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ON THE WATERFRONT WITH RAISH
CARTER |
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Any first year art
student will tell you that from great suffering comes great art. It's not
a hard and fast rule, of course, but some of the best paintings, music and
literature is born in the worst of circumstances. Both of these ideas apply to the punk phenomenon as a whole, and even more specifically to Newcastle, the capitol of England's Northeast, where dire economic straits has produced an astonishing amount of memorable music and bands. A partial roll-call includes The Angelic Upstarts, The Rebels, Red London, and Red Alert, all of whom existed in the second wave of punk and all whom have carried on to this present day. More recent but no less important standard bearers would include Leatherface--arguably the most influential and best English punk band of the 1990's--and even more recently Crashed Out, who are probably the world's premiere street punk act as of this writing. Even if you hate punk, Newcastle would still be on the musical map for giving us the likes of Brian Johnson and Bryan Ferry.
Did I mention he's also a hell of a nice guy who graciously took time out of his life to answer questions for me at seven in the morning? Yeah, well, that too. Incidentally, this is one of the few interviews I've done by phone. My flat Boston by way of NYC parents accent was probably as difficult for Raish to understand as his incredibly thick Geordie dialect was for me to decipher. (There are people who will say that Geordie is it's own language, and not a dialect. Myself, I'm inclined to agree with them. Linguists on this site may want to download The Angelic Upstarts' excellent "Heath's Lament" for an example of spoken Geordie ). So...probably there are mistakes, and it reads a bit more awkwardly than some of my other pieces, but I felt it was valuable to preserve the flavor of the interview. Take it as you may..... A massive "Cheers!" to RAISH guitarist James for helping make this all possible, as well as Paradise Copies in Northampton, MA. S.Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions, first of all. R. No problem. S. Okay, let's start with a real basic question, how did you get started in music? R. Eh, basically through the glam rock and punk rock of the '70's, you know, that was the inspiration. S. What was the first punk band you heard? R. That would be The Damned or The Pistols, something like that. S. And you've now been drumming for awhile, about twenty years now? R. I think about that time, on and off. S. Do you play any other instruments? R. I play guitar. I'm self taught on the guitar as well as the drums. S. Okay, what's the story on the band RAISH. You've been in a few bands now, so how did "RAISH" the band get started? R. Basically, what it was, is that I have had a few bands ask me to write for them over the years, and a lot of them weren't really my cup of tea at the time. So I started writing things for myself, personal stuff. I got together with the RAISH drummer Matty Foster and I decided to put my songs to use. I had about thirty songs and I really wanted to put them to use. I decided to call the band after myself, Raish and we just started gigging, got a decent response and that's it, really. S. Matty Foster was in Red London as well, wasn't he?
R. Yeah. |
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S. And was was Red London the first actual gigging band you were in? 'Cause I always associate you with Red London. R. Red London started off in about '79. We all had gone to the same schools and we all played in different bands. I was in a band called "Chaos" and we played a few gigs, although unfortunately we didn't record anything. And around 1980 I began drumming with Red London, and maybe you know the rest of the story from there? |
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S. More or less. Now, you played on the first RL single "Sten Guns In Sunderland" and I heard you were supposed to play on the first album--both drumming and singing--but you got arrested and sent to jail. I don't know if that's a rumor, but that's what I have always heard. R.Yeah, well what it was....it's a long story but I'll cut it short for ya. We did that first EP for Razor Records and everything was going well, Razor wanted an album as well. But what it was is that I have a brother, and he got in a bit of trouble with some people in a pub, and I was there. I didn't actually do anything, but I wasn't prepared to make a statement against me brother. So I was arrested for aiding and abetting, you know what I mean? I was arrested and sent to prison, unfortunately, and it was really unfortunate on my side of things because it almost destroyed the music thing for me, and my career with Red London. It was really disappointing. S. I can imagine. But you did end up recording with the band for the "Pride & Passion" 10" that came out after the album? R. Yeah. I came out of prison. Gaz Stoker, the bass player for the band had written me a letter while I was inside stating that I wasn't part of the band and that they had found a new drummer. And I was really, really downhearted. Because the band never kept in touch with me, apart from that one letter.... S. Wow...
