Interview with General
Moses, Rude Radio 770am
U of Minnesota:Twin Cities
4/17/99

(DJ) (general introduction to Invaders song)

*** Ska Fever played ***

(DJ)770 K, there, music from the Invaders, who are in the studio with 
us this morning.  Would you like to introduce yourselves please, from
the left.

(skippy)Skippy

(max)Yah Sure, you betcha'  Max.

(stale)Stale

(DJ)Stale.  Hey you guys, thanks for coming on Rude Radio.

(Max)Thanks for having us!

(DJ)Ah, the Invaders, a 6-piece band formed 10 years ago in lovely, 
balmy, Milwaukee, WI.

(Max)It's as balmy as here.

(DJ)yeah, really.  Ahh, the Invaders are on their supposed Farewell Tour.
Last night they performed with Umbrella Bed, who were actually guests 
here last week on Rude Radio, at the Uptown Bar.  And you can still
catch them because the two bands are also performing tonight at the 
Foxfire Lounge in downtown Minneapolis on First Avenue.  And its an 
all ages show so all you young rudies; rude boys & rude girls can all attend.

(Max)Oh yeah.  Lots of rude girls!  We want 'em all at the front of
the stage.

(DJ) Well, uh, first ...

(Max)Help me out stale!

(DJ)How did you guys all meet?

(Max)This is too early.  Where's the coffee?

(DJ)Too early...  How did you guys all meet?

(stale?)Well, this guy in the alley, selling smokes...

(DJ)Was it licensed grits? or little Handrolled Smokes?

(max)they were, uh, contraband smokes.  Nah, uh, the band actually
went through a lot of member changes so uh, the line up that we have
now kind of came in piece by piece, year by year.  I've known these guys
for long than I'd care to admit right now.  Stale came in when we 
were looking for a horn player, and he was uh...

(DJ)But you also double on bass as I saw a little bit last night.

(stale)Yeah...

(max)And keyboard...

(stale)Once in a while.  I never know where I'm going to be... 

(skippy)I came in when they were looking for a kazoo player.

(DJ)Thats hot.
Dont you play the washboard too skippy?
Thats pretty slick... Or spoons...

(Max)The drummer quit so we made him play drums.  But he does play kazoo.

(DJ)Well, thats cool.  And Stale, I must say that is good.  Its very 
good I think to be a utility infielder in a band.  You know, someone 
who can just pick up and...

(Stale)Hey... You never know what I'm gonna play!

(DJ)Thats why they pay you the big bucks.

(Skippy)Last night he played bass.

(DJ)Bass, and I heard a little horns lately.  So, what happened to some of the guys...
uh...

(Max)Benny got lost.  He got lost in Minneapolis.

(DJ) OH, see, I heard the rumor was like, the car broke down somewhere
in Western WI.

(Max)Sure, we can use that.

(Stale)Works for me!

(Max)The bottom line is he was extremely late.  He jumped up there, what, 
ten minutes to go in our set?

(Stale)Something like that.

(Max)So ten minutes of it rocked.

(Skippy)Truth be known, he was just *so* stoned he could not find his 
way there.  Thats the truth.

(Max)All you Minnesota cops, pull over Benny.

(DJ)Well, actually you should probably tell the Wi cops.  Its pretty
hard to get lost when you're going west on 94.

(Max)Thats true.

(Skippy)So you know how stoned he had to be.

(DJ)Absolutely! Where is that stuff?!

(Stale)He musta saw those big stuffed animals along 
the side of the road.

(DJ)Stuffed animals?  Was that a past vision he had?

(Skippy)The orange moose.

(Stale)Yeah, the orange moose.

(Max)He's young, he's young.

(DJ) Oh I gotcha, is he the one with glasses?

(Max)Yep.

(DJ)He totally looks like the young youth.

(Max)he's the youth, yes.  He brings the youth to the band.

(DJ)You guys formed in 1989 originally, correct Max?

(Max)Well, yeah, we were pretty much a ska band in '89.
We were screwing around, friends of mine, before that.
We weren't really doing ska, but yeah.

(DJ)But there weren't many ska bands even playing in 1989.

(Max)No, there were actually a couple, ah... Wild Kingdom...

(DJ)They were either just breaking up or like, hadn't even
started yet.

