Rockhouse USA, Aurora, IL

RealiD: Roger I don’t know a lot about this band, this material or how Roger Miret and the Disasters came about?

Roger: Ok, it basically started off … I was writing a bunch of music, some songs I started writing with Lady Luck, but it didn’t quite fit Lady Luck and they weren’t really Agnostic Front style songs and I tried to do something with Agnostic Front, but it just wasn’t working out, so I started writing stuff on my own with one of those Boss recorders. I started tracking and writing stuff and eventually I had a bunch of songs I had written and some people found out I was writing these songs. I had had contact with Johnny Rioux(the Bruisers), who said he would love to do the thing with me, calling it like a side project as it was basically, so far, a solo record. Then I ran into Rhys who is from New Zealand, and he was only in the country for like a week and I was introduced to him, I gave him my tape and he said he really like the material. Then I did like a slight little rehearsal with a temporary drummer plus 2 guitar players, and we kind of hit it off real well. From there I just continued writing stuff like that and eventually we made a demo tape with Matt Kelly, from the Dropkick Murphys, playing drums, and myself on guitar, Rhys on guitar, and Johnny played bass. We did a six song demo which eventually landed in the hands of Lars Frederickson who gave it to Tim Armstrong of Rancid who loved the stuff and asked me if I would like to do a record because he would like to put it out on Hellcat. And I answered, “of course I would.”

That’s how it all came together.

In August we went in to record, August 1st or so, by which point I had talked to Johnny Kray about playing drums, because obviously Matt Kelly had commitments to Dropkick Murphy’s, so he couldn’t plays drums with me. I had given everyone tapes of all the songs, had two rehearsals, we went into the studio, recorded, and we were all real impressed by the way the record came out. With only like a couple of rehearsals we decided let’s be a band, lets do this thing. This is great and that’s where we are today.

RealiD: How would you describe the material on the record and what are you and The Disasters bringing out there?

Roger: I always say, I don’t think this is anything groundbreaking, but its old but new and refreshing. It’s an old NY punk style, but it’s refreshingly new with what’s going on out there music wise – not much of this! It is real ecological in regard to the bands who have helped make me who I am today. It is a tribute to all those bands. You can hear it in most of the songs; you hear a lot of the Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, the Buzzcocks. All the old bands who made me who I am today, who I loved and respected and who have brought us together, the Dictators and stuff like that.

RealiD: Following the show and having spent time with the record, I feel like I know more about you, Roger Miret, where you come from and where YOU are now.

Roger: I think you are right about that. This record and this project and this band are very personal to me. They allowed me to touch on other things that I would not generally do with AF. There is a love song for my wife, Denise, on this record. Stuff like that. I got to express myself again, in a free forum and not worry about anything, musically or lyrically. It freshened me up as musician and a person and made me tap back into my past, tapping on it musically and really tapping on it lyrically. It is a very personal record if you ask me.

RealiD: AF. I have to mention it. I am sure not an interview with you goes past where someone can control himself or herself. I too am without control. I have to mention AF.

Roger: We just got back from Europe with Biohazard and Hatebreed. We plan on playing like 5 dates in March, right now it’s just those 5 shows scheduled. They, we’re talking about doing another record, which I don’t oppose, or nothing like that. They understand I am out here and doing my thing in my space.

RealiD: I know you kidded up there about being divorced 3 times, so I didn’t want to ask, but I am glad you brought it up.

Roger: No, I play in my wife, Denise’s, band, Lady Luck.

RealiD: I know Lady Luck. I saw you guys play with Demonspeed at CIH in like 1998. Tell me what is up with Lady Luck?

Roger: The Lady Luck record is out overseas, its called Life In Between, it’s on Lucky 7 records, which is a division of Diehard in Germany. Lady Luck is such a great group and it’s a band for this time. Denise has such great melodies and great lyrics and I feel like a lot of it could be really embraced here. We did do one tour in Europe, and there were plenty of females and girls at the shows who really connect with Denise’s lyrics. Every time I am out on the road I meet these people and they are like, “what’s going on with Lady Luck, I love that band.” Lady Luck is just such a different band, but a commercially accessible type of a band even though we weren’t meant to be that way. I could hear just about three quarters of that record on the radio. Really nice melodies and people working off each other, as a band, in such a nice way. There is nothing harsh about it. It’s just a beautiful record. First off it’s a shame Life In Between is not even released in the states. It is also an outdated recording at this point. It’s at least three years old and half the record was recorded a year before that. I feel like if Lady Luck got the chance, it could be something.

RealiD: All my friends walking around LES and the East Village have mentioned the dope rides you been driving, what’s up?

Roger: I have a motor club called the Rumblers. I have always been into cars, bikes…it’s that whole outlaw lifestyle I love. I have always been into cars and bikes…I have always been kind of a gearhead…its that whole outlaw thing. When I first saw James Dean, I fell in love with that whole lifestyle.

RealiD: I know you work with some new and younger bands out there, who are some of the young bands you like out there?

Roger: On the Rise from Queens is someone I have worked with. Mike Gallo plays bass with AF. I like them and have worked with them. They have the old school hardcore style, with more like a new school flavor, with like sustained notes and stuff like that, octave changes, stuff like more of the new school bands use. The guitar player is really cool, he does a lot of, cool like sustained notes and like jazzy stuff, and stuff like that. They definitely have the old school type…. they basically sound like a modern day Killing Time.

RealiD: and that’s Brian Will you are talking about who plays guitar for them? I was in a band with him years ago. Kritter, later called Quibron.

Roger: What was that band?

RealiD: Quibron.

Roger: I remember that band; he used to play me stuff from that band.

RealiD: Last night to close the show some local kids in a band convinced you to play something with them. Does that happen in every city or what?

Roger: Actually that has only happened twice.

RealiD: Twice in the course of five shows Disasters shows’??

Roger: No, twice ever. They were a cool band that didn’t play that night, but know the song and they asked if I would mind doing the song. And I am already there, why would I mind. Of course I will do the song.

Roger Miret finished the set with Crucified, performed by him and some walk on musicians. Apparently that young band lived out a HARDCORE dream in Aurora, IL.