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Rats Don´t Sink comes from France and plays
mostly punk and hardcore but they also have
elements of rapmetal in their music. I think
they sound really good. Why don´t check out
them! Okt-2018
Rats Don't Sink are:
Alex: Lead vocals, lyrics
Donovan: Drums
Seb: Guitar, vocals, additional lyrics
Vince: Bass, back vocals
Please tell me a little bit history of the
group?
Alex: I founded the band late 2013 but Rats
Don't Sink really started in January 2014 when I
met Vince, our bass player. We made a lot of
shows in the South of France and released our
first EP in December 2015.
However the music we played sounded too much
Metal to me, and when we had to face an
important line-up change during spring 2017, I
insisted to come back to something more Punk
Rock, still with a strong NY Hardcore influence,
and I that's what you can ear with our new album
"From Sewers They Come".
Please tell me a little about every member in
the group right now, age, family, work,
interests and something bad about everyone?
Earlier bands? Other bands on the side?
Alex: I am the singer and lyricist of the band.
I'm 30yo, I live with my girlfriend and my two
cats, and I work ashore in Marseille for a
Japanese shipping company, after years spent
sailing around Europe, Middle-East and Asia.
I have always been part of the local
Hardcore/Punk scene, singing in bands like
13Fight, Taken By The Tide, Straight In Your
Face, HSA or Watch Your Back.
Donovan: I'm the drummer, I'm 31 years old, I'm
single and I work as a storekeeper for an
accessories and sportswear company. I played in
several bands before including Metal, Stoner
Rock, Grunge and Punk bands. I currently also
play in another Hardcore Punk band called Apes
Brigade.
Seb: I play guitar and I sing too. I'm 32 and I
work in a after-sales department in a little
(dysfunctional, crazy) familial company. I love
graphic design and I aspire to become freelance.
I first sang and played guitar in a punk band
called Lazy Bastards and then I played bass in a
Hardcore band named Mal Barré.
Vince : I play bass guitar, I'm 42 years old, I
work as a carpenter and occasionally as a
luthier. I used to play in a band called Les
Pingouins Verts and 2 or 3 ephemeral bands but
Rats Don't Sink is my first serious project.
I can hear much different influences but mostly
punk and and some hardcore(almost some rapmetal
in Rats among snakes) etc? Favorites from the
past?
Donovan : Yes we all have many influences and I
guess it makes the band's identity.
Seb : Each of us listen to many different genres
and when we compose, we try to not stick to just
one style. In a way that's why we do Hardcore
Punk. It has a broad spectrum and it allows us
to be creative.
Rats Don´t Sink are you satisfied with the name?
How did it came up? You weren’t afraid
that some other band would be named like this?
Which is the best bandname you know?
Alex: "Rats Don't Sink" has both a maritime and
social meaning. It comes from the phrase telling
that rats are always the first ones to abandon a
sinking ship, and also refers to the fact that
when you're a "rat", outcast from society, you
cannot go downer and do not have to sink with
the system. I am sure we are the only band named
like this, I admit I made searches before
choosing it ahah.
The best bandname I know is also about rats!
It's an Italian Hardcore band named Council Of
Rats, I think it kills it!
Donovan : For the best band name, I don't
know...Maybe any Grindcore bands, they all have
funny names ! So if I have to choose one I'll
say Agoraphobic Nosebleed, their music is good
even if there's no drums in it hahaha
Seb : I like Ultra Vomit haha it's a very good,
funny french metal band.
What´s the best thing with playing live?
Donovan : The adrenaline, the contact with the
crowd when you're on stage. It's like you're in
a trance ! Making live music is the goal for
almost all the musicians, every show is
different, that's very interesting to share your
passion with people.
And where is best to play? And the worst place?
Alex: I love playing at the Secret Place near
Montpellier, it's a great venue with an amazing
level of professionalism, but I also love
smaller DIY places like the KJBI, also in
Montpellier, and iconic local venues in
Marseille like Le Molotov or La Machine A Coudre.
I think the worst place we played was a biker
club in the South-East of France, where there
was almost only "members" who were not
interested at all by the show.
Donovan : I played in some good places but also
in shitty ones...No names, no problem!
How is to play this sort of music in France
right now? Which types of bands do you have
concerts together with?
Donovan : Maybe some years ago I would say that
was quite hard, but now you have so many
underground places to play this kind of music so
it's becoming easier to find gigs than before
and play this music in France. Moreover there's
a lot of big festivals now like the Xtrem Fest
which is a big Hardcore Punk festival in the
south west of France and obviously the Hellfest
festival which by its fame, has made our kind of
music more accessible and therefore more popular
in France.
We are mainly used to playing with Punk Rock or
Hardcore Punk bands like us.
Alex: But we have already shared stages with
Death Metal, Grindcore, Black Metal or Garage
bands as well!
How would you describe your music in three
words?
Seb : Angry, fun... drunk!
Donovan : We are rats!
What does punk mean to you, is it only a word or
is it a lifestyle?