(Max)Right.

(DJ)Or still in, like, junior high school.

(Max)I was into the music, you know, through out the two-tone
era and listening to what you could find during the early 80's,
Which was getting sparser by the day.  But um, we kinda carried
the torch a little bit 'til the 3rd wave kinda took off.

(DJ)Were you suprised by how much its taken off over the 
last decade basically?

(Max)Uh yeah, in some ways, very much.  You know, it was exciting.
We were kind of there in the right time.

(DJ)You were there at the beginning, which not many bands 
can say.  That's really great.  Now I understand this last
album that you put out here on Elevator Music.  Did you find them
or did they find you?

(Max)They got a hold of us for a compilation they put out, and
asked for a track.  So we threw them a track & they liked it.

(Stale)Ask skippy, he knows more about it.

(Skippy)yeah, I ran into the uh...

(?)While driving!

(Skippy)I ran into the owner of the record label while I 
was on tour with a punk band.

(DJ)What band?

(Skippy)Battalion of Saints, from San Diego.

(DJ)Scam Diego...

(Skippy)Yeah...

(DJ)Where you guys play? (?)-Vista?

(Skippy)No... Not many places... We... You know, a punk
band show usually lasts about 15 minutes before you know, something
happens that it has to ah...

(DJ)Ahh...

(Skippy)Everyone has to leave or go home, go to jail, whatever. 
Go back to their alley.

(DJ)Well, thats good... Well, we got a song keyed up here.
Its listed on your CD as "Bonus Track".  The extra song.
Wanna say anything about this song?

(Max)I can't remember, what is the bonus track?!

(DJ)Uh, I think its something about "You're awful, you suck..."

(Max)Ah...

(DJ)Yeah...

(Skippy)Hey, that's our ballad.

(DJ)I understand that.  Who wrote it?

(Max)I wrote that one... (laughter)

(DJ)Explain that one- Explain yourself!

(Max)Boy... Lets see, I'm far enough away from Milwaukee here right?

(DJ)Actually, we do have some listeners on the web at
radiok.org.  We've gotten some letters from them.

(Max)Uh oh... Well, lets just say it was inspired by my ex-wife.
We'll leave it at that- Lovely woman...

(DJ)Well, here it is, 770 Radio K.

*** Such A Jerk played ***
*** Turning Japanese played ***

(DJ)770 Radio K there.  Music from Skankin' Pickle with
Turning Japanese, of course the old Vapors tune, as well as
music from the Invaders.  Guests here in the studio here on
Rude Radio.  By the way, it is 11:30 on another gorgeous
Saturday morning.

(Max)Oh... 11:30 already?  I gotta go...

(DJ)Is it still gorgeous outside?

(Skippy)Gorgeous!

(Woman talking in background)

(Max)It's excellent.

(DJ)So, what was the name of that bonus track?

(Max)Such A Jerk.

(DJ)There we go.  Well, coming up in the next few minutes we're 
going to hear the ska concert calender.

(Max)Oh, I know a show tonight!  Foxfire Lounge!

(DJ)Where is it?  Foxfire Lounge in downtown Minneapolis.
The Invaders as well as Umbrella Bed.

(Max)And there's another band on the line up, One-two Punch is 
also going to be playing.

(DJ)One-Two Punch, thats correct.  And it starts pretty early.
Its an all ages show, lots & lots of coffee.  So all you
Java Jocks out there... But uh, now listen...

(Max)The General promised us breakfast everbody.  He didn't
have any here.

(DJ)Ya know, I was going to do the big donut thing but it just
didn't happen.

(Skippy)What do we look like?  Cops?

(Max)Thats why we were here... for the donuts...

(DJ)You do actually Skippy.  You do look like a cop!  
You could do for that.  How is the Milwaukee & Chicago ska scene?

(Max)Ah, small.  Its small but its healthy.  There's still some
good bands in Milwaukee pounding it out.  The bands we have in
Milwaukee right now don't leave Milwaukee unfortunately.
There's about 4 or 5 bands but uh, they don't really tour.  They
don't move out so... But Chicago, uh, Chicago too.  They don't, like, 
leave Chicago.  i don't know what it is about that.  We are about the
only band out of Milwaukee that really toured heavily.  Yeah, we
definately were, right Skip?