R. But I was
determined to get things back together for myself when I got out. And when
I was released, I ran into Gaz, and they were actually looking for a new
singer. And he talked to me and said "Look, Raish, we're sorry about what
happened, but would you like to sing on "Pride & The Passion? Because we
think you're capable of doing it, taking the place of Patty Smith [ RL
vocalist on first LP who rejoined band in early 1990's]. And I said,
"Right, no problem, we'll get some reels done" and we took it from there. |
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S. And you've also been in the band Crashed Out. R. Aye, Crashed Out, yeah. Well, again, bit of a long story. Originally they were just young kids, they were pretty big fans of RL and stuff like that. I knew their bass player and they were on tour in Belgium, and right after that tour I got a call from the bass player saying "Look, we need a drummer, and do you fancy writing some songs as well for our next album?" So I ended up going down to the studio where they were recording and...ended up in the band. Played a few gigs with them and wrote some of the album tracks. (Starts laughing). It's crazy this...but I was a drummer, we went on tour and after THAT tour their singer left so I said "Get your old drummer back in, and I'll sing". So I ended up singing for CO as well. (Laughs). S. And that was the "Here Now and Real" album. You wrote a good number of the songs on that? R. Yeah. |
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R. Why? S. Yeah, I mean when I think of some of my absolute favorite English bands, a lot of them seem to come from your neck of the woods. Of course, you've also had the Angelic Upstarts as well. I don't know all the geography exactly, but all these bands seem to be from the same area, more or less. R. Well, I'm from Sunderland which is within a ten mile radius of Newcastle. The reason so many bands coming from Sunderland, or the Northeast of England generally is because in years gone by the Northeast had a thriving industry of shipbuilding and mining. But in the early '80's, when Margaret Thatcher took over as Prime Minister, she decided to close most of the industries down. So a lot of the kids on the street didn't have much to look forward to work-wise. Employment got really scarce, we had 2-3 million people on the dole. So a lot of the kids who had been in touch with the punk scene started to form their own bands at this point and write songs about the ruined industries and Thatcher and stuff like that. But...I mean, I don't really know why exactly, you know? (Laughs). Around here, a lot of people really looked to The Rebels, RL and The Upstarts and I was privileged to be part of that scene. And with groups like that around you had a lot of kids inspired to pick up instruments and just start their own groups all over the place, you know? S. Did you play with The Upstarts? R. The Angelic Upstarts. No. You see, at the time I was in RL and Sticks, who was the drummer for the Upstarts had just joined The Cockney Rejects. And I was asked to take my tapes down to Mensi [ Angelic Upstarts lead singer ] who asked me what I do as a musician. I told him I play drums and was with RL. And he asked me if I wanted to join the band, and I said no because I was only 17 at the time. We'd just been signed by Razor Records and I was a bit nervous about joining a bigger band, you know? I had the chance, but I turned it down. S. Now, did you remain on good terms with RL? I mean, after your stint in prison, you recorded with them but were there hard feelings? Did you feel a little annoyed with them? R. (Thoughtful). Eh...was I annoyed? Well, Sasch, to be quite honest with ya, I did another stint in prison, right? And that was a twist in itself. Because you don't really get two bites at the cherry. That second time around really was my fault. You know the band had gotten a new singer [ Marty Clark, who recorded three albums with the band in the late 1980's ] in, and that was just the end of me, basically. But I did keep on good terms with them. There wasn't any animosity between us. I've got a lot of respect for Kid Stoker and Patty Smith. I mean, we're all childhood friends, you can't turn that down. I mean, yeah, of course we've all had our arguments and stuff like that in the past, but it's all water under the bridge, really. S. So what are your personal tastes these days in music? R. Obviously the punk stuff. That will always be there in me heart. I try to write songs like the ones being written when I was in the RL era. When I play a gig these days, people say "RAISH is a punk band" and yeah, 'cause I'm still a punk inside. I've got sort of like some favorites like Green Day and other American bands. But I don't really follow many new ones, I try to stick to the original punk stuff. But I do look at some of the up and coming bands today, with the young kids in 'em, and I'm quite interested. There are a lot of young bands in Sunderland at the moment...the punk stuff really seems to be coming back. I like the glam rock stuff, I like the punk stuff, it really varies. I can't really give you a definite answer though. One thing though, is I don't know if some of the kids really understand what the punk thing was about. You really had to live through it. S. Do you have a day job or