, in the spring of 2012, our latest album.

In addition to the albums above, we recorded some songs for compilations. Our recorded last song is “Otra Noche”, that talks about a concert day.

Nowadays, cuz of our lead guitar is studying in Madrid, we only play a couple of concerts per year. We are waiting for the day to start fucking town and cities with our music again.

 

Please tell me a little about every member in the group right now, age, family, work, interests and something bad about everyone? Earlier bands?

-Every member of the band is the same as the first time in the rehearsal studio. We are four members: Lores, Lavin, Iñaki & Ibon. We are all 21 and 22, friends since the first day of school and

Lores plays the lead guitar. He is still studying aerospace engineering in Madrid, and for this reason we can’t progress as much as we wish. Although he is studying to be an engineer his fucking dream is to live from the music.

Lavin is our bass man.  He has an older brother who played in Lehertu Arte (extinguish oi! Band). In spite of in the weekends is our little drunk, during the week is always busy and serious, he started working as a physiotherapist. In his spare time, apart from playing the bass guitar, he practises rugby in Getxo.

Our drummer is Iñaki, the teacher of the band. His future is to teach children, but now, he is dedicated to train judo and Kick Boxing.

Finally, Ibon has studied as much as he can about the Basque language, the language of our country, the Basque Country. In the afternoon, he plays rugby in the same team that Iker and sometimes he practises with his other bands, MadSkins and Doubling Boys.

 

I can hear much both oi, punk and small hardcore influences here in your music? Am I right? Favorites from the past?

-Each one have individual influences. We listened to Oi!, Metal, Hardcore, Rock & Roll and some other types of music.

We usually said that our music is Brutal Oi!, mixing the spirit of the Oi!, with the forcefulness of metal.

 

 

Erasoka are you satisfied with the name?  How did it came up? What does it mean? Which is the best bandname you know?

-We are living in a fucking country where we don’t want to live. There are many years since Basques started to reclaim our identity. We are fighting against two nations that they don’t want to leave us live alone. We reclaim Basque Country out of Spain and France, free and independent.

Erasoka is a verb in Basque that means something like “fighting”. Of course we don’t think that it’s the best name in the history of Oi!, but we are proud of it.

It´s difficult to know which is the best band name, could be the wordplays like 4 Skins, Sex Pistols, ….

 

What´s the best thing with playing live?

-The best thing of the live is to notice the aggressiveness of the people in their throats, to listen people singing your lyrics, to see bodies moving with your music…

 

And where is best to play? And the worst place?

-For us the best place to play is our town, Algorta. Here, our gigs are full of friends and supporters who know our songs. It makes the concert easy and it makes you feel powerful.

The worst place to play is a place with few people where nobody knows your songs, but sometimes is good, when the gig is somewhere where you’ve never acted giving to you the chance to gain the crowd.

 

How is to play this sort of music in Spain right now? Which types of bands do you have concerts together with?

-Cuz we don’t move a lot through Spain, we don’t know so much about the situation there. Here, in the Basque Country, is complicated to close a deal for a live playing this sort of music. 

We have played with bands from our country like Orreaga 778, Doubling Boys, Kaleko Urdangak, Aggressive Combat, Never Surrender... as well as with Non Servium from Spain.

All bands we have played with are Oi!, Punk, Psycho or Rock bands.

 

How would you describe your music in three words?

-Aggressive, convincing & melodic.

 

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

-It’s clear that is not only a type of music or a simple word. Since we were children we’ve felt it inside us, like a street movement that reclaims his place in this changing world, and fights against the unfair situations the people lives now. However, each one of us lives the punk/oi! movement in their own way, mixing with other movements or street cultures.

 

How do you see on downloading, mp3 and that stuff?

-For us it is great. People can listen your music anywhere only clicking a button. We think that it is an expanding tool, good for all bands acting for fun, bad for those playing for money.

 

How is it to live in Spain now? Politically?

-We are not spanish, but thinking that the question is refering to the place where we live, we have to say that it is a shit.

The Basque country is divided in two nations, Spain and France. The part where we live is the spanish. One of the countless reasons why we don’t want to be Spanish is that all the politicians in Spain are a fucking bunch of cunts, stupids, selfish, liars and hypocrites.

The worst thing is that the people keep voting for the same bastards, who steal, lie and manipulate.

In the Basque country is similar, the politics only look for their interests and instead of pleading for our wellness, they fuck up and disallow among them to get our votes.

We use to vote to the nearest political party. We all give our vote to the left although each one of us has his own ideas.

 

Is there any good bands from Spain now?  Is the punkscene big? How is it in your hometown?

-Now, especially in Madrid are living a boom of Classic Oi! bands. Here in the Basque Country, as well as in our town, about 4 years ago we live a boom of Oi! and Streetpunk music bands, but now, most of them have disappeared.

The skin movement in Spain (and I supouse in the rest of the countries around the world) has always have his ups and downs. When we started playing years ago it was on the summit and lot of people followed the punk stream, but nowadays its quite death. We hope it will retourn some day, like many other trends.