(Skippy)Yeah... No one likes bands from Milwaukee or Chicago!

(DJ)Yeah, it just doesn't sound as fabulous, like if you're
from a small town.

(Max)Everywhere you go..."Oh! Beer!  Laverne & Shirley! Yeah- Cheese!"

(DJ)Hey Stale, what kind of music did you listen to when you 
were growing up?

(Stale)Uh, punk, metal, classical.  I was classically trained so...

(DJ)Classically trained in what?

(?)Bondage!

(Stale)Trumpet.  So I listened to a lot of everything.
Actually, I really didn't hear ska until I joined this band.

(?)Doh!

(Stale)Well, I was familiar with it but I didn't know thats
what it was called.  I'd heared the music but I didn't
know the "genre" so to speak.

(Max)Skippy was into ska though, out in L.A.

(Skippy)Yeah.  I got into ska mainly because a lot of 
friends I had that were into punk were also into ska.
I was in a lot of punk, a lot of hardcore bands, lots of jazz.

(DJ)So you grew up in L.A.?

(Skippy)I grew up all over the country.

(DJ)Ska, punk, and also you threw in jazz.  Did you play jazz 
in bands too?

(Skippy)Oh yeah.  I toured with a lot of jazz bands.  I toured
with some blues bands.  Played with local bands around Los Angeles.
I played with Screamin' Jay Hawkins a couple times.

(DJ)There ya go, any folk in there?

(Skippy)Not really, no.  Folk, they got the mandolin and the
harmonica...

(Max)They dont want drummers.

(Skippy)Open-back banjo, yeah...

(DJ)The whole box car thing.

(Skippy)Yeah, there's no need.

(DJ)Did you guys hear Boxcar Willie passed away last week?

(Max)Really?  Oh wow...

(DJ)Very sad.  but I don't want to bring this whole show
down on Boxcar Willie...

(Skippy)You just wrecked the whole mood...

(Max)(laughing) Not Boxcar!

(Skippy)Bad cop!  No donuts!

(DJ)Max, what'd you listen to?

(Max)When I was uh, a youth?

(Stale)He listened to Cheaptrick.

(Max)When I was real little I grew up on the Beatles.

(DJ)Ah, unfortunately.

(Max)But then I got into uh...

(DJ)We did play the Beatle's (?)

(Max)I was heavy into Devo.

(Skippy)He's old!

(Max)I got into the Cars, the Police and uh, two-tone once the
two-tone thing hit.  I was gone on ska.  That's about all I 
listened to.  A lot of people got down on me all the time 'cuz
my listening was so narrow.
"You gotta listen to... Come on, we're going to see Madonna in
concert!"- I don't wanna go see Madonna in concert... I don't like
her music.  "Aw, come on, you gotta expand your horizons..."

(DJ)Aw, come on, "Holiday"?  All the little rubber wrist bands?

(Max)No, no.  A lot of reggae, a lot of ska.  After two-tone I 
really didn't discover old school, 'til after the two-tone and
I got really into that.

(DJ)That tends to happen.  When people get into a certain kind
of music.  They get into the music of the day that they listen
to and then they start to discover as they listen to more and more of it.
Like "I've heard that before, where'd that come from?"

(Max)Well, yeah.  Just like the big wace of ska that we just had.
And a lot of people, a lot of bands would get up there and they'd
be playing total punk ska.  And they're going "Oh, this is ska.  
This is what ska is."  Because thats what's happening right now.
They're not educated on what ska really is.  And that
these are all these branches of this style of music.

(DJ)Well, what is it?  Tell us.

(Max)We don't have to tell the listeners of this show 
what ska is.

(DJ)Unless of course, you listen to Rude Radio because we
focus on a lot of the old stuff that you just dont hear
anywhere else.

(Max)This is the first time I've had the pleasure of 
listening to your show & it was ah... Tuned it in this
morning and I was very impressed.

(Skippy)Do you ever mix in any, like, Agnostic Front?

(DJ)Once in a while, once in a while.  Its a saturday
morning show.

(Skippy)Thats what you need!  Agnostic Front!

