Godfarts is an young band from Spain which plays a sort of punk that I really like. Here they have answered a lot of questions about the band in march 2009.

History about the group, ?
-Well, the band began…unofficial members at summer of ’06, Oskar met Sergi and Ricard (twinbros) at school, and seeing that three had the same taste, wanted to start a band. We started to play in our own without any bass player. Later two basses passed along the band, till we met Viktor, who curiously played drums before he entered the band he and joined the band playing bass better than anybody else. At 2007 we recorded our first demo, in the rehearsalroom totally live, and started to play our first shows, so we decided to record a definitive Lp with old and new songs, and put out Restless. During 2008 we did many concerts around different locations, and having fun till today.

Please tell me a little about every member, age, family, work, interests and something bad about every one?
-First of all, Viktor (bass player), the oldest in the band, he’s 19, 20 this year, he’s the most affable, he’s so small and he goes crazy all the time I think he balances the scales, when something goes wrong in the group. Is studying at the university now, doing audiovisual, image and sound, and of course he loves punk rock music and skate.
Oskar, (vocals and guitar in the band), he is recently 18, I think he’s the most euphoric, he give it a lot of importance to any little things, and is very optimist erst. He loves to be suicidal, and skating all the time. He is studying at art high school drawing all day. Hates the school…loves punk rock.
Sergi (twin) recent 18, (guitar and screams), he’s straight edge, I thing he´s the most shy, loves to eat (haha), skate, and always get late. He is studying at art high school too, with his brother. He give the band his street punk taste all time.
Ricard (twinbro!) (drums) the same age too….of course (haha). Straight edge too. A little bit proud sometimes, but he’s always slamming everywhere. Studying the same with his brother, he loves old school hardcore, and old school skate style!

You´re young, is it good or bad when we talk about getting gigs and so on?
-Yeah…it had to be a good thing…but it’s really difficult sometimes that people take you seriously when you’re so young. About gigs, well, truly we never had problems, but it’s difficult to get help for promotion, or for you to wager, but then listen our music and is not so different than a lot of veteran bands,I think there are few young bands in the scene.
Anyway we’re proud to play music when we´re so young!

Why do you sing in english and not in spanish?
-Well, for several reasons, first we grow up listening to American punk bands and the 80´s and our influences comes from there. Then the message is easier to reach for everyone, play with your own countrys language sometimes closes doors. And finally we think the language is like a distortion guitar you know?, You put the best sound into your music and lyrics are important too.

What does punk mean to you, is it only a word or is it a lifestyle?
-Definetely a lifestyle. To grow up inside this movement make your ideals and yourself.

Is it important with lyrics which is about something and not only about love, beer and so on?
-Of course, we write about anything is going on in our lifes or anything that we wanna talk about. And when you play punk with all that fury, rage and euphoria, I don’t think you gonna claim anything talking about love and get drunk all the time, leave out and get your life!

Which is the most political song you have done?
-We don’t have many political songs so…I thing Goldstate Smokes Oil, reference to oil that USA theft.

Doesn´t music and politics goes along hand in hand?
-Well, music is one of the best ways to claim something, so I think it ´sabout politics it’s a way that many bands use. Yes, it’s a very singed issue, and many times goes along hand in hand.

Is there any good Spanish punk band which is really political? Other good Spanish bands?
-Yes, we have a lot of punk rock bands in Spain, there are many good bands, but very far from our style. The Spanish punk is different from what we do, so in that point, is difficult to find groups like us. Of course there are bands like The Black Panthys Party, Cinder, Good Fellaz…that is great play with them, and we feel more identified with them. The problem is that the music market is a fuckin’ shit, and labels and record companies only wanna make money.

How is it to live in Spain nowadays? What’s the best and what’s the worst?
-Mmm…well, in Spain all that goes around is more relaxed, so people live more relaxed too than in other places,
The best, the atmosphere that you breath around, and the weather and the calm.
The worst…the fascism in some places, and police that always tries to take off skateboards,
fuck them!

Is it many differencies between rich and the poor?
-Yeah…and I think it’s getting worser by the economic crisis we are suffering. In this issue it’s a chaos, and of course, government don’t do nothing. But what you want? Spain is a little country with high immigration and not so many jobs.

Much skating? What..s the best with skating?
-Hell yeah!! We love skating all day with the crew, the skate makes a lot of friendships like punk rock. The best with skating?? Well…we’re not pro, but Oskar is who skates the best and put more balls into it! Anyway we have different styles, Ricard for example, loves old school style, but as downhill with your people there’s nothing.

Is it any big punkbands which have been over in Spain and played?
-All good punk bands have passed through Spain if that’s what you asking me. And we have played with great bands like Static Thought, Rat City Riot, Rentokill, and I think we gonna backdrop The Unseen this april, so it’s fantastic share stage with awesome bands.

