So Undead Generation have two new ska songs out. Is the band going to be moving in a more ska direction from this point?
Roscoe: Undead Generation has always been playing a little bit of ska and reggae fusion, but I guess with the addition of new members who are mostly music students as well as a trombonist, and soon hopefully a trumpeter, the ska and ska punk stuff just seems to flow more easily and almost comes naturally. Half of the music being composed became increasingly melodic and contrasted nicely with the hardcore and more speedy thrash stuff we do. Also, after the passing of George Bacon from Hog Hoggidy Hog, myself and Dean Saunders (lead guitar and backup vocals) began taking great influence from the legacy left behind by their music. Most of our members are studying music or music technology and we listen to very contrasting types of music, so the focus may be on punk overall, but many other styles and sounds are also thrown into the mix over time, including hip hop (or rapcore), and even jazz.
How is the music scene in Port Elizabeth? For years now you folks have been the only punk band in the area as far as I know.
Roscoe: The music scene in PE is very much alive and well, filled with brilliant artists mostly performing folk, pop, hip hop, singer-songwriter type stuff, grunge/rock, and various subgenres of metal. There is so much undiscovered talent here, it's actually incredible. We are, however, the only punk band as far as I know, and we have been for quite a while. There was a pop punk band a few years back that played regularly but otherwise its just us flying the safety pinned flag for now. We're hoping that some new ska, punk, and hardcore bands start appearing at some point soon.
Any plans for shows outside of PE this year?
Roscoe: We mostly perform a lot in PE, and just outside of PE in places like Grahamstown, and we've played in Despatch and Falcon Rock, but so far we have yet to embark on a full national tour. We're hoping to organize a tour to Cape Town this year, performing at various venues for a whole week. It's just so kak that we're all so busy all the time. Like, most of us have full-time jobs to get us by or help pay for our part time studies, or we're studying full time. A few of us in the band are also involved in various charities and activism which is also very time consuming. I guess with a bit of improved time management and sacrifice, we could pull off the tours we want to do and actually bring our music to others outside of our small coastal hometown. But regardless, we're super keen to bring some love to the SA scene and abroad in the near future!
Questions by: Shaun Richards
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