(DJ)We get a few different requests for all the different kinds
of contemporary ska and a lot of its the ska-punk.  A lot of it
just doesn't seem to fit the mold- first thing you know.
Some things might end up happening at the station.  We might
end up growing time-wise in the future.  And that might
open up different time slots.  Thats what we're actually hoping for.

(Skippy)Right on.

(DJ)Well, hey, we have something else keyed up from the Invaders.
From their CD here entitled...

(Max)And we will have these available tonight along with t-shirts
and buttons and patches.

(DJ)All the stuff.

(Max)We gotta put gas in our tank folks.  Buy some souvenoirs.

(DJ)There ya go.  The CD is entitled All Thats Normal Turns To Chaos.
Don't forget everybody, they're performing tonight at the 
Foxfire Lounge along with Umbrella Bed.  Its an all ages show and
it'll probably be an earlier show.

(Max)Yeah, I think they're going to get the first band on, like 7:30.

(DJ)Right, they tend to do that there.  Nice little venue.

(Max)That's 'cuz a lot of people leave at 11 o'clock.

(DJ)I dunno- It's Saturday night!

(Max)They go home.  They're 15, 16...

(DJ)That's true, someone's coming to pick em up outside.

(Max)So, we want a lot of body surfing tonight...

(DJ)Perfect.

(Max)Everyone packed to the front of the stage.  None of this
no man's land stuff.

(DJ)Well, here it is, "Brewtown Ska" on Rude Radio.

*** Brewtown Ska played ***
*** Ska Concert Calender ***

(DJ)Well, again, the guests in the studio this morning are the 
Invaders.  A ska band in Milwaukee that have been performing 
for 10 years.  10 long years or short years?

(Max)Uh... very quick.  It doesn't seem like it's been that long.

(Skippy)It seems like yesterday was our first show.

(Max)It was, wasn't it?  Yesterday?

(Skippy)Oh yeah...

(Max)It felt like it! (laughter)

(DJ)That was the improv show.

(Max)That was the first time we ever performed as a 4-piece, 
last night.

(DJ)Well, you did it well.

(Max)Well...

(DJ)You looked good.  You guys looked good up there.

(Max)Its always better to look good.

(DJ)There ya go.

(Max)...the to feel good.

(DJ)Now, why are you guys breaking up?

(Max)I can't stand him anymore.

(Stale)Its his fault!

(Skippy)We're just to the point where it's time to move on for
everybody.  There's some people doing different projects that 
they would want to pursue.

(DJ)Like what?

(Skippy)Uh, our bass player's in a pop-punk kinda band.
And uh, we're not doing a lot right now so its just time for everybody to
work on their own projects.

(DJ)What do you want to do?

(Skippy)Im in a thrash band and I've been playing around, some guys
around Milwaukee.  Playing some jazz.

(DJ)What's the name of the group?

(Skippy)We don't have a name yet.

(DJ)All the better, they're just kinda roaming.

(Skippy)When I first moved to Wisconsin, I moved here because of a 
thrash band.  And the guitarist from that band and myself are doing some work.

(DJ)Stale, what are you going to be doing?

(Stale)I don't know yet.  I'm just going to hang out for the summer.

(DJ)Just cruise.

(Stale)I'm not looking for anything in a hurry.  I'm taking some time off.

(DJ)There ya go.  You going to like, innertube down rivers and stuff 
like that?

(Stale)Waterskiing and windsurfing actually.

(DJ)That'll work.  Max, what are you up to?

(Max)Ah, nothing.  I'm available for whoever wants to get together and and jam.

(DJ)There ya go.  Is it tough for you guys to do the whole thing...

(Skippy)He;s got this cool act with a donkey that he does.

(DJ)Donkey shows!  I've seen donkey shows.

(Max)Yeah... might bring that back, it was a favorite...

(DJ)Perfect for the all age crowd.

(Max)Yeah, it gets 'em wide-eyed.

(DJ)Is it really tough for you guys to do it like this?  I mean, kind of
winding down.  Now you guys are kind of, like, the Gretzkys of ska all of 
a sudden.

(Max)Its weird.  The shows have been weird.  When we're onstage and performing 
it feels the same but after the shows we get a lot of people coming up and, 
I dunno, its weird.

(Skippy)Its not as easy as we thought.

(Stale)They keep going "Its your last show, its your last show!" and I keep
thinking, eh-we're playing next week.