Alex: To me Punk means freedom of mind and
rejection of rules, hierarchy and any sort of
prejudice. It is more than clothes, music, or
else, it's a way of living.
How do you see on downloading, mp3 and that
stuff?
-Alex: I am personally not against downloading,
I think it's convenient, space-saving (fuck
those huge and heavy cartons you must lug at
each relocation!), and we have to accept the
progress.
This doesn't mean I don't buy CDs and vinyls
anymore, of course, but I more often download
albums, buying music from unknown bands on
Bandcamp for example.
Donovan : I used to download a lot when I was
younger and I never understood big bands who
complained about downloading especially when
you're already world famous and that's not such
a loss of money finally. Anyway when you play
punk rock music you can't be against
downloading. We're playing underground music and
the free downloading is a good way to get
listened all around the world. And I'm not
talking about streaming platforms which is
actually the best way to broadcast your music.
Seb : Generally speaking, downloading is a great
thing for culture. When you're broke it gives
you access to professional softwares, movies,
music that you wouldn't be able to reach without
internet. I discovered many classic bands that
way that I couldn't find in stores.
How is it to live in France right now?
Politically? Fascists? Here we have
problem with that people voted here for a
Swedish right wing party(17,5 %)
Donovan : It's actually a bit hard to live in
France now if you don't have so much money. The
thing is our president who was banker for a big
and famous bank favors the rich by taxing the
poor. Some of our privileges and social
assistance are in danger and the price of life
is constantly increasing. About fascism there's
a rise of racism in recent years. It started in
2002, the elections were held a few months after
the terror attack on the World Trade Center in
the US and the far right party finished at the
second place. Since that, racism grew more and
more in France especially against Muslims until
the terror attacks in Paris in Charlie Hebdo and
the Bataclan, and the arrival of migrants from
countries destroyed by wars which were a kind of
gift for the far right to manipulate people and
influencing them for the elections and they
finished second again last year, thanks to the
medias...The country of the human rights seems
far away right now ! But I think we must stand
together to find and eradicate racism !
Seb : Yeah, with the recent terrorist attacks
it's like everybody lost their minds. The last
presidential election, the national front scored
33,9 %. We could see the shift and people are
not ashamed anymore to share racist thoughts on
social medias. The far-right rising in Europe
lately is really concerning.
Is there any good bands from France now?
Is the punkscene/hardcorescene big? How is it in
your hometown?
Alex: There is a lot of talented bands in
France, even if the scene is not this big! In
Marseille we currently have great Hardcore bands
like Wake The Dead, xInquisitionx, Butcher
Project, Dirty Wheels, Downhill, Walk Away...
and Punk Rock ones like Nun's Violent Dance,
Nebraska, Hyperactive or The Muddy Paws.
Donovan : Of course there are good bands in
France like Gojira, Inspector Cluzo, Black Bomb
A, Tagada Jones and many more...
What do you know about Sweden?
Alex: Ikea and Zlatan? Ahah just joking!
Donovan : Beautiful blonde girls and I'm not
joking !
Seb : From afar it looks like a beautiful land
populated by friendly Vikings
So much clichés in so few lines, sorry.
Have you heard any good bands from Sweden?
Donovan : Hell yeah !! Almost all my discography
is made of Swedish bands ! Just a few of them I
love, Soilwork, The Hellacopters, Opeth, The
Hives, Truckfighters, Backyard Babies, Ghost,
Katatonia, Arch Enemy, Graveyard, Meshuggah, In
Flames, Entombed....
Seb : I'll add Satanic Surfers and Millencollin.
Your lyrics, who does them and what influences
you? Is it easier to do lyrics now or was
its easier to do it when you was younger?
Never in French?
Alex: I am the main songwriter but Seb, our
guitar player, often helps me and adds his own
singing parts.
Our lyrics are influenced by our everyday life,
so it talks about social injustice, alcohol, and
our way of seeing what's around us.
Seb : With my previous bands it was exclusively
french. With RDS I had to adapt and I find
English writing easier now.
Is there any subject that you never will write
anything about??
Alex: I am not really comfortable with love
songs ahah! And I don't like to write negative,
hateful lyrics too, or at least I always add a
touch of humor like in our song "Daily Hate
Dose".
Politic and music, does it goes hand in hand?
Which is your most political song?
Alex: I think that when you're playing Punk
Rock, not Skate Punk or Pop Punk but genuine
Street Punk, you cannot avoid politics. We are
not flagged under a political party or whatever,
but we clearly fight for our class and our
opinions.
Our most political song is Pay Again, which is
about paying taxes to support the luxurious
lifestyle of the governing class.
Best political band/artist?
Donovan : Probably Dead Kennedys or Rage Against
The Machine.
Seb : For me CRASS is a good model of ethics and
integrity. They embodied a real anarchist spirit
at the time and still now you can see the
inheritance with DIY and alternative lifestyles
in the punk scene. I like it but their music was
pretty bad though haha
Do you think that music(lyrics and so on) can
change anyones life, I mean people who listens
to music?
Donovan : I'll be happy if our music does !