Barcelona, how is the musiclife there?
-Difficult but cool! The scene is so little, but people are great and give to the bands much support, there are shows every weekend so you always get fun and be with fantastic people.

What do you know about Sweden?
-I think Sweden is one of the best “punk rock countries” in Europe, I’ve never been there, but it could be great play some day.

Have you heard any good Swedish bands?
-I’m in love with No Fun At All!!! They come within two weeks to Bcn!
I don’t know more about local Swedish bands…well the first Millencolin mythicals!

Have you done anything else than Restless?If you have how can I get it
-No, we haven’t anything more do it than the first demo and it sounds like Restless but really worser and live!! (haha), but now we are doing new stuff and we gonna record something new at the end of the year, I hope.

New things like MY Space, Facebook and those things, have it helped you a lot?
-Yes, all record companies are going down now cause who needs them? If you can promote your music on the net better than any label, yeah, I think in this field we made a progress. Well look at Pennywise, had signed with Myspace label, the best way to promote music.

You have been a lot outside Spain and played, where have you been and where was most fun?
-We haven’t been outside Spain so much…but the most fun it was a gig that we played in France in a Snowboard competition, and we played over the snow without any stage, and meanwhile when we were playing it started to snow, it was a great experience, really funny, with all drums covered with snow, and snowboarders jumping in front of us.

How does the average Godfarts-fan look like?
-Little bit of everything, but it’s good to see old school people, and sometimes older generation people twice older than us, and well sometime can see some mohawk heads slamming over the pogo, and crazy kids like us going suicidal (haha), yeah, that give us a lot of energy, it’s all that we need.

Which people do you miss on your concerts?
-We don’t miss any kind of people, but is sad to see that all that 80’s and 90’ passion has died…and it isn’t the same now…

Which song is the fans favourite? And your own Godfarts-favourite?
-(haha) good question… I think the people goes most crazy with In The Pit, and Sk8 Sick
But my favourite song…I don’t know…maybe Goldstate Smokes Oil..or Fuck Da System…(I love the bass solo!)

You haven´t done any cover-songs?
-Yeah! Always! We love to cover songs, and as oft we ever can, we cover different songs at the shows, but we always finish the concert with some Minor Threat song, that’s for sure. We have covered many bands!

On some picture some in the band are really bloody, what have happened?
-Woow! That was crazy dude!! In a show Viktor (bass) went mad and started to jump, and he
was getting mad next to the drums, and the stupid guy kicks his head with the right (dish), but evryone realized, but Viktor didn’t, so when we finish the song, I looked to him and Fuck!! He had his face full of blood, but he still saying “hey, what happened??” and people give him some scarves to wash his bloody face, and he continued playing like the pic. Crazy man!

Please rank your five favouriterecords? Five Favouriteconcerts? And five most important things in life?
-mmm…Pennywise-Pennywise, Guttermouth-Teri Yakimoto, NOFX-Ribbed, The Offspring (self-titled), Static Thought-In The Trenchers. I don’t know I have a lot of cds!!
Concerts…a local concert in Vallcarca (bcn), a tribute concert to Rancid, backdroping Static Thought, a show in france in the snow and a mini tour we do with the crew and friends! Eventful!
Music, skate, friendship, fun and life.

First, last and most expensive record ever bought?
-First: Ixnay on the hombre by The Offspring, last…I don’t know if it was Societys Parasites, or No straight angles by No Fun At All.
Expensive, one of Guttermouth that I had to deal.

Most embarrassing record in your collection?
-Linkin Park and Jay-z, I don’t know what the fuck is doing in my shelves, I hate Linkin Park…

What about mp3 and downloading, where do you stand?
-It’s the progress, we have to accept it, it has good and bad things, but is the best way to be aware about new things.

Is it good or bad for a band of your calibre?
-For us really good, it’s great that anyone from anywhere can listen what we do…we don’t care about the money…we just wanna play music!

How much does a band like Godfarts sell of your CD´s? ( I meant the amount of CD´s)
-Not so much…about 5-6 €…people don’t buy Cds today.

Futureplans for the band?
-A lot of future plans, we wanna make a Europe tour soon, and record a new album this year, and play a lot of shows, we are young and with a lot of energy!

For yourself as a human being?
-The same, that’s my life so…just play music and take the time!, and go to California some day, and stay a while.

Wisdomword?

-Suda

Something to add?
-Great interview, very interesting really, I don’t know if you publish that in a magazine, but if you do, send us a copy of the magazine! A pleasure to be answering you!! Greetinga for´´rom Bcn I hope you like what we do, and hope we can go to Sweden soon! Thanks yaa! Cheers.