(DJ)But you guys only have, what, 5 or 6 shows still on the docket?

(Max)Yeah, but we've actually been asked to play the Wisconsin State Fair in August.
We might get together to do that.  We might do some colleges.  I mean, we might 
get together.  We're still friends and everything.

(Skippy)We'll be there for the pig judging.

(Max)We might get together to do certain shows.  But we're not going to be
playing every weekend like we were.  We're not going to be touring.

(Stale)We're not going to be driving 18 hours and driving right back again.

(Max)For one show, yeah... But, you know, when we were touring our heaviest 
we were hoping to get some major label interest and get hooked up and that
didn't happen.  And how labels aren't looking at ska bands anymore.  I mean,
they always want to be on what th epeople are buying and what's going to
make them the most money.  So its like oh- are we going to sit and play the
club scene for another 10 years?  We can't make a living doing that.

(DJ)Yeah, waiting for that next wave.

(Max)It'll come and it never really goes away.

(DJ)It'll be back, everything comes back.  Doesn't matter what it is, 
everything comes back.

(Max)I feel so sad now!

(Stale)Yeah, I gotta say hey to Bill, he's hanging out at home.

(Skippy)Some things shouldn't come back.

(DJ)Well, ya know, heavy metal's still coming back in Florida.  South Florida, 
is that still all heavy metal there?

(Max)There's a new wave of metal coming.  It's more like old school metal now.

(DJ)Well, thats kind of what happened to ska.  It turned into Oi.  Really
kinda took off, more of a bluecollar punk stuff.

(Max)Yeah, the old school style took off and all of a sudden that segued
into swing and so "Hey, lets play swing."  Which was funny because ska
was born out of the love of swing and blues out in Jamaica.  So, 
talk about, you know, full circle.

(DJ)All the original ska performers all considered themselves as jazz musicians.

(Max)Right... I've just swallowed that drop you just gave me- Its working!
As I choke on the radio! (laughter) Ahh... that went down good...

(DJ)Anyway, we got something cued up for you guys.

(?)Choking noises

(DJ)Again, from your CD. This is the Invaders here in the studio.
The song entitled "Bend My Bones".  770 Radio K.

*** Bend My Bones played ***

***Short part of interview lost due to technical problems  ***
***(ie.  my tape ended.)  Lost was another song or two     ***
***by random ska artists and the majority of an amusing    ***
***tale involving the Invaders, Johnny Socko, Mustard Plug,***
***and if I remember right, a lot of onstag mooni          ***

(Skippy)And the manager said "Oh, that's okay, You've been out for a long
time.  We'll take care of it."

(DJ)I'm sure that the next band that came through there, they
really got the nice treatment.

(Stale)I don't know, it was a blast.

(Max)We always have fun with those guys.

(Stale)You never know whats going to happen
when we play with Plug or Socko, either one.

(DJ)Well, the rest of your gigs.  You're playing tonight, and then again your'e
playing out in LaCrosse, WI at the Warehouse tomorrow night. And then uh, 
you had back to milwaukee to wrap it up.

(Max)We'll take alittle break.  We'll be in Stevens Point, WI on the 23rd,
and then, yeah.  Nothing really on the books.  Maybe, like I said, State
Fair in August and there's a couple colleges that were interested.  We are 
keeping our webpage open.  Right now its www.geocities.com/~invaderska

(DJ)Oh... Its one of those, its one of those...

(Stale)I was wondering, who would look up "invader ska"?

(Max)  But.  You go on Yahoo & type "invaders ska" & you can find it.
But we will be getting a new website. It will be just invaders.com
Its going to be out of Florida.  And uh, its going to have information
on the band, history, what we're doing now.  You'll be able to
get merchandise through there.

(DJ)And plus you guys have also played on about 10 different compilations

(Max)Ahh, 12 actually.

(DJ)12 comps.  I mean, thats great.  So that gets you out there.

(Max)So, we're going to be, well, you know, there's always going to
be some place to look for us on the web.  And our info line.  Ahh, 
414-298-9800.  It's like a phone line... Skippy get your tongue out 
of my ear!

(DJ)Thank you guys a lot...
(Band)Thanks for having us... 
Random thanks & donut jokes...






brainonska@yahoo.com