the Welch Boys ***New Interview***

the Welch Boys are an awesome band out of Boston. They play an amazing live set and have an amazing list of bands that they do shows with. They have toured a bit and had a big show at the CBGB before it closed. They have also released a couple of awesome recordings. I got TJ to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
I'm TJ Welch. I'm 45 years old. I am married with three boys. Like most people,  I have had lots of ups and downs in my life.
About five years ago, I lost my good friend and Welch Boys drummer, Ron Holbrook. I tried to help him, but I couldn't.  I believe that Ron is in heaven.
Four weeks ago, I lost my job. Right now, I'm depressed,... however, it's not all bad.... depression creates a great environment for song writing. I have written some good stuff in the past few weeks.  I have faith that I will get a job soon.
Like many Irishmen, I like to drink. Alcohol is a consistent theme in our music. Drinking is a double edged sword. It helps me to unwind and relax, but it can also be hard to control.
My father gave me my first guitar when I was twelve. I'm still not a good guitar player, but I like to play.  Music is theraputic to me.  It is also satisfying to know that others can enjoy and identify with the music that me and the band create.
I pray for help every day, and I try to be the best husband and dad that I can.

How did the band start?
I had previously been in a band called Gage in the 90's with Al Barile and Francoise Levesque from SS Decontriol. After that, in 1999 I formed a  band called The Blue Bloods.  I wanted to write lyrics, and with the Blue Bloods. I only wrote music in that band... our singer Tim Baxter wrote the lyrics... so I left the Blue Bloods to form another band in 2004 called The Welch Boys. I drafted some musician friends, and we got Ed Lalli , the guitarist from Slapshot, to sing for us. It came together very nicely.

How did you come up with the name?
We had a bunch of different ideas written on a chalk board...  but the only one that we could all agree with was Welch Boys. Welch is my last name. I'm the guitarist, but I'm only fifth of the band. I was ok with it. It's kind of like Van Halen. To me.. for some reason, the name has a Boston street feel to it. I like it.

Who would you say are your influences?
Our music is influenced mostly by hardcore, punk, and oi music. We all like bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SSD, Discharge, Government Issue, Cromags, Agnostic Front, GBH, The Business, Cock Sparrer, Sex Pitols, Flatfoot 56, Dead Kennedies, Black Flag, Bonecrusher, Sham 69, The Clash, The Jam, Blitz, Negative Approach, Blood for Blood, Rancid, DYS, Gang Green,  Negative FX, Slapshot, Germs, Ramones, DRI, Social D, JFA, Misfits, Killing Joke, MDC, Youth Brigade, Iron Cross, Void, Siege, Exploited, Suicidal Tendencies, Husker Du, Circle Jerks, Madball, Fucked Up, C.O.C., Buzzcocks... How's that for a list?
We like alot of rock and metal. Maiden, Slade, Motorhead, Metallica, Sabbath, and every other metal band in the world. Aerosmith, Lizzy, Kyus, Zep, Saint Vitus, Purple, B.O.C., Electric Wizard, Helmet, Melvins, AC/DC. Pentagram, High on Fire.
Lyrically, we are influenced by lots of things that we read... Lately, alot of Charles Bukowski, Doug Stanhope, George Carlin,  Bill Hicks, Cormack McCarthy, and Jack Handey.
We can't help but sounding like our fellow Boston bands. We love being part of the Boston punk scene, and bands like the Unseen, Darkbuster, Mission of Burma, The Freeze, SSD, Jerry's kids, The FU's, Blood for Blood, Slapshot, Street Dogs, Ducky Boys are all influential to us. Lots of people compare us to the Dropkicks, but none of us listen to them much. Although most of us have Irish ancestry,  we are not big fans of traditional Irish Celtic music and pageantry. ... Although we do like the Celtics... And the Bruins, and the Sox, and the Patriots.
We sound like our surroundings.... the working class streets of Boston.

What is the punk scene like in Boston?
It is resilliant.  It is always there. It's been going for thirty years.  Sometimes, it goes through a slow period... but overall, it's probably one of the best punk music scenes in the world. There are plenty of great local bands. There are alot of shows and venues, and most importantly, there are alot of punk fans that support the whole scene by showing up at the shows, and buying shirts and music. It's a big family.