 

What do you know about Sweden? 

-We don´t know a lot about Sweden. We know that it is a country in the north between Finland and Norway.

As well, we have listened a little bit about Vikings; those men who fight for survive and live in the north. Their life was different to others, as well as the Basques went to Newfoundland or other places far from their home fishing whales, the Vikings travel by the sea looking for new places to discover.

Lot of people said that our culture is most similar to the northen european cultures, its a topic that its known throughout Spain. Maybe for the rainy cold weather there are quite differences betwen southern Europe countries (and it will be seen in our economical or social succes despite we are in a large crisis time)

 

Have you heard any good bands from Sweden?

-We are sure that in Sweden there are a lot of good bands, but we do´t know many of them. We have seen Perkele two or three times acting in the basque country. As well, we know City Saints from Goteborg.

 

Your lyrics, who does them and what influences you? Both in english and in spanish? Why?

-Ibon composes most of the songs. In our lyrics we talk about the situation of our land as well as about a drunken night… We try to sing in different languages (Basque, Spanish and English) to reach to more people and to create variety with our music. Also, we try to add different kinds of music styles to our songs for increasing variety to (Rock&Roll, Hardcore, some Metal...)

 

Politic and music, does it goes hand in hand?  Which is your most political song?

-We think that in much of our tracks, politic and  music comes together. As we said in Erasoka song of the first album, one of the reasons for creating the band was expanding our ideas and disagreements to the world. Usually rock, punk, oi!...bands mixes this two thinks cause they were born in an unconfortable situation they want to report. Our most political songs maybe are We are condemned, Infamous Glory, Itsurakeria…

 

Do you think that music(lyrics and so on) can change anyones life, I mean people who listens to music?

-Yes, sometimes people hold on songs that makes them Strong, makes them feel comfortable or simply makes them smile for a while.

In our songs we try to make feel our position, our ideas, our situation to other people. Sometimes, they agree with us and you feel responsible for all the influence you can give to others...so is a delicate subjet (like uncle Ben sais to Peter Parker, "Great power involves great responsibility"). If you make a mistake maybe you can lead people into a bad way.

 

Your cover on your CD looks really nice, is it important to have a record cover which shows people which type of music you play? Your favorite recordcover?  Who does your covers?

-It, s clear that when you see a CD cover you can get an idea of the type of music you are gonna find inside, so yes, its important to design (or almost try to design) a great cover for showing a little bit of yourself before opening it. Our favourite desing is which is in our last record without doubt, and it has been done for many friends that are skillful designers.

 

Is it important to get out physical records of your stuff? Why or why not??

-Even though nowadays internet is the main tool for everybody and everything, we believe its important to bring up physical copies of your own musical records. There is always someone who wants to buy you a copy because simphatizes with your band or cause he enjoys owning physical CDs. A computer music archive  can easily get lost, but a real CD not.

 

Please tell me a funny thing which have happened during your career and under some gig?

-We took a whiskey bottle before a concert. You can imagine what happened after that...each one of us started playing a different song.

 

How does your audience look like? Which people do you miss on your concerts? Which is the biggest band you ever have played together with?

-Most of our audience is young, between 17-30 years, near to us and our music scene. We don´t miss nobody in our concerts, we offer concerts for those who want to come to our gigs for listening our songs and there where we are welcome.

Maybe Cockney Rejects.

 

Please rank your five favoriterecords, five favoriteconcerts and five most important things in life?

 

Favourite records: The number of the beast (Iron Maiden), Confront (Perkele), Ace of spades (Motorhead), blanco y negro (barrikada), Hey ho! Let’s go (Ramones)

Favourite concerts: Iron Maiden (BBK live festival), AC/DC (Bilbao San Mames Stadium), Cock Sparrer (Durango), The Adicts (Astrabudua), Perkele (Durango)

Most important things in life: Family, girls, beer, music and friends

 

Is it boring with interviews? Is it much interviews??

-We dont have so much interviews, so it is not bad to answer one once in a while.

 

If you could choose five bands from the past and the history and nowadays and both dead and living bands to have a concert together with your band. Which five have you been chosed?

-Motorhead, Social Distortion, Cock Sparrer, Bad manners, and Pantera.

 

Is music a good way to get out frustration and become a nice person outside the music??

-Of course, music is a way to get out frustration but we dont think that becoming a nice person depends on it. Like we said in the previous questions,music can change your life but not always.

 

Which is the most odd question you ever have got in an interview?

-Who has the biggest penis in the band?

Yes...really.

 

Which is the question you want to have but you never get. Please ask it and answer it?

-Who is the most stupid person in the entire World? Our bassman

 

Futureplans for the band?

-Unknown

 

For yourself?

-Trying to keep the fight in the Basque country, enjoy our lifes and have a fuck more oftenly.

 

Wisdomword?

-Artzaia. Remember it.

 

Something to add?

-Call us for playing there in Sweden please! it would be an honor.