Allstonians Interview
By Erika

Earlier I said we had to beg some people to get this thing off the ground. This is where we had to beg people. Actually we didn't really have to beg people. Thanks to Kori's connections we have, for your pleasure, The Allstonians . Kori and I received e-mails from at least 20 bands that wanted to inteviews. Unfortunatley we couldn't do interviews with all of them. It was tough picking just one band to interview. We had originally had an interview with Miltown but because they broke up they couldn't do an interview. So at the last minute I e-mailed The Allstonians. I gave them a few questions and they responded with the answers. Well actually you might want a little backround information in case you have no idea who I'm talking about. The Allstonians are a really awesome ska band from Allston Massachusetts. They consist of:
Nigel Knucklehead-age 14-keyboards
King "K" Knucklehead-age 16-vocals
Darrell "D-Train" Morrow-age 18-tenor sax
Ken "Cash" Cook-age 23-guitar
Jim "Big Words" Zavadoski-age 25-bass fishing
David "Now You See Him" Roy-age 33-drums
Joe "Peanut" Stewart-age 27-trombone
And they also have a revolving cast of horn players including Mark Sanchez, Charlie Cook, Chris Marsen, and Frank Schajbel.

Those aren't their real ages, play along with it. Now for the part you've all been waiting for, the actual interview.

Erika: Why did you choose the name "The Allstonians" over something else?

Allstonians: We wanted to honor our hometown with this one. We also DID NOT want to use the word "ska" in our name.

Erika: How long have you been together?

Allstonians: We have been together for almost six years at this point. We started in my living room in September of 1992.

Erika:What is your favorite band?

Allstonians: We all have different favorite albums so here are some of them; The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Blur, Spiritualized, XTC, Frank Sinatra(RIP), Lee "Scratch" Perry, and The Skatalites……………… Influences.

Erika: What is your all time favorite album?

Allstonians: My favorite album is probably Quadrophenia by The Who, or something by Lee Perry.

Erika: Who are some of your major influences (musically and personality wise)?

Allstonians: Influences? Hmmmm… this one is tough. There are so many influences in one's life that it becomes hard to pinpoint the biggies. Albert Einstein, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis (honestly), Jimmy Hoffa, The Beatles (I don't think there is any musician out there who shouldn't say that). That should hold you.

Erika: What's your favorite color?

Allstonians: Green. (I like the easy ones.)

Erika: Where's your favorite place to play?

Allstonians: Europe, Europe, and Europe, It was so great when we were over there. The club owners actually treat you like human beings. And the crowds were great, not that crowds are bad here, they are in fact terrific, it's just that we received a great reception even though we were pretty much unknown.

Erika: What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

Allstonians: Green.

Erika: Who is Emily from "Emily Slumber?"

Allstonians: She was a woman we met at our friend Spike's funeral.

Erika: Do you write your songs from personal experience?

Allstonians: All songs everywhere are from personal experience and ours are too. We just try not to write about ourselves in a direct fashion. It is better to write in a round-about manner.

Erika: what kind of people do you NOT get along with?

Allstonians: Liars. Selfish people. Irritating people.

Erika: Do you know somebody that is like Jimmy and is the song about them?

Allstonians: D'Train wrote the first verse about a guy he saw on the public transportation one day an then he filled in the rest with composites of other A******* in the world. I don't think there is an actual Jimmy, he just represents jerks everywhere.

Erika: Does everyone in the band get along well?

Allstonians: Funny you should ask that question. We just had a bit of a row last night. It happens in all bands, but I think one can't function unless he is welcomed by the people with whom he works. I tend to be an A****** in a lot of situations, but I think that is because I want to succeed so badly. People take a lot of things personally when they shouldn't. People also tend to want to run things their own way in this band and that is accepted most of the time. King "K", D'Train and myself have been in the band since the start and we usually have the most say in operations. Further, there have been 39 or so Allstonians, the musicians may change but the music remains. The real answer…YES.

Erika: How do people in other parts of the country like your music?

Allstonians: I think our music is received well all around. I was just coresponding with Jim Mason from KZSU out at Stanford University. He has us in regular rotation. It is really nice to hear from all these people.

Erika: What strange things have happened at past concerts?

Allstonians: We almost never drink so when King "K" and myself, along with D'Train, got drunk the other night, it was really strange. We could not figure out how all those beers ended up in our systems. It was weird!!!

P.S. to everyone out there, Since the interview The Alltonians have parted with D'Train for more info. well check back here later.