Syracuse Ska Forum

Green Room Rockers Interview
www.musicaloccupation.com


The Green Room Rockers, out of nowhere they came together in a small cornfield town in Indiana. Out of nowhere they emerged on the U.S. ska and reggae scene causing people to drop their jaws and ask where did these guys come from? Out Of Nowhere, "too bad that album title was already taken by Hepcat" said vocalist and keyboard player Mark when I talked to him last month. They were getting ready for 2 shows with the Aggrolites and he took some time to take a call and discuss just where they
actually come from, how, and what their all about.

Gabe: Lets talk abut where your from in Indiana, whats it like there?

Mark: Originally im from North West Indiana which is like the forgotten superb of Chicago, like the Jersey of Chicago. Home of some of the craziest gang violence. That's the kind of environment I grew up in. I'm currently from Lafayette. Axel Rose is from here, Sonic Iguana who did recordings for Look out Records, Screeching Weasel, and Common Rider is here. It's a small town but stuff is going on under the wood work.

Gabe: How did the band get together?

Mark: Kinda by accident. My guitar player and the other singer grew up going to the same ska and punk shows. Deals Gone Bad, Slackers, Skatalites in Wisconsin. Me and my guitar player moved up here to go to school and try to make something of ourselves;that's going real good! (laughing.) My guitar player was a metal head and I converted him over to reggae which took a long time to do but eventually he caught wind of it.

I walked in to my first class in school and this nerdy kid is in my class and knows all about Toots and the Maytals, The Specials, and all the rare Sublime stuff I know...just knows! I find out 1) he can run sound and has his own studio and 2) he is a great sax player and guitar player... so THAT was an accident. He also produced the record.

Then I was at a house party seeing some punk band play and in between sets the drummer was doing ska beats from Hepcat's Push and Shove. I sat down and showed him some licks and I got his number. So now I got a drummer, sax player, and guitar. Then I got asked to be in a ska-punk band and I met my bass player and it just kept going. We had some random players and we said lets do something here. We always wanted to play a more traditional thing.

The first GRR show was the first time all the members met.(laughing)
I just told em' all to come to this house, were gonna play, we'll just wing it. So like 50 people showed up and that was it. We had a good time

Read more...

lol at the syracuse story

More than one instance of "your" instead of "you're" and "their" instead of "they're", along with quite a few other typos. I'm not trying to be a stickler, but for me, it's kinda distracting.

In any case, great band. I'm glad to have got them on Ska Weekend.

don't apologize. there are a multitude of grammar sticklers in the world, myself being one.
STOP BAD GRAMMER

yes I admit to bad everything
We just talked about this this morning. Mikey will be our editor.

Dumpster/Dominoes -- is there a big difference?

It's fixed now!
Geeze, this grammar police abuse has got to stop.

Well, it's too late. I'm not reading it AGAIN! The only way you can make it up to me is by following up your GRR interview with an interview with me. That's what Skablahblah did haha.

they almost did

he had a "mild" heart attack

If I do that, JJ will start to think I'm copying him. It may infuriate him.
Okay let's do it!!

Email me info@musicaloccupation.com

Still gotta listen to that interview with you and JJ, why with all the controversy surroundin it and all.

Haha I'm such a whore. I may or may not email you, because doing so is whorier than ever.

perhaps it wont be so whorey if we wait a month or so
let the whoeryness where off