Music can affect your mood, so it helps but I
don't think it can really change your life.
Seb : Lyrics comes often with messages that
comes from ways of thinking. Good music can fire
you, gives you confidence or helps you to let
go. And if you are curious enough it pushes you
to look for more in other bands, books,
movies,... It can change your way of seeing
things. So clearly yes !
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? And do you have any good
recordstores in your hometown?
Alex: I think covers are really important
because it's the first thing you see.
My girlfriend, who is a tattoo artist and
graphic designer (Gakirules), made this cover
and almost all our artworks. Seb is also working
on artworks for us, he did our last flyers and
designed our last shirt visual.
In Marseille we have two main alt recordstores:
Sabertooth (Metal/Punk/a bit of Hardcore) and
Lollipop (mainly Garage/Punk).
Is it important to get out physical records of
your stuff? Why or why not? Vinyl, CD, cassette,
what do you prefer if you could choose whatever
?
Donovan : Yeah to me it's important to release
physical stuff, because some people like to
gather albums or band t-shirts as well. If I
could choose, I would like to release a vinyl
because I think that's the perfect sound quality
and that's fucking beautiful !
Please tell me a funny thing which have happened
during your career and under some gig?
Donovan : Is that magazine rated R ??!
Vince : When our singer Alex slipped and fell on
a puddle of beer during our first gig! Moreover
his very first words to the crowd were "Hi we're
Rats Don't Sink and we're pretty drunk" ahah
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?
Alex: Our audience is quite eclectic, from 16 to
60yo, boys, girls, Metalheads, Punks, "normal
guys"...
Some of them play in local bands, others are not
at all into the musical scene.
The biggest band we played with is Bishops Green
(Street Punk, Canada), last spring at the Secret
Place near Montpellier.
Please rank your five favoriterecords, five
favorite concerts and five most important things
in life?
Donovan : The first album of Rage Against The
Machine, "Animals" by Pink Floyd, "Songs for the
deaf" by Queens Of The Stone Age, "If you want
blood you've got it" by AC DC, "Party Animals"
by Turbonegro. My 5 fav concerts were Dream
Theater, Chemical Brothers, Muse, Kiss and Sick
Of It All. And the 5 most important things in
life are family, love, sex, booze and rock'n'
roll !
Vince : "How Could Hell Be Any Worse ?" by Bad
Religion, the first album of Rage Against The
Machine, "From Anger And Rage" by Verse, "Ace Of
Spades" by Motorhead and "Blue In Green" by
Miles Davis. My best concerts were Motorhead, ZZ
Top, Suicidal Tendencies, FFF and Queens Of The
Stone Age. The most important things to me are
my girlfriend, my friends, music, parties and my
job !
First, last and most expensive record ever
bought?
Alex: I think the first record I've ever bought
with my own money when I was a kid is "Nevermind"
by Nirvana, and last one is "God Of Slaves" by
Purgen, a Hardcore Punk band from Moscow,
Russia. And the most expensive was "Voice of a
generation" by English legends Blitz, I bought
it in a dusty recordstore in London.
Donovan : I'm not sure about the first record I
bought, it was probably "Bloody Kisses" by Type
O Negative or "Rising" by Stuck Mojo, I'm not
sure. The last one is "Wilderness Heart" by
Black Mountain and the most expensive was a
collector edition of "The Hunter" by Mastodon.
Seb : My first record ever was the "Roots Bloody
Roots" single by Sepultura, the last one was
"POST-" by Jeff Rosenstock and the most
expensive, certainly one of the Machine Head
LPs.
Is it boring with interviews? Is it much
interviews??
Alex: Interviews are always interesting because
it forces us to question ourselves, our roots
and motivations, and allow us to show everyone
our opinions and who we are as persons.
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 chosen?
Motorhead, Led Zeppelin, A Wilhelm Scream, The
Casualties and The Ramones.
Is music a good way to get out frustration and
become a nicer person outside the music??
Donovan : When you play drums sometimes it
helps! But I don't think I'm a nicer person
outside!
Which is the most odd question you ever have got
in an interview?
Alex: "What is the brand of the last beer you
have drunk?" ahah, made me wonder whether this
interview was about music or of commercial
nature, or just if the guy already knew that I'm
a barfly.
Vince : The question above !
Which is the question you want to have but you
never get. Please ask it and answer it?
-Donovan : How do you call a fish without an eye
? Fsh !
Future plans for the band?
Alex: I am currently working on a tour in Spain
next Spring, and another one in Italy on June
2019.
Donovan : Record more songs and of course
touring a lot ! Play in Sweden ?
Vince : Make a split album with the american
punk rock band Johnny Cab next year.
For yourself?
Vince : I'd like to develop my woodwork company
"Dino T&S", and also the success of "Ici
Marseille", the cooperative place where I work.
Wisdomword?
Alex: Always brush your teeth when you're
touring. If you don't do it for yourself, please
do it for the others.
Something to add?
Alex: Go to shows, support your local scene,
it's the only way to keep Punk Rock alive!
And listen to Rats Don't Sink guys! |