Describe the song writing process...
We have a jam spot with a Protools recording setup. I like to record basic instrumental demo songs, and develop them. Usually, the music comes first, and we overdub lyrics later. Someone may come in with a basic riff, or song idea, but we always seem to do alot of changing and tweaking ideas. This collaborative atmosphere usually works to make for good tunes... and everyone gets involved. Then, when we have a bunch of new tunes, we usually go to the Outpost Studio, and we work with legendary  producer Jim Siegel to record a full lenght cd. He is the Phil Spector of Boston punk rock.
  Lyrically, we try to write about our lives and struggles. We all like to drink, so that is a re occuring theme. We like sports. There are other things that can be heard in our song lyrics.......spiritual themes, political overtones, civic pride, hope, dissilusionment with heroes, stuggles to make a living,  police brutality, regrets and dreams,  paranoia, our love of freedom and our country, our mistrust of hypocritical politicians, terrorism, the UFC, fine whiskey and cigars, beer, fast cars, females ,kids, scally caps, bar fights,  self doubt, family, ink, crime, revenge, unity, brotherhood, our love of a good hockey fight . We write about all sorts of stuff.

You have a self-titled release, tell us about the alum...
Our first cd was done in 2004, a few months after we had started out. It was released by Sailor's Grave records. The disc was also released in Europe by I Scream Records. I features our Skully logo on the cover.The logo is a comic book skull with crossbones superimposed over a four leaf clover. I've seen some cool tattoos with this logo. We made two videos for songs "617" and "Les Paul"   We were happy with the disc, and it has done well for us.


What else have you released?
We did a second disc called "Drinking Angry" about three years ago. We did a video for the song " Head in the Sand" off of that disc. This disc was released on I Scream exclusively, because Sailor's Grave was going through a rebuilding period at the time. We are also very happy with the material on that disc, and people seem to like it as well.

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We played a bunch of shows with the Dropkicks early on... But we haven't had the opportunity to play with them in a while.. They helped us out a bit when we were first getting going... And we are grateful for that.
Every time the Dead Kennedys come to town, we seem to get a chance to open for them. They are great guys.
We play with Slapshot once in a while. They are good friends. We also play with the FU's and the Business. All good guys.
Every year, we organize two memorial shows over a weekend in Boston for out late drummer Ron Holbrook. We have about six local  bands play each night, and we play a set both nights. Some of the bands are The Ducky Boys, Death and Taxes, Refuse Resist, Ashers, Burning Streets, Beantown Boozehounds, Lenny Lashley, Dead Friends, The FU'sThe Blue Bloods, and a bunch of other great bands. The proceeds go to the Pinbe Street Inn which is a Boston homeless shelter.  This year will be the fifth time we have done this. The bands that play this show are usually the bands that we play with around town.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
Clubs are great... And I like playing them. I would like to play more shows at big venues... but we are not that popular... And we usually only play them when we get a chance to open for a bigger band.
I also like playing all-ages shows in clubs because this gives kids a chance to see us... including my sons.

Have you toured?
A little. We played CBGB's before it closed in NY. We would like to tour more... But most of us have small kids, and jobs with limited vacation time... So, at the moment... Touring is difficult to do.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Yes, When Darkbuster were still together, we played with them a few times. They are amazing. That's my favorite Boston punk band.

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
I like playing the clubs around town like the Middle East upstairs, The Beachcomber, Great Scott's, The Midway. The CBGB's show was great. It is sad to see that place close down.

What do you see is the future of The Welch Boys?
This band has been re invigorated by the addition of Sam Joudrey on drums. He joined us last year. He used to play drums for Toxic Narcotic. He is the best drummer in Boston. He has helped us write a bunch of new stuff. The material is fast and aggressive. We have about fifteen songs that have been recorded as demos in our studio, and they are ready to record proffesionally. I think we will go to the Outpost studio in March, and probably release our third full lenght cd in the fall on Sailor's Grave records. Then, we will do a cd release party, and try to do a bit of touring. We are all getting older, but we have no reason to stop making music.

How can people contact the band?
We are out there on Facebook. Type in The Welch Boys and friend us. We also have a great web page done by a fan from Wales named Mark Charlie. http://thewelchboys.net/ and you can email us at info@thewelchboys.net Our videos are all over Youtube... And our cd's and shirts are avaialable from http://sailorsgraverecords.com/home.php and http://iscreamrecords.com/   I've also seen our stuff on every pirate mp3 site out there... But once you hear the music, you will want to buy the cd to fully immerse yourself in the experience... Right?