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They totally kickass and we reckon they’ll be deservedly huuuuuge and inspiring in 2003!! I caught up with Rod the Drummer and Ben the bassist who does ”a lil of the vocal stuff...emphasis on a little” to find out what they’re all about…

DiS: The album 'Breakdance Euphoria Kids' veers from all of Trail O'Dead tripping over Ian Mackaye one minute to big gutsy Godspeed! soundscapes the next and International Noise Conspiracy/Q and not U art-punk, that's popped a few Beefheart crazy pills minutes earlier... Where do you feel you fit into the grand scheme of things?
Ben: As a band I think it's just to be as different but interesting and good all at the same time....personally I don’t want to be pigeon holed I want everyone to hear us.. then at least you are exposed to more people who can then make there own choice as to them liking the music or not....
Rod: We got maybe one idea of why we make music; we wanna make something totally alive. Electric. When you listen to it you realise 'SHIT..I AINT DEAD AFTER ALL!!' To be weird on purpose is total crap..ANYBODY, and I mean anybody can be avant garde. To make something REAL GOOD, you gotta push it...real good. We were super naive with our record I honestly thought it was gonna be Nevermind! We don’t try to subvert..we try to make 'Blue Monday' or 'Smells like Teen Spirit' or 'Back to Life' it just comes out all messed up. Scenes are shit..and genres are only cool for the racks in record shops.

DiS: Talking about scenes... the album kicks open having a go at the fickleness of fashion. What do you think of style mags, hype and the current barrage of garage rock?
Rod: hmmmmm..Garage rock..I gotta say that the music scene today is AMAZING!! Whatever you like you can have it in abundance and of total quality..Plus bands in style mags are important 'cos rock and roll is pretty fuckin' cool whichever way you look at it.. music should be more than just the music.. It’s how you dress, think, etc... Most garage rock is coolio..but then you get bands like the D4!! If the mc5 had a time machine back in the day and saw the d4 they would time travel to New Zealand and thrust their guitars up their sorry asses... But yeah kids today will see The Hives or the White Stripes on cd:uk and get excited and this is cool, positive thing 'cos they will realise that rock n roll is a great great thing. Fashion is totally important, but in an individual way...

DiS: The name Jarcrew, has it got anything to do with Mexican Metal/Hardcore genre: Jarcore? Or is it more an Ali G type poke at racialism? Or just a name?
Ben: Personally I don’t know...rod and a friend came up with the name..there's a few different things that I've heard...one was to do with it being kinda of a rasta name like jah cru..but spelt jarcrew then..and there’s one where the word jar means a sharp piercing noise and crew being a group of people ...but really it’s just a name..and its sounds cool and don’t give away what the band sounds like.
Rod: We used to hang out the seminal godfathers of the scene taco hell and they gave us the name..

DiS: What non-musical things have influenced you guys?
Ben:Bad horror films...none really come to mind..just anything that looks like it was make in the 80's with a camcorder...bad acting is another...star wars attack of the clones is a great example...porn...I won't say drugs and booze 'cos every one probably says that ....and we're good boys anything and every thing ...

Rod: Movies definitely ..Dario Argento..his film ‘Suspiria’ is jaw dropping.. it’s another world..when you watch loud all your senses are working overtime.. eighties stuff.. like Michael j Fox skateboarding in back to the future..total punk rock coolness. Big hair. Samantha Fox..TRANSFORMERS..Living in place that can look like a scene from lord of rings on a nice day.. It can make you real naive and uncynical which an AMAZING THING when making punk noise..

DiS: You're from Ammanford, what's that like?
Ben: I can't say its good at all 'cos its boring as hell...nothing to do, nothing interesting happens and it's filled with old people who are scared of change...and the kids think that local cover bands are the best there are...on the plus side you could be a member of Metallica and no one would be the wiser..so if with any luck we make any money or any thing related to that the people round here would never know..
Rod:Ammanford is a mix of an Ewok village and deliverance but the twist being that everyone is on heroin..

DiS: How did you all meet?
Ben: The short story.....school!
Rod: Or to be more specific: Jesus Club...when we first met we didn’t get on..but I can honestly say that we had to form a band..fucked if I know why..but when we realised we also were having the dreams of Marlon Brando and shit..

DiS: A lot of welsh bands seem to put the fact that they're welsh before the fact they're a good band, is that something you think is important? or fucken stoopid? and why do you think it happens so much?
Rod: where you’re from, your culture and history all of it makes you who you are and it affects any art you create. It’s real important. But you should make your patriotism a personal thing to put being from any country before anything is fucking stoopid.. Jarcrew are all human beings..this happens so much 'cos we have a danger in this country of putting our culture in a big bubble and not let anything new invade. so you're a welsh band..cool the ONLY question is, are you any good or what?
Ben: This ones a hard one to answer as I'm English, well a couple of us are English. so I’m gonna say we’re a British band not Welsh not English but a British band...as for putting it ahead of being a good band I don’t believe anyone should...just coz its where u come from don’t mean that u need to force it down there throats.... it is all stupid but its also to do with the media making the persona of a band.

DiS: Your links page has both the Deftones and Kraftwerk. Is your taste individually that diverse?
Ben: Yeah it is .....
Rod: We cannot agree on anything.. music, movies, sexual positions ..chocolate or mint ice cream.. we always argue but I realise now that if we didn’t fight we would be shit

DiS: What are your all time top 5 records?
Ben: In no particular order.. Nirvana ‘in utero/bleach’...cant decide… Metallica ‘black album.’. I know it’s the commercial one but it did get me in to the heavier side of music… Faith No More ‘Who cares a lot’..best of album..it just rocks from starts to finish… Queens of the Stone Age- Queens of the Stone age... Duran Duran ‘the best of’...this is purely here coz of the amount of cool music I remember for the 80's..and Duran Duran were cool...
Rod: Personally..This changes all the time...
1.QUEENS..SONGS FOR THE DEAF
2.QUEENS..SONGS FOR THE DEAF
3.DAVID BOWIE..HUNKY DORY
4.D'ANGELO..VOODOO
5.VITALIC..PONEY E.P

DiS: What other new bands do you recommend people check out?
Ben: The Little Explorer..from Derby..
Rod: Man there is soooo much cool shit out there..The little explorer and The murder Of.. the murder are the scariest live band I’ve seen.. they are shaggy haired guys from Worcester who try and stab the audience with guitars. A band called Todd from london..real coolio classic rock but with analogue synth and a more demented vibe. Sons of Thunder from Swansea are super heavy stoner with songs about ac dc and space. Midasuno..Andy Milner..Jungle sex, they do distorted house which gives you a headache. Loads of American stuff like Errase Errata and Blue Cheer who are years old but new to me..

DiS: Ideally, what happens next...?
Ben: Labels come and go with their cheque books held closely in the inside pocket while wearing blinkers just so they don’t get distracted by the people who actually think a band arr good....so basically keep on gigging...
Rod: We wanna do this all the time, we wanna make money from it, we wanna be the best and make a really fuckin' awesome record, live a rock cliché at least for a little while anyway. But until then.........

To win tickets to see Jarcrew on Thursday 5th December click here.