are you doing music full time? R. Well, my trade is that I'm a painter. But music is really my main priority. I'm actually going to sign a contract this Wednesday for music theater. I'm looking to promote my material with it. It's this thirteen week course where I get to tell people what playing is all about. I'll send you some copies of the new RAISH stuff if you'd like... S. Oh, yeah, I'd love it. R. I'm hoping this company will understand what RL was about and what I'm about now. And then maybe it will inspire young kids to understand what song writing is about, and how to promote your songs and that's basically what I'm doing at the minute. S. Well, I love the songs you have on your myspace site. It sounds like RL, only more modern. And it's very catchy, which I think you have a knack for. R. Have you heard "All Around The World" ? S. Yeah. And the two others, they sound really good. R. They're alright. We sort of rushed into the studio and decided to pick three songs, out of about thirty-two. And what it is, is that I try to concentrate on the whole audience rather than a specific crowd, punk or whatever. And I've gotten a really good response, so although I still call it punk, a lot of people say it's a different type of music, which is really good on my behalf. ' Cause everyone likes it, so...I mean, you take RL or the Sex Pistols, which would you say is solid punk? The Pistols. RL weren't really "punk", but we were based on the whole punk thing, you know? S. I think definitely the spirit was there. Do you still see the Stoker brothers around, or Spin Brown from Crashed Out around Newcastle? R. Spin? Aye, I still keep in touch with all the Crashed Out lads. Good friends of mine. And Spin, he's exactly like me, you know what I mean? We've had quite a few of the same circumstances....he's a really good lad, he's the one that got me in Crashed Out. And the RL lads I see quite frequently, although I think Kid just retired from music. I occasionally see Patty. And we all get on really, really well. We have a few and that sort of thing, talk about the old days and stuff, ya know? We all live in the same community, close by and drink in the same pubs. It's always good to catch up. S. Now, that's you on the inner sleeve of the first Red Alert LP? You know the one, with all the little photo booth pictures, it says "Raish & Melly". R. Yeah. Funnily enough I just saw Melly and I hadn't seen him in about twenty years. He was in Chaos, he was the bass player. Actually, we were really a fantastic band, it's a shame we didn't do any recordings. So, I just bumped into him the other day. You move on in life, you don't see people, and then you just run into everyone at once. But yeah, that's us on the sleeve. S. Yeah. That's how I got started in tracking your career. I noticed your credits on a RL record, and then somewhere else. And I've been mispronouncing your name for years, I thought it was "Ray-Sh".... R. (Laughter). Riiish... S. I figured of course it was you on the sleeve but you never know! Any closing comments? Anything you'd like to say? R. I think we've covered anything. But it's good to be in touch, this is where the internet is good, it really helps promote the music, lets you know what the bands are all about. I think you'll be quite impressed with the album. The songs you've heard, they're a bit softer than a lot of stuff on the album. S. Actually, I just thought a quick final question. You played with Marky Ramone and you've played with Glen Matlock. How did those gigs go? R. Aye, brilliant. I met Marky Ramone at the gig we played with him. There were all these little crappy bands on the stage before the bigger bands. We were on for about half an hour and he actually came out and watched us. He was really impressed with us live. I came offstage and he shook me hand and said that it was a good gig, and to keep up the good work basically. The Glen Matlock thing, we played with him in Newcastle. He was crashed out in his dressing room, bit of an ego being an ex-Sex Pistol and all that. I met him in his dressing room, because after our set I went backstage to get a beer and there was Glen just sitting there in a pair of underpants! He said it was a good gig, though, and I gave him a CD. It's been really good to share the stage with them type of people you know? I mean they're legends, so it's a privilege. Brilliant!
Further: -FIN-_____________________________________________________________________________________ |
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Raish Carter isn't a
household name, but on sheer persistence alone he should be. A self-taught
drummer and guitarist, as well as an amazing lyricist, Raish has been in
the thick of the Geordie punk scene since 1979. From being pictured on
the inner sleeve of Red Alert's seminal Oi masterpiece "We Got The Power"
to drumming on the first Red London 7" and then drumming AND singing on
their third record, the mind blowing melodic attack of "Pride and
Passion". This would be enough for most people, but Raish--Neil to his
parents unless my sources are wrong--has kept on swinging the sticks and
mic stands, playing revolving drumming/singing duties (again!) with
Crashed Out. Now he's fronting the mysteriously monikered RAISH which
ushers his career into the myspace era where you can find their